Management
5 Ways to Build a Team
Follow these five steps to have a department or business that works together.
By Siamak Farah
August 2, 2010
A Company Is a Team
If you don’t have a team, one that employees feel a part of, I’ve got news for you: You don’t have a business or a department, you just have a burden on your shoulders. The company will only run on your stamina, and the moment you run out of steam, well, so does your company. The team is critical to the success of any business.
1. Clarity Is Priceless
You run the organization, you have the vision, and you know what it is that you need at every step of the venture, yet there are times when the task at hand is fuzzy. If the picture is not clear to you, it certainly won’t make sense to your team members who are looking to you for leadership. Be ultra clear on what you expect. A well-defined, complex, task will be better executed than an unclear simple task.
2. Be Brave and Admit Your Mistakes
Traditionally, there has been a need for a leader to always be right. If leaders made a mistake, they did not admit it for fear that they would no longer be looked up to. Simply put, this tradition is passé. Your willingness to admit to being wrong will allow your team to openly bring the flaws of your plan to your attention without the fear of persecution. After all, that’s what the team is there for—to help you succeed. Admit your mistakes; it is the ultimate win-win.
3. Run an Open Shop
Office politics is a disease that cuts right into any company’s productivity. One of the most effective methods of eliminating it is to be transparent. There is nothing worse than a half-heard conversation. The issue is that people often assume the worst about the other half that they did not hear. So in the tradition of clarity being priceless and building a team, share everything with your employees. We at InfoStreet share everything except individual remuneration, since most people like that piece to be kept private.
4. The 3 Gs
When you hire employees, you should hire those that you feel will be a part of your team for three or more years. Employees that have a short stint with you get trained by you but will take the first job that pays better. To battle this, I have come up with a motto that I religiously follow, called the 3 G's. They break down like this:
• Green—How much you pay them.
• Growth—How much they learn and experience while a part of your team.
• Glory—How much personal satisfaction and credit they receive working for your company.
5. Provide Decent Pay
While it is important not to underpay your employees, it’s not necessary to have the highest salaries on the block either. Give your employees the chance to express themselves. Encourage them to grow personally and help you grow. Give them the credit for the success and you will create a pleasant, healthy environment. And that is the number-one requirement for success!
Siamak Farah is the founder and CEO of InfoStreet, a software service provider of functions such as virus and spam protected mail, calendar, workflow, CRM, knowledge base, portal, Web publishing, blogs, mailing lists, access control and more.
Originally published Aug. 1, 2010
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