It is a challenging job to manage and lead a team effectively. It isn't enough to simply hire the right people with a great set of skills to guarantee high performance and constant productivity. Instead, you will need to create teams with compatible individuals who can work well together to reach common goals. So, whether your business is small or large, you are launching a start-up or have a well-established company, properly leading the team is a constant priority.
A good manager will also be a thoughtful leader. This way, your team members will follow you willingly and trust your leadership without feeling too anxious at the workplace to ask questions or propose new ideas. Besides this, as a business owner, there are many things you have to take into consideration to build a strong team that remains motivated and develops a sense of belonging at the company.
Let’s find out how to make your business a place where people will want to work!
As mentioned above, effectively managing a team means being a great leader for your employees. This will guarantee long-term commitment and dedication to perform well. A good leader will not control their teams, as constantly telling your employees what to do and how to do it will create a stressful work environment, decreasing engagement levels. Instead, it is better to use a more collaborative approach when it comes to delegating assignments and setting deadlines. This way, if you recognize your employees' potential and offer them the chance to grow without having to give orders, this will nurture their sense of autonomy.
Mutual feedback will help you establish strong leadership. Giving feedback to your employees to maintain motivation and steer them in the right direction is highly necessary to keep the team on the right track and fulfill their responsibilities. Similarly, it is as important to ask for feedback on your leadership approach to make sure you meet their needs and give them the proper environment to advance professionally.
Creating space for open communication is vital to ensure the teams work collaboratively and there is no space for major misunderstandings. If conflicts arise – as it is possible in any work environment – the ability to communicate efficiently and honestly will help you resolve this kind of issue more rapidly. If you want to ensure smooth communication, you may want to invest in a cloud business phone from Broadvoice. This type of system allows your entire team to call, text, chat, initiate video calls, and even check virtual voicemail and fax from a single app.
A noteworthy mention would be that communication in the workplace comes as a two-way street: if you want your employees to trust you and have the confidence to communicate, you have to create a safe environment by opening a line of communication. This way, you build your business’ culture on the core values of honesty and ethical behavior, and your employees will follow you.
Apart from professional communication that encourages raising any issues at the workplace and promotes productivity, encouraging social interaction with your co-workers is also vital. Building relationships in an environment outside of the office will also strengthen the way in which your team members will collaborate. Besides, this will give you the chance to know more about your employees and see you as a trustworthy team leader rather than an intimidating boss. By establishing a connection with your employees, you will be able to communicate better with them, get to know their strengths, and match them accurately with specific tasks. If the employee grows professionally, the business will too.
In order to build a powerful team, it is essential you give your employees the space for further learning. This can be both in-house training and providing workshops that give them the chance to improve their skills and learn new techniques but also allow your employees to seek and attend courses individually that can help them grow professionally. So, your employees could sign up for an online course that is flexible enough and is not interfering with their job responsibilities.
Depending on what your business is focusing on, employees might want to attend a course that helps them acquire new knowledge, which they can use to apply for a promotion. If you have a skincare brand, an employee might have an affinity towards chemistry and wants to attend a chemistry course online to understand the job of a cosmetic scientist better. This will give them the chance to advance in the company, if, for instance, that person desires to work for the Research & Development department.
So, whether you provide specific workshops or you give your employees the chance to take the necessary steps towards building the career they dream of, further learning should always be encouraged. Doing this will build a stronger, more prepared team with a relevant and updated set of skills.
How your employees perform and advance is dependent on the company culture you create. When you value collaborative teamwork, this will be noticeable in every way throughout your business model. Besides highlighting the importance of working in a team from the hiring process to training and in everyday tasks, it is vital you evaluate your employees accurately and regularly. This way, you will be able to see how well everyone performs and play into their strengths by assigning accurate tasks and creating opportunities for individual professional growth.
Celebrating when an employee achieves a new milestone is equally important. When the team is working effectively together, it is inevitable for results to come. When this happens, it is crucial to recognize, celebrate and reward good work. Whether you do this by giving bonuses or vouchers for specific experiences will make the employee feel appreciated and motivated to keep performing.
When you encourage your employees to reveal any innovative ideas that they might have and give a chance for them to collaborate on particular, more significant projects, it can significantly benefit the entire business. Allowing your employees to grow professionally within your business can drive the company towards more success. Not to mention, this will positively influence how the business is perceived, as it will be known for its forward-thinking approach and culture that values growth together with its employees.
A good manager will also be a thoughtful leader. This way, your team members will follow you willingly and trust your leadership without feeling too anxious at the workplace to ask questions or propose new ideas. Besides this, as a business owner, there are many things you have to take into consideration to build a strong team that remains motivated and develops a sense of belonging at the company.
1. Establish strong leadership
As mentioned above, effectively managing a team means being a great leader for your employees. This will guarantee long-term commitment and dedication to perform well. A good leader will not control their teams, as constantly telling your employees what to do and how to do it will create a stressful work environment, decreasing engagement levels. Instead, it is better to use a more collaborative approach when it comes to delegating assignments and setting deadlines. This way, if you recognize your employees' potential and offer them the chance to grow without having to give orders, this will nurture their sense of autonomy.
Mutual feedback will help you establish strong leadership. Giving feedback to your employees to maintain motivation and steer them in the right direction is highly necessary to keep the team on the right track and fulfill their responsibilities. Similarly, it is as important to ask for feedback on your leadership approach to make sure you meet their needs and give them the proper environment to advance professionally.
2. Encourage communication
Creating space for open communication is vital to ensure the teams work collaboratively and there is no space for major misunderstandings. If conflicts arise – as it is possible in any work environment – the ability to communicate efficiently and honestly will help you resolve this kind of issue more rapidly. If you want to ensure smooth communication, you may want to invest in a cloud business phone from Broadvoice. This type of system allows your entire team to call, text, chat, initiate video calls, and even check virtual voicemail and fax from a single app.
A noteworthy mention would be that communication in the workplace comes as a two-way street: if you want your employees to trust you and have the confidence to communicate, you have to create a safe environment by opening a line of communication. This way, you build your business’ culture on the core values of honesty and ethical behavior, and your employees will follow you.
Apart from professional communication that encourages raising any issues at the workplace and promotes productivity, encouraging social interaction with your co-workers is also vital. Building relationships in an environment outside of the office will also strengthen the way in which your team members will collaborate. Besides, this will give you the chance to know more about your employees and see you as a trustworthy team leader rather than an intimidating boss. By establishing a connection with your employees, you will be able to communicate better with them, get to know their strengths, and match them accurately with specific tasks. If the employee grows professionally, the business will too.
3. Encourage further learning
In order to build a powerful team, it is essential you give your employees the space for further learning. This can be both in-house training and providing workshops that give them the chance to improve their skills and learn new techniques but also allow your employees to seek and attend courses individually that can help them grow professionally. So, your employees could sign up for an online course that is flexible enough and is not interfering with their job responsibilities.
Depending on what your business is focusing on, employees might want to attend a course that helps them acquire new knowledge, which they can use to apply for a promotion. If you have a skincare brand, an employee might have an affinity towards chemistry and wants to attend a chemistry course online to understand the job of a cosmetic scientist better. This will give them the chance to advance in the company, if, for instance, that person desires to work for the Research & Development department.
So, whether you provide specific workshops or you give your employees the chance to take the necessary steps towards building the career they dream of, further learning should always be encouraged. Doing this will build a stronger, more prepared team with a relevant and updated set of skills.
4. Evaluate accurately and celebrate achievements
How your employees perform and advance is dependent on the company culture you create. When you value collaborative teamwork, this will be noticeable in every way throughout your business model. Besides highlighting the importance of working in a team from the hiring process to training and in everyday tasks, it is vital you evaluate your employees accurately and regularly. This way, you will be able to see how well everyone performs and play into their strengths by assigning accurate tasks and creating opportunities for individual professional growth.
Celebrating when an employee achieves a new milestone is equally important. When the team is working effectively together, it is inevitable for results to come. When this happens, it is crucial to recognize, celebrate and reward good work. Whether you do this by giving bonuses or vouchers for specific experiences will make the employee feel appreciated and motivated to keep performing.
5. Encourage collaborations
When you encourage your employees to reveal any innovative ideas that they might have and give a chance for them to collaborate on particular, more significant projects, it can significantly benefit the entire business. Allowing your employees to grow professionally within your business can drive the company towards more success. Not to mention, this will positively influence how the business is perceived, as it will be known for its forward-thinking approach and culture that values growth together with its employees.
