What does a great team look like in business?
Well, I’m sure many will have differing opinions about that. In my opinion it’s a group of people who are 100% committed to the cause of the business, who selflessly act in the best interests of the business even if at the expense of their own working conditions and who collaborate to get the best results.
I’m privileged to say that I work with such a team of people at AVN.
The benefits of working with such a team…
- No internal politics
- ‘Management’ is unnecessary
- Stuff gets done
- The business grows
- The environment is productive
- Customers are wowed
What a great team acts like…
- Every individual is innovative and takes ownership of ideas to make them happen.
- The won’t hesitate to argue and put up a fight for something they believe in.
- They give good honest candid feedback to the business owner – no holds barred.
- We’re all in it together – no us and them attitude.
- Everyone acts like they own the business and own it’s mission.
The problems…
Problem 1. Reversing the damage that previous employers have done to people when they employ. Most employers suppress the initiative of their employees because a) often they like to feel that they’re the ones with all the power and want to feel that people are only doing what the employer tells them to do or b) they’re control freaks and simply can’t let go.
Problem 2. Recruiting for skills rather than attitude. Skills can be taught and developed, attitude is based upon values, beliefs and a ‘buy in’ to the companies mission. For someone on a mission, where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Problem 3. Incorrectly persevering with the people who just aren’t right for the business. It’s wasted effort and it means neglecting the right people in your business who then feel unappreciated and move on, leaving you with the… crap!
How that culture is developed..
I don’t believe you need to be a natural born leader of people to develop a great team culture of people who are behind you every step of the way. A great team culture is developed by following systems that work. Systems that help you recruit the right people, systems that help you bring out the best in people, systems that create time for you to spend with each and every individual within your team to understand them and fully appreciate them as individuals and their strengths.
What those systems are…
Over the period of the coming weeks I’m going to post a blog here about everything we do here at AVN that develop and maintain a great team culture. Each blog will be short and succinct and give you something that you can go and implement immediately in your practice. Remember though, these are systems I’ll be sharing and that means stuff that should be implemented regularly and form part of the norm in the business, not simply something to try once when the moon is a deep shade of blue.
Do this now…
Go out and buy a pack of thank you cards, enough for every single member of your team and write something unique about each of them to them. Write about why you value them, what specifically they bring to the business and how much you value them. You will likely find that for some people, this is an easy exercise, the words just flow. For others it’s really difficult to think what to put. I would suggest that either these people aren’t right for your business or you haven’t taken the time to understand them. Give those thank you cards out. It doesn’t have to be for a special occasion.
Get these bloggs…
This blog was intended to set the scene for my upcoming series of postings on exactly what to do to develop a fantastic team culture. To ensure that you don’t miss any of them click the follow button and you’ll be informed every time I release a new posting.
Also, please don’t be shy, if you have any thoughts about this and any future blog posting please do comment below. I’d love to get your thoughts and discuss with you whether you agree or disagree and if you’re experiencing specific challenges then I’ll be happy to give suggestions.
Shane
Article Source: Shane Lukas
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