Teamwork is essential in business. In companies of all sizes, no matter what industry, brand or mission, teamwork is necessary for success. With the state of business feeling like a rollercoaster over the past few years, everyone needs to roll up their sleeves. Your business may be experiencing a shortage of employees. Or the morale of your staff is not what it could (or used to) be. So, how can you foster an environment for teamwork?
It’s important to use your whole team. Seems obvious, right? Once you find the right mix of people for your team, prioritize training them. Team members at every level in your organization should be well equipped to represent your brand, mission, and values. Your employees are your most beneficial investment. Try rotating who attends the next self-storage trade show or portable storage conference to be sure everyone’s involved in customer interactions. Have all employees all pick up the office phone or respond to email inquiries. It’s a group effort at every level.
Each of your employees has unique strengths and skills. Be sure to find your employees’ talents and use them to your advantage. Make it your company’s culture to roll up your sleeves and get in the action. Offer flexible work schedules, flexible job titles, flexible office spaces, etc. Make the work meaningful to your team. It’s not so much about the amount of work done. Rather it’s the intention of doing a job well within a team that cares about the work.
Here are three ideas that help with cultivating teamwork: 1) Be open and transparent with your employees. 2) Prioritize building relationships in and out of the office. 3) Give feedback regularly. Let’s face it, our workforce is in transition. Leaders must communicate with their teams and encourage a group effort for success.
1. Be Open and Transparent
Without transparency, employees can feel insecure. Now is the time to over-communicate with your team. Keep them in the know and be consistent with your communication. Share any new challenges, strategies, and protocols with your employees in an open discussion. And do this on a regular basis. Motivate your team to share their thoughts and ask questions.
It’s OK that everything feels like it’s always changing in business. These changes impact all of us. So, it’s key to work to solve any issues or concerns as soon as they arise. If a process or product changes, be sure that everyone knows about it. When your employees are informed, it feels good. Educate your team on how things work — so they will know what to do if they aren’t working.
2. Prioritize Relationships
Aim for employee engagement. Kevin Kruse in Forbes defines this as, “the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.” He goes on to say, “Employees actually care about their work and their company. They don’t work just for a paycheck, or just for the next promotion, but work on behalf of the organization’s goals.” (Forbes)
One way to achieve this engagement is to strengthen bonds in and out of the office. Volunteer in the community, participate in sports, take hikes, etc. as a team. When your employees are happy and satisfied at their job and their lives outside of work, they’re more likely to work together as a team.
“Not sure how Boxwell management has assembled such an awesome, kind, intelligent and assertive group of employees. It's impressive and very helpful to us as customers.”
~ Kelly Hodges, DHI Storage
A positive company atmosphere starts at the top and trickles to every employee. If the team is not happy, there will be no teamwork. In another Boxwell blog post, we discuss cultivating a happy workplace. Check it out here: Being a Well-Rounded Company: Why It’s a Good Idea
3. Give Your Team Feedback
Regularly cultivating that one-on-one connection with everyone on your team will foster connections. Share your teams’ accomplishments during meetings. Have regular check-ins and performance reviews with your team. Consider providing the option for anonymous feedback. This creates a safe space to tackle difficult topics. It also helps build trust. Be honest and fully transparent with your team and expect the same from them.
“If you look at teams you’ve led or been a part of, you will probably agree that the best groups — those that work together to achieve outstanding results — have positive energy binding them together.”
Seye Oloruntoba, Forbes