Behind any successful business is a great team. This is true for both startups as well as international conglomerates. A team helps a business grow, thrive, and scale in a way that would be virtually impossible for one man to achieve.
The secret to a successful team lies in hiring the right people—people who are goal-oriented, value teamwork, and respect the hierarchical structure present in the company.
Once you select the right people, the goal is to mold them into a cohesive unit. This requires a capable team leader with an unshakable sense of team values, code of ethics, and goals. It is up to you, as an employer, to make them into an actual team, and the following steps will help you do so:
1. Establish Expectations From the Start
New employees and team members are like blank slates. They are open to varied company cultures but will quickly start looking for cues on how to work as an effective member of the company.
Thus, it is vital to set ground rules and inform your team about your expectations right from the start—not just your five-year plan or your sales goals, but also the kind of company culture you want to establish.
2. Team Members Should Be Respected as Individuals
When individuals are respected and honored for contributing to the common goal, then and only then can a robust team environment blossom like a flower.
Although you want your employees to work as part of a team, you must also remember that they are all individuals with unique lives and stories, who want to take care of themselves before anything else. You should not regard them as robots programmed to perform tasks.
It is also important to run identity checks to verify the identity of the job applicant. There are a number of identity checking service that can help you save time and effort by efficiently verifying the applicant’s identity.
3. Motivate With Positivity
A number of leaders believe in the motto “You get more flies with honey than with vinegar.” If you apply this to your team, you will find that you can shape behavior more effectively with positive reinforcement than negative reinforcement.
Refrain from criticizing your team members’ mistakes. Instead, cite behaviors and events that you particularly liked and encourage them to do so again in the future to create a positive team environment.
Positive reinforcement helps motivate team performance more effectively than shaming those who made a mistake. To create a positive company culture, consider decorating the office space with signs and posters promoting positivity.
4. Give Feedback
Effective communication is the key to building strong working relationships, while silence can break things very quickly. If your team members feel that you as a boss are unhappy with their performance but are not saying anything, it can lead to stress and resentment among your team, resulting in poor performance.
5. Diversify
A good business team is one that is not only competent but diverse as well. A team with different backgrounds, ages, opinions, and experiences will help you cover your blind spots. Hire a diverse staff and encourage effective communication to be more dynamic when it comes to company decision-making.
6. Encourage Connections Within the Team
While it is important that you honor and value each member of your team, it is also vital that teammates exhibit that same care and respect towards one another.
Make sure that your team members do not regard each other as just bodies that share the same office space, but as business partners who share the same goal of achieving success, business development, and team goals.
Final Thoughts
Every year a large number of startups spring up, but many of them close within a few years. Although there are many factors behind this, one factor that almost all entrepreneurs can control that can ensure long-term business success is hiring the right people and turning them into a strong and successful team.