It’s natural, as a business leader, to want to give the majority of your attention to what’s new and exciting. However, it’s just as important that this doesn’t take away from the things that will get you to those new and exciting opportunities—such as effective teamwork.
Establishing the ‘rules of the game’ and values is crucial to achieving effective teamwork. Below are five strategies that not only contribute to strong teamwork, but help you get the results you want faster.
Know thyself.
Creating high-level teamwork starts with understanding who you are, how you operate, how your personality plays in, how you strive and problem solve and what your values are. If you’re unaware of these things, it’s incredibly challenging to find and appreciate them in others.
At High Growth we use a variety of different profiles, including ECR, StrengthsFinder®, and DISC, to ensure clients’ teams share a common language and have conversations about the best ways to work together. This also gives team members the advantage of being aware of the areas where they require more support, so if necessary, they can call on others to help get the job done faster.
Be in constant conversation.
Being in constant conversation means you’re listening, talking, and reflecting with your team from the moment you start a project all the way through to the end.
This will keep people on track and in the loop about what’s working and what’s not working.
Provide context.
Your team needs context. Make it a habit to communicate the “why” behind any project so that those working with you can fill in the gaps appropriately.
By providing the bigger picture and letting your team know exactly what it is you want to accomplish, you encourage much more productive conversations.
Be authentic.
The people who are most enjoyable to work with are authentic, genuine, honest, and have integrity. This doesn’t mean you always have to be cheerful but it does mean that you’re comfortable being honest when you’re not.
There’s enormous freedom in realising that you don’t need to be anything other than yourself.
Be open.
Being open means you’re amenable to growth, change, different points of views, and different ways of doing things. It also means being coachable. There’s so much to be gained when you’re receptive to and inclusive of other people’s experiences.
People who are rigid and not willing to listen to others’ perspectives end up isolating themselves, which prevents teamwork.
