When you see a team that’s winning and thriving from the outset, you have to realize that they’ve gone a long way in making the team into what it is now. Hard work and perseverance are the secret ingredients to creating a successful and goal-oriented team. Keep in mind that behind any startup’s success lies a great team.
While teams are naturally different from one another, there are certain things that the winning teams have in common. For startups, this is the immense pressure to achieve that winning standard, to avoid the negative fate of a business that fails to grow.
One of the top secrets to business success is being able to build a winning team by seeking the services of a direct hiring platform company within your location, such as Hirect. With the objective of bringing the right people together to form a cohesive team that values working towards a common goal of bringing success to the company.
To make this a reality, here are tried-and-tested steps you can apply in building a winning team to achieve your business goals for your startup:
1. Create Shared Goals
From the moment they’re hired, your team should already share the same goals and vision as your company does. They should be aware of what your business objectives are and what they can do to achieve such goals as a key team player in your business.
When you hire new employees for your startup, brief them on your short-term and long-term goals. That way, they’ll work not just to please customers but also to achieve those goals.
To maintain that you and your team are always on the same page, make it a practice to have regular meeting sessions wherein your team members can fully open up about any concerns they may have about your current processes. Moreover, you can use those meeting sessions to break up bigger business goals into smaller ones. This enables every member or department of your team to have smaller goals to work on, still with the end result of achieving the main goals of your startup.
2. Lead By Example
A winning team is always one that’s purposefully led. Even if you’ve hired top talents in your team, this doesn’t mean you can leave them to work on their own. They still need your guidance and leadership, as they work for the company’s benefit.
Thus, the need to lead by example. If you want them to be positive team players in your business, you should also show that you’re also a positive team leader yourself.
As the owner of the startup, you have to run your team as a true leader should. This means setting standards and holding everyone accountable for reaching both their individual and their organizational goals as you would also do.
By showing your team that you ‘practice what you preach,’ you’ll surely earn their respect and follow suit with what you’d be willing to do for the company.
3. Establish Expectations From Day One
Along with setting your goals from the very beginning, it’s a must also to establish your expectations of each other. This should include your expectations from your team members, and accordingly, their expectations from you too.
Even when you have highly skilled team members, think of them as relatively blank slates. They’re new to your team and they’re open to molding into your company culture. Set ground rules, and make those clear right from the very start.
Whatever it is, say so. Do you want them to continuously hit weekly sales goals? Do you want to inculcate a culture of shared responsibility and decision-making? An effective team leader should be able to set those expectations from the get-go. Doing this prevents misunderstanding and boosts efficiency.
4. Learn To Listen And Learn
The winning team should be willing to listen and learn. They should build a relationship and bond which makes them comfortably collaborate together without inhibitions. As their leader, you should practice positive reinforcement to motivate your team. Learning to listen and learn should be mutually emphasized, as it shows respect and value to both parties.
This can be done by creating a culture of listening and learning from each other. Even if you’re the boss, you must listen. You may just be surprised at how much everyone can actually learn from someone else on the team.
5. Define Roles Clearly
Define the roles of every member of the team clearly. They should know what they have to do, without any gray areas. To do this, you have to ensure all the goals are distinctly defined.
Otherwise, without clarity, you may have some job functions overlapping with that of another. If this happens, productivity and efficiency will be sacrificed.
6. Treat Team Members As Individuals
Highly-engaged and happy team members contribute significantly to having a winning team. Among the many things you can do to keep your team members committed is to instill value and trust in each other.
Remember that you’re not working with robots programmed to do tasks. What you have are human beings, who have distinct differences in personality and beliefs. They have their individual strengths and weaknesses, which are not impossible to strengthen and enhance with the support of the team and its leader.
7. Show Some Respect
Lastly, a little respect goes a very long way. Your team members will never be able to give their best for your startup, if they feel they aren’t respected. Chances are, they won’t even be motivated to bring their best ideas to work.
One of the most compelling ways to show that you respect your team members is to know your boundaries. Always be aware of how you treat them, especially when it comes to their personal lives. Practice professionalism and avoid crossing the line. Keep in mind that as long as they deliver results on the table, everything should be just fine.
Conclusion
As you can see, building a winning team is more than just about getting the right mix of people together, each with their professional capabilities. More than anything else, it’s also about fostering the right sense of teamwork. Even if you’re still a startup, no goals can be achieved when you’re a one-man show. Tick the items above, one at a time, so that the winning team will soon be within your reach.
