1. COMMUNICATION
Your team needs to be able to openly communicate with one another with the ability to confidently share their thoughts, ideas and opinions with the wider team. Effective communication is absolutely essential for working together efficiently on tasks. Of course, listening skills are a big element of good communication skills also as 50% of communication is listening. Each individual also has to be able to take into consideration the thoughts and views of their fellow teammates. The saying goes ‘listen first, talk second’ and this is a great notion when thinking about this with regard to teamwork. There will be conflicts, however good communication can help to resolve these issues quickly and easily.
2. RELIABILITY AND COMMITMENT
To succeed, you need a team surrounding you who are reliable. They need to be committed to the project, department and business and you need to be able to rely on them, especially when the going gets tough. We all know work isn’t always plain sailing and so you need that commitment from the team that they’ll do what they can, when they can. They also need to be able to support one another so that you can achieve the end goal as a unit.
3. FLEXIBILITY
Business never remains static and so it’s extremely important that team members are fluid and flexible when the need arises. A flexible team is a responsive team and good team members are prepared to flex to changing conditions.
4. INNOVATION AND DIVERSITY
Teams of individuals are created to solve a problem. They use their experience and skills to find a solution and so diversity is key within this process. This is because a variety of backgrounds, personalities, cultures and skills can bring creativity and a broad range of ideas to the table.
5. LEADERSHIP
Strong leaders and managers will help direct the team towards the overall goal. Every team needs someone in charge to ensure the job gets done, keeping everyone on track towards the common goal. Leaders and managers need to wear a variety of hats to ensure they’re guiding, coaching, feeding back, mentoring, training and motivating the wider team.
6. ORGANISED
Organisation is key to the successful running of a business. Without good organization skills from your team, the workplace can become chaotic and the road to achieving your goals can be a tricky one. Of course, not every individual is organised, but it’s the role of the leader or manager to make sure that work is running according to plan their team members are completing work efficiently.
7. FUN AND APPRECIATION
This may sound simple, but it’s important that teams have fun. Many people are at work for longer than they’re at home with their families and so work should be fun and engaging. A team should gel together, and it shouldn’t all be work, work, work. It shouldn’t be serious 100% of the time. It’s important to be able to laugh and know one another on a more personal level as this is what really brings people together.
In addition to this it’s important to appreciate each and every member of the team. This means recognition from the team leader but also recognition from your fellow teammates. It’s no good the team competing against one another, because they’re all working towards a common goal. Ensure your team understand this and knows how important it is to support their peers and congratulate them when deserved. The best teams don’t wait for leaders to appreciate it, they recognize one another’s work regularly, creating a positive and motivational environment.
So, whether you’re leading a project team or department team or trying to engage remote employees, stop and think if your teams demonstrate these key characteristics. If you need help with your recruitment or retention strategy or any other HR matter, please contact me now on: 01453 297557 or email enquiries@peepshr.co.uk.
