By now, you must have figured that the people you hire have a lot to do with how successful your company is going to be. This is why you can see many companies out there trying to personalize their recruitment process to look for the specific character traits and skillsets that can be easily teamed up and allow people to work together efficiently.
Yeah, that can certainly be a difficult task. And let me tell you something, even if you manage to do an excellent job during the recruitment process, it’s going to be hard to get to the dream-team phase.
All of the HR manuals out there make this part of business sound too boring and generic. It seems that somehow, in the process of increasing revenue and cutting down expenses, people have forgotten that it’s the connection that matters; that spark that ignites productivity when there is chemistry within a team.
Without further ado let’s get down to business. Here are some tips on how to create a team everyone would like to be a part of.
1. Reshape Interview Process
In the last couple of years, we have seen some really interesting questions that were standard during job interviews in some of the biggest companies in the world. Many of you may have thought to yourself, “Why didn’t I come up with this? It’s so cool!” Well, to be honest, it’s good that you didn’t. Even, Laszlo Bock, former head of human resources at Google, admitted that those have proven to be terrible tools to identify the best potential employees.
You won’t make any mistake if you sit down and write some of the questions. In the end, if you create a question, you will be the one who knows best what kind of response works best. A good start would be to write down your business goals and what it takes to achieve them, as well as what it took to get to the current state of your business. Check if the candidates have the same mindset as yours, as it is really important to be on the same page.
2. Create a Positive Working Atmosphere
There are several crucial things that you should always keep in mind when trying to create a dream team. Organizational culture, relationships between team members and supervisors and, of course, the possibility for personal development.
Everything should start and end with a conversation. This is why, right from the start, you need to encourage co-workers to exchange all the information that has value for team progress. The best way to make the employees feel that they belong in the organization is to feed their need to feel like they are contributing in more than one way. If you keep an open form of communication with them, especially during meetings, there is a great chance that their paycheck won’t be the only incentive in their motivation repertoire.
Also, try to bring diversity to the workplace. There are some really cool software tools that can lift the team’s spirit by spicing things up with mini games. For instance, you can use time-tracking software like Toggl, Hubstaff or RescueTime to create multiple “timed goals” for each team member and organize a competition with symbolic rewards. This game will also increase time-management skills for both you and the team.
3. Become a Great Leader
You already possess most of the qualities that make a good leader. You just need to embrace them and let them work out for you. Just wait and you will see, some of them are embedded in our human nature.
Let’s start with honesty. Honesty is a characteristic found in all great team leaders and when you practice it, it leaves you with that great feeling in your chest. When you make honesty a key virtue, you can expect that your co-workers will follow your example. Honesty is a pillar of every helpful and friendly workspace.
Next in line is confidence. I’ve already mentioned how your behavior reflects on the team as a whole. Well, confidence is something very important, especially in times when things aren’t going according to plan. If you remain calm during difficult times, team morale will flourish and everyone will be working and moving ahead with their crosshairs on a larger goal.
4. Reinvent Team Building
Team Building is a time when your employees should not feel like it is another “business” day. The emphasis should be on spending time together and sharing some unique experiences, even if that’s something a bit outside of someone’s comfort zone.
When you are planning a team building activity or creating one, you should also set some goals. You can organize events where people can discover what motivates and demotivates other team members. Or, play a game that shows the value of everyone’s ideas. Also, don’t restrain from trying the good old get to know each other games. Not only will your co-workers get the chance to find out something new about their colleagues, but you can also use this material for future team building events.
Team building games are also an excellent opportunity to improve problem-solving skills and to inspire creativity. These types of games are popular by the name “Use what you have”. For newly formed teams, a scavenger hunt game can improve collaboration and teamwork, and you can always make it more interesting with clues and riddles.
Conclusion
As you can see, building a good team is a process and it can be hard at times. But, let those “hard” times and how your team passes through them serve you as a key indicator of where the team is going. Feel free to make adjustments on the go. In the end, you will see that it’s all about the soft skills and the chemistry that
Feel free to make adjustments on the go. In the end, you will see that it’s all about the soft skills and the chemistry that develops between team members when it comes to increasing productivity and morale at the workplace.
