When it comes to business, everything comes down to the quality of your team. You can be the best leader in history, but without the right people, you won’t accomplish anything comparable by yourself. When you have a vision, you need people to help you carry it out. Imagine the CEO of a national bank wants to change the entire customer experience. He can’t do that by himself. He needs the entire support of management AND the employees interacting with every customer individually. It takes a team to make it happen.
What’s an effective team?
An effective team works well together, producing extraordinary results while maintaining a healthy and vibrant culture that promotes innovation.
It’s easier said than done. Otherwise, this article wouldn’t even be necessary. But building a team is a lot like building a city. It takes multiple efforts, diligent planning, many people, and time.
Even though building an effective team can be challenging, using the right techniques can help you effectively accomplish your goal.
Here’s a list of steps to take when building your team.
- Start with yourself. Building a team takes good leadership. If you aren’t growing, don’t expect your team to do it.
- Add value to your employees. How well do you know them? A good leader connects with his team.
- Collaborate. Develop a culture of ideas. When more people are involved in the big picture, the more they will feel a sense of ownership.
- Know the DNA. When you’re choosing people for your team, and as you develop those already working with you, it’s important to know who you are and what your company represents. If you don’t know, how can you get others to?
- Listen. Hear your team out. What are their concerns, their fears, their passions? All this helps keep your team healthy.
- Be clear. Be candid and clear about everything you say. Simplicity always wins.
- Empower them. Give them responsibilities. They need to trust you. How can they do that if you don’t trust them with leadership too? Develop your team to be leaders.
