There is nothing more important for a successful business than a good team. So many success stories happened because the right people gathered together and worked for a single cause. The power of teamwork is something every leader should understand.
In order to set up your team, you should remember these five simple rules that will help you choose the best people for the job and coordinate their actions in an effective way.
Things To Keep In Mind
Before we go on with how to assemble a good team, it is important to highlight what should not be done. In his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, author Patrick Lencioni lists five issues that are usually the cause of a team becoming unsuccessful:
- Absence of Trust: Trust is perhaps the most widespread problem of all. If your teammates feel like you are not telling them everything or you don’t trust them, it is very likely they will not listen to you or respect your authority. Moreover, if they don’t trust you, it may end up in the team breaking up completely.
- Fear of Conflict: Some people are more cautious when it comes to working in teams than when they work on their own. Others are afraid of their boss which means they try to avoid conflict. To do so, they will often tell you what you want to hear instead of telling what they actually think. Try to establish an honest environment and show that you can be trusted.
- Lack of Commitment: If you gather the wrong people together, you may end up with a team that simply does not want to commit to your cause. A lot of the time you will come across people who simply want the position because of the salary, but you must find the ones who actually care about your business and want to develop it. This way, you won’t suddenly discover that your teammates don’t want to work.
- Avoidance of Accountability: Yet another problem connected with the lack of commitment is when your workers don’t want to take responsibility for their actions. If they avoid being accounted for what they do, then you should never take them into your team. They will turn out to be untrustworthy teammates who will only stop you from achieving what you want.
- Inattention to Results: Lastly, some people are often focused on the job itself rather than the results this job brings. You should always remember that the most important part of your business is the end result rather than the journey. This means that inattention to the outcome of their actions can be a red flag for you and signal that such workers will be unproductive.
- Think & Analyze
Now, the first thing to do when assembling a team is to sit down and think of what you are looking to achieve with them. You should have a clear business model, a plan of what you will be doing in order to get what you want.
Every member in your team will be responsible for a certain task and they will have to possess concrete skills or abilities to be able to do their job right. Their every action will have to contribute to the main cause and complement what others do.
Make a list of what each team member should know and what they should be able to do. Also, make a list of positions in your team so you know who does what.
- Choose Wisely
Once you have a clear idea of who you want, your next step is to find such people. This may take a lot of time, so you mustn’t jump at every available candidate right away.
Take your time to gather as many applications as possible and sort out the ones that don’t fit your requirements. Then invite the ones left for an interview and see if you can connect with them.
Test out their knowledge by asking them questions about their job and how they would act in certain situations. Maybe even check their skills by asking them to complete a test assignment. Problem-solving is a very important characteristic your chosen candidate should possess and they have to be able to demonstrate it.
- Plan & Set Goals
After you have found the right people, gather them all for a meeting and tell them about your plans. Be as honest as possible and try to establish good relationships at once. A positive first impression is crucial to building a strong bond. After all, you will be working with these people for months if not years.
Even though you are the boss, don’t tell your teammates what to do exactly. If you chose professionals, they will know what to do on their own. A lot of experienced workers prefer using the tools you give them in their own way. Just give them certain tasks to complete and let them decide how to do them on their own.
- Track Performance
You launched your project or started working on your business with your team, and now is the time to monitor your progress. At the very beginning, you set certain goals for your workers which have to be achieved.
If you find that someone is underperforming, try to see what the cause of such performance is. Maybe change some things or propose a different way to solve the problem. You might need to redefine your project altogether, but this usually happens in extreme cases.
If someone is performing even better than you expected, reward them for their work. Consider giving them harder tasks to complete based on their proficiency. This may help you progress faster and reach your goals quicker.
- Celebrate Success
And finally, don’t forget to celebrate your success. Every small achievement matters and you should show your team that you appreciate their work. Even a small announcement thanking your teammates for their work can be special.
Remember that creating a friendly and honest atmosphere is crucial for your team to thrive. Once you complete a project, take your team to a restaurant to celebrate or host a party. This may seem like something unprofessional, but if you find a way to separate work and friendship while at the same time maintaining them, you will be able to have a team that is well-coordinated and dedicated to your common goal.
Conclusion
To sum up, if you assemble a good team, your business is bound for success. Motivated people that were gathered in one place can achieve outstanding heights if they know that they are working for one single thing they are all passionate about. Use these five rules to help you assemble a good team that will make your dream come true!
Author Bio:
Frank Hamilton has been working as a translator at translation service TheWordPoint. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German and English. Meet him on Facebook .
