In these increasingly uncertain and everchanging times it is more important than ever to look out for each other. This means ensuring that your team culture is a positive one – both for your organisation and for your team members.
Here are some ways to check that you have the right focus:
1. Seek your team's input for change
The old adage “there’s no ‘I’ in team” has never been more true than the times we are in now. All of us have faced some kind of change in the last 2 years, both at home and at work. Some of it is forced upon us, some of it is necessary for survival, and some of it we choose for our own good.
Where possible we should talk to our team about any impending change, to gather ideas and suggestions and also to gain support for what may need to happen.
2. Replace the word FAIL with LEARNED
We are all human, and therefore we all make mistakes. The key in life is what we do with those mistakes – do we learn from them or do we wallow in them? We don’t have to look far to hear of great entrepreneurs who encountered multiple failures on their way to success – yet they got back up, learned from what went wrong and forged ahead. Instilling a team culture where failure should be feared at all cost means no-one will take a leap when needed. Yes we will fall sometimes, but if we learn from it we are stronger and smarter.
3: Recognise accomplishments
Accomplishments can be in many shapes or forms, and not just work related either. If someone in your team had a win in their social sport or hobby, celebrate it! Likewise any work accomplishments should be acknowledged and encouraged – there’s no greater feeling than being ‘seen’ and praised.
4. Reward effort
We all want team members who go the extra mile or will push themselves out of their own comfort zone to reach their goal. Effort does not always equal success, but it is the trying that is important. Take the time to notice and reward effort where it is due. Someone as small as 'team member of the month' or shouting a morning tea in recognition will generate the kind of enthusiasm you are looking for in your team.
Create a vision around instilling a great team culture. A key part of developing a strong and successful team is bringing together a group of individuals whose focus is on the team and it's collective effort rather than themselves. Together we've got this!
