3 Methods Of Establishing An Office Full Of Team Players

In our last blog, we touched upon the topic of team building and discussed just how important it is to start off with a wise hiring process. As well, once your team has been put in place, it’s important to regularly encourage them to unify as team members through team-building exercises. Talented individuals alone don’t make strong teams. The most successful organizations are made up of numerous team players.

How can you establish an office full of team players? Here are three methods:

1. Allow for personal friendships to develop among team members. Some companies frown about fraternizing. However, research shows that the more that co-workers are able to co-exist outside of the workplace, the better they are able to work together. Sounds like common sense, doesn’t it? On Inc.com, Jeff Haden points to an MIT Human Dynamics Laboratory study that found that interactions during informal meetings are great ways to gauge team member communication.

“This doesn’t mean team members have to be best friends outside of work, but managers should recognize that non-work discussions are critical to creating a team that looks out for each other,” says Haden, “Otherwise, co-workers may begin to view one another as just cogs in the machine…In short, a simple nudge works far better than awkward, forced team-building exercises that mandate casual conversations.”

2. Conduct regular assessments of your employees. It only makes sense to put practices in place that will keep your team members on their toes. Providing regular feedback to your team is essential if you want them to continually improve upon their performances. Taking the “hands off” approach is bound to result in some complacent attitudes. Performing regular evaluations is integral to creating a team that continually gets better.

“To better understand the strengths and weaknesses of each person on your team, do a quarterly or biannual evaluation,” advises Joslin Woods on Equifax.com, “By regularly meeting with your staff, you’ll create a space for open communication and be able to better integrate people into your team by acknowledging the contributions that they make to your business.”

3. Encourage your star performers to assist other members of the team. All teams have all-stars. You’re just bound to have certain employees who possess special skills and talents. Encourage them to assist other team members to both foster greater overall results, but also to boost employee morale. Having a “star” who isn’t hung up on being the best, but is willing to help build the success of the entire organization is like hitting the jackpot!

After all, as Haden points out, star performers need the help of their teams in order to perform at their best. “Your rockstar employee that seems to thrive due to natural talent may be more dependent on their team than you think,” writes Haden, “A Harvard study published in 2006 revealed that the overall performance of heart surgeons improved over time (patient mortality was the outcome measured) when they were able to consistently work with their usual team at the primary hospital they performed in.”

In our last blog, we also pointed out the importance of securing additional funding for your business in order to pull off adequate hiring and training processes. Over the past decade, many of our clients have successfully built strong teams after securing merchant cash advances. You can do the same thing for your company!

For more information on our merchant cash advance program or to speak with one of our licensed funding specialists to get a free, no obligation quote, simply give Synergy Merchants a call at 1-877-718-2026 or email us at info@synergymerchants.com.