If you own a new business, you may be reliant on a team to succeed. As a leader, creating a positive company culture should be a priority. A healthy, happy workforce is also a productive workforce. If you’re keen to establish a strong culture where everyone thrives, here are some surefire ways to get started.
Singing from the same hymn sheet
To succeed as a team, you need to make sure that every individual is signing from the same hymn sheet. You need to establish and encourage shared goals and make sure every person knows their role.
Collaboration and teamwork
Collaborative working is all about pulling together to achieve the best results. If you’re running a business, it’s essential to recognize everyone’s skills and maximize them. Have you got graphic designers and copywriters, for example? Put them together, and you’ll come up with stunning aesthetics and compelling content.
Most people work better when they have others around them. You can encourage cooperation and communication in many different ways. Set up your office to make it easy for colleagues to work together. Host regular meetings and let everyone have their say. Make gatherings fun and enjoyable, even if there’s a serious undertone. If people feel inspired and motivated, they’re likely to give you more.
You don’t have to spend all your time with your work buddies. But hanging out together away from the office can boost team morale. Organize a monthly night out or get a soccer or tennis competition up and running. Sign up to do something together, like raising money for charity by doing a 10k run.
If you’re worried that morale is low, or your team isn’t pulling together, consider arranging a visit from a business coach. They can help you to identify potential issues or barriers, and find solutions.
Rewarding hard work and recognizing results
Every employee wants to feel valued. If somebody has put in extra hours and it’s paid off, as an employer, you should recognize this. You don’t need to shower your team with gifts. But the odd bonus or incentive won’t go unnoticed. Even the most loyal people may be tempted to look elsewhere if they don’t feel like their efforts are appreciated.
Adopting an open-door policy
As the boss, it’s essential that you are approachable. If you want a hands-on role, you need to be present and have your finger on the pulse. If people have problems, they should feel confident enough to talk to you. Addressing issues early can prevent them from spiraling out of control.
It’s best to get things out in the open, rather than letting them rumble on behind closed doors. Try and find a balance between being an authoritative figure and being accessible and supportive.
Have you recently set up a business? If so, it’s important to get your team working effectively as quickly as possible. Nobody wants to work in an environment they find hostile or mundane. Work doesn’t have to be fun all the time.
But it should bring enjoyment and satisfaction. Try and inject energy and enthusiasm into the office. Make meetings fun and encourage everyone to get involved. Try and endorse collaborative working and encourage socialization outside of work.
I think that it depends very much on the work environment and how comfortable employees feel. Some work better in teams, while other perform better when they tackle on individual projects. Team work is important, but it’s also important to help all kinds of talents develop.