The real success of organisations lies in how strong and well-knit their teams are. Team building is not an easy art and requires you put in all of your energy, heart, and soul into. This is an area where your skills as a leader are put to the test. Be ready to don several hats and to put your people skills at display. Strong teams led by competent leaders can help in:
- Increasing productivity
- Achieving an unmatched company culture
- Creation of a highly engaged and satisfied workforce
When you are building a team, you are bringing together different personas and energy in one place and they do not always have to be complementary to each other. However, it is up to you to ensure that the balance is maintained and that the team uses this synergy to reach new heights.
Take your Time
Take your time to understand the purpose of building the team. Keep in mind the core functions you would want the members to achieve as a team and individually. Do not rush into hiring anyone or assigning new roles to existing employees just to build the team. Look at their skills as well as how well they will be able to adapt to a team. Before getting anyone on board, discuss what expectations you have as a leader to ensure that they are on the same page as well.
Delegating Roles and Responsibilities
Once you have got the dream team, the next step would be to define their roles and responsibilities. This should be done with a lot of diligence as people’s skills are often more diverse than what is mentioned in their resumes. Ensure that the responsibilities of the members are interconnected leveraging everyone’s strengths and harness them into common goals.
Building the team and sustaining the synergy later on also is equally important. Just putting the team together does not warranty great performance, it takes a lot more than that.
Communicate Actively
Giving feedback often on a weekly or monthly basis can help team members improve their performances a lot more as compared to annual feedbacks during the appraisal. Keep checking in with them regularly to address any issues and to keep them engaged.
Also, seek inputs from your team members to know what support they need going ahead. This is also important when you are setting goals for each of the team members; seek their input to know if there is anything more they would like to bring to the table in the future.
Stand Up for your Team
Exhibit exemplary leadership skills by standing up for your team and protecting them when needed. As the captain of the ship, be responsible for guiding your team to their ultimate goals especially when they bogged down. Help them recognise where they went wrong and support them to get back on track.
Rewards and Recognition
When teams or team members are recognised and rewarded for the successful implementation of a project, it shows you acknowledge the good work and also motivates them the do better next time. Even if there are no rewards involved every time, make sure to praise the good practices of your team publicly. However, it is also important to note that the team knows that they are accountable for any unsatisfactory performance as well.
Building a team and leading it is no cakewalk. It takes the best of leadership skills to do it. Remember to acknowledge their contributions no matter how small or big and support them to be the best version of themselves.
