You have a secret super power but do you know what it is?
It’s your team and as you’re no doubt aware, they can be a blessing and a curse. A great team can lift your business up and help it soar.
But when a team isn’t coming together and working well, it can seem like a curse. It can suck the time out of your day, drain you of energy and leave you feeling more than a little down.
Your team is a bit like a wizard’s wand.
There are days when you feel as skilled as Dumbledore in Harry Potter. Smartly aiming and firing in the right direction – and getting the results you expected.
Then there are days when you feel a little more like Ron Weasley. You know, the ones where you find yourself virtually spitting slugs.
It can seem like pot-luck but team management is more of a blend of art and science, than it is luck.
There are several keys to getting it right, and I want to take this complex issue and make it easy for you.
So I’m giving you my best infographics on creating a team you can rely on.
Recruit the Right People
Having the right team all starts with recruiting the right people. Here’s my staff recruitment checklist, so you can hire the right person each and every time.
Keep Your Team Engaged
Once you have the right people in your team, you need to keep them engaged and inspired.
In episode 49 of the Savvy Dentist I spoke to Kate Erickson from Entrepreneur on Fire and she talked about building a team you can trust and rely on.
As Kate says, there’s a process of,
“ … really finding the right people, onboarding a team, getting them on board with your mission, continuing to keep them engaged, building that relationship with them so that there is mutual trust and respect there.”
So how do you keep your team engaged, and maintain morale?
Author and former CEO Todd Patkin says in his book Finding Happiness: One Man’s Quest to Beat Depression and Anxiety and–Finally–Let the Sunshine In, that there are 14 phrases that will boost morale.
Here are a few that you can start using today.
Maintain Open Communication
When talking with staff, you need open communication.
You have to be sensitive to other person’s feelings and treat them with respect, but you also need to get your message across. And that can be tricky.
You can help team members to maintain their confidence and self-worth by taking a coaching approach, particularly when giving feedback.
You can do this by:
- Focusing on the behaviour or issue, not on the person.
- Respecting and supporting them, even when you feel frustrated and they’re not performing at their best. Practice providing feedback in a way that empowers your team to do better.
- Not jumping to conclusions and making assumptions. These can damage self-esteem and relationships. Seek first to understand.
- Keeping a balance between what a person has done well and what he or she can improve upon.
This infographic has some simple examples.
Inspire Your Team To Do What You Ask
So here’s the thing that I get asked quite often, by frustrated business owners: “How do I make my team do what I want?”
And this concerns me, because I don’t think these people are asking the right question. You see, I don’t want to force people to do what I want.
I want something different and far greater than that.
I want a team who want to help me. A group of supporters who are keen to help out, do their best, and see my business prosper.
Instead of trying to make people do what you want, inspire them to do what you ask. Or better yet, inspire them to see what your business needs and do it without being asked.
Foster your relationship with your team and get to know them well. As Sam Walton said:
“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.”
Support your team, inspire your team, and believe in your team.
Do this, and they’ll follow you to the ends of the earth.
And you won’t even have to ask.
