Building a strong team is a delicate balancing act. Everyone has their own set of skills (just look at the real A-Team!), while as a manager, you need to be the one getting the best out of them.
You need to praise people to keep them motivated without making other members of the team feel left out. You need to clearly communicate all your goals and make sure they are being achieved without micromanaging. You need to define responsibilities without making people feel resentful. And this is just the start!
No boss or manager is going to get things right 100 percent of the time, but there are a few things that you need to consider when you are trying to build your very own business A-Team.
Encourage Relationships
Your team will work best if they are friendly with each other. Where possible, you should encourage them to get to know each other in a personal capacity, as well as as business one. When you hold a team meeting, encourage a bit of informal chat before things get started. Accept that personal conversations are going to happen on business time, but try not to let things get out of hand. If you are trying to encourage a closer-knit team, there are plenty of corporate team building event ideas that you can get involved in. If you know that your team are football fans, there are plenty of corporate tournaments you could enter. Anything that encourages your team to get closer should have a positive impact on your business.
Communication
So many teams are brought down by communication problems. You should meet with your team on a regular basis, getting updates and letting them know of any upcoming projects. At the start of the project itself, clearly define everyone’s responsibilities and set clear and reasonable deadlines. After the meeting is finished, send out an email that has everything in writing. This will help to prevent any arguments caused by miscommunication. This also provides clear accountability. If someone has not done something by a clearly stated deadline, you know exactly who is responsible.
Feedback
At the end of a project, you should provide as much feedback as possible so people know exactly what they need to work on next time. If you have positive things to say, it can be nice to highlight these in front of the whole team. Having said that, try to avoid regularly highlighting the achievements of one or two people as this can quickly build resentment. Negative feedback should be given on an individual basis and not in front of the whole group.
Empower Your Team
Make sure you give key members of your team appropriate responsibility. If you trust your team, it makes your job so much easier as you don’t have to be constantly looking over their shoulder to make sure work is getting done. Try to avoid making anyone feeling overlooked. A simple acknowledgement of all their hard work can go a long way.
