Two plus two equals how much? If you are thinking straight mathematics, it is only four. But, if you are thinking about the productivity of combining team members in your small business, the answer could be anywhere between five and 72 plus. 
In other words, the power of people working together as a team multiplies the amount of work done by individuals. If this is true (and it is), the question you should be asking yourself is, “How can I do this with my business team?”
The answer is simple but not easy. Here are three steps to make this happen in your organization.
First, build trust within your organization. Trust is critical to creating a company that works smoothly and productively together. It is the glue that builds the foundation of a great company.
One of the tools I use with my clients to build trust is called a Management/Staff Behavioral Profile. Each person completes a short questionnaire, and from it comes a 23 page report. Among other things, this report identifies a number of specific talents and behaviors. It also provides a checklist for how best to communicate with this person and how not to communicate with this person. It describes the individual’s ideal environment, ways to motivate and manage them, and areas for improvement.
The way this tool works best for my clients when I administer it, is with a three part debriefing strategy. First, I debrief with the person’s manager or direct report. I then conduct a one on one with the individual. Finally I do a debriefing with both the manager or direct report, and the person completing the assessment.
When used with an entire team, behavior profiles can give every team member an in-depth understanding of their peers. I have found people discover that there are real differences in their co-workers, and their co-workers are not “just being a jerk”, when they behave a certain way. Rather, it is just their behavior work style. The key is to recognize which style you are and which style the other person you are interacting with is, and adjust your approach accordingly.
The second step to multiplying the power of your team is to help them build a bond with each other. What I mean by that is to give your employees a chance to get to know each other beyond their basic business relationship that they currently have. In my consulting and training I conduct with my clients, some of the exercises I use are designed to break down barriers quickly, by giving the team a chance to talk about some of things they experienced when they were children that helped shape them into who they are today.
I remember after conducting one of these exercises with one company I was working with, a participant remarked how he had worked in his cubicle next to a fellow worker in his respective cubicle for over twenty years and didn’t know some of the things he had just learned and had in common with his workmate. After the workshop exercises had been completed there was a new understanding and appreciation for each other that had not existed previously. These two men were now able to communicate with a much higher level of trust and understanding than before.
Another way to accomplish this is as group is by having your people participate in an activity outside your organization. It may be volunteer hours they spend together working for a local charity or environmental cause. It could be attending a conference together, a company retreat or playing on the same recreational sports team.
It is amazing how quickly mistaken stereotypes that people have, can be erased by a few powerful group exercises or participation in well chosen extracurricular activities. One of the reasons for this change is that the team
members participating have the opportunity to see each other in a different context. They get a chance to experience each other in a more personable and humanistic way. Group exercises and activities can give team members a way to change the beliefs they have of each other.
This type of collaborative, dynamic transformation does not happen by accident, but by design. It takes time to plan out the strategies that will help you develop your team’s cohesiveness, and build trust and rapport. For some ideas on how to do this, feel free to contact me.
The third step to help your team multiply its’ power of working together is to throw down a challenge. Challenge your employees and managers to identify and solve problems that you as a leader may or may not be aware of. Explain to them that you want them to approach this challenge as if they owned the place.
One of the exercises I use when coaching individual managers or employees, is to assign them the task of coming up with an idea that can save or earn their company an additional $15,000. It could be related to scheduling or purchasing. It might be something that lends itself to innovation. It could be something the company stops doing, starts doing, does less of or does more of.
Regardless of the area selected, it gives the person an opportunity to tap the creative or problem solving side of their brain.
Giving them the opportunity to think and act like they own the place can be a very powerful strategy to help them release innate talents that can resolve your organization’s problems, or identify potential business building opportunities your company or organization is missing.
The question that some of you reading this might be thinking is, what happens if their idea falls flat on its face? What is critical to remember here is that you must give them the room to fail. If you are going to let them try out their wings, you must provide them with the understanding that it is ok to crash land a few times. Provide guidance when necessary. The key is that they learn from their mistakes and are able to come up with a solution that eventually solves the problem.
So, in summary, if you really want to build your team performance and increase your organization’s bottom line, try any or all of the following.
- Use a behavioral profile for all team members.
- Provide trust building and bonding activities.
- Give your team the opportunity to use their creative skills and come up with innovative solutions.
Contact me when you need help in implementing any of these suggestions.
Tom Borg is a team performance and customer experience expert who works with small businesses and organizations to improve customer acquisition and retention. He helps these organizations through his consulting, speaking, training and mentoring. To ask him a question or to hire Tom, please contact him at: (734) 404-5909 or email him at: tom@tomborg.com or visit his website at: www.tomborgconsulting.com
Learn more about my system I use to grow and strengthen your leadership team.
