With every business, you will need to build a successful team of individuals who can help propel your growth and have your business become a dominating force within your industry. Although you may want to do things on your own, understand that growth occurs quicker with a team of people handling different functions of your business, while you focus on continually developing your company. The difficult part of this team building process is finding the right people to form the “perfect” team, that is, if such a team even exists.
If you are looking for the perfect employee to create the perfect team, you will be very disappointed to find out these unicorns do not exist. It is dependant on your actions as a leader to bring the best out of all the individuals on your team so that they can perform at a high level. The best leaders work to understand the motivations of each team member, how to correct their mistakes, and when to allow them to operate autonomously. Building an A-team requires you to let go of the idea of “perfection” and instead focus on putting team members in the best position to succeed.
Follow the 8 tips below to maximize the talent of all the members of your team and guarantee team success.
1.Recognize the value of each team member.
When you lead a team, the success that is produced is never due to just your actions. Your team played a part in generating that success by being effective at the position they operate within. Without their ability to perform, the success that your organisation experiences would not be possible. This is why you must recognise and praise your team for the work that they do. Your team will feel valued and will be motivated to work harder in order to exceed their previous performance. Let your team know that their hard work is appreciated both individually and as a collective group. It also helps when you put members of your team in leadership roles so that they are empowered to find solutions autonomously instead of constantly needing your guidance with problems.
You would want to build up the confidence of your team and not tear them down. A mistake is not an excuse to berate them and make them feel small. Become the motivational source that your team uses to achieve and exceed their goals.
2. Learn how to maximise the skills of your team members.
No one person on your team is alike.They each possess different personalities and skillsets that make them different. Your job is to determine how to pair your team members up so that their skills work to complement the other’s.This is key since every person on your team has their own strengths and weaknesses. The strength of one member can negate the weakness of the other member. This is how you minimise deficiencies that can negatively affect the overall performance of your team, limiting the growth of your organisation.
To be an effective leader, you must understand where each member of your team is at, so that you know how to put them in the best position to succeed. This requires you to develop emotional intelligence – you will need to know how to effectively communicate with different personalities in order to understand how to motivate them and how to correct their issues. Develop good relationships with each member on your team. You want them to be open with you so that you can be in the know of any difficulties they could be facing.
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3. Be protective and supportive of your team.
A great leader is protective of their team because these are the people who help the business succeed. These individuals are akin to your family because they see you at your best and worst. They know how hard you work to be successful and they understand the sacrifices you make to ensure that every member on your team is taken care of.
As a leader, you must operate with authority. You have to know how to provide the guidance that pushes your team to the next level. This form of leadership will have your team feeling like they are being moved collectively in the right direction, which creates a productive working environment. This well-received atmosphere also motivates your team members to take risks because they know such behavior is encouraged as long as it is for the betterment of the team. Should they fail, they are aware and confident that you will help them identify their mistakes, correct their issues, and let them go back out to perform without needing to be micromanaged.
4. Allow your team members to take risks.
A leader must support and encourage their team to take risks in order to produce results that might not occur while operating in safe mode. This must be done with effective guidance though, because you do not want things to spiral out of control. Learn how to keep your team on track while giving them the freedom to pursue risks that could yield big rewards for your organisation.Giving your team the freedom to take risks also allows you to observe how they perform when the reins are taken off. You will get better insight into how and why they make certain decisions.
5. Do not be a micromanager.
The micro-managing style of leadership literally suffocates the performance out of your team. Your team members will be too scared to make mistakes because they know you will be overbearing in your response on how to correct the problem. The only way your team can truly succeed is if you back off and let them work autonomously. This may be tough to do because the success of your business is on the line, but putting constant pressure on your team affects their performance negatively, which also spills over to your business. Learn how to relieve complete control and allow your team to self-manage themselves. You will be surprised when you learn that they have the ability to do their jobs without you constantly looking over their shoulders.
6. Communicate exactly what is needed
It is unreasonable to expect your team to be able to read your mind. Lack of communication can create a great deal of frustration and resentment. Be clear and direct with your team so that they know exactly what is expected of them. Clear communication allows your team to know what direction to take so that they produce the results that are needed. This helps to ensure the success of your team, rather than have them operate in a confused state.
7. Eliminate confusion.
Learn to react with logic instead of emotions, the latter of which usually leads to you making wrong decisions. You do not want to be perceived as a leader who lacks the ability to control his / her emotions.Great leaders learn to listen and observe before speaking. They base their decisions on facts, not assumptions. An emotionally unstable leader can do great damage to the team because of his / her irrational behavior. Learn how to operate without allowing your feelings to get in the way of your logic.
8. Appreciate your team.
Never take your team for granted because they are the ones who drive your success. Praise their contributions and acknowledge their results. The appreciation that you show for your team is the motivation that can push them to be even greater under your leadership. Success is almost guaranteed when your team is happy about the leadership they operate under.
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