A short story about building a strong team

John knew that although his department was structured perfectly, he had to make sure his employees were willing to follow the plan.  He explained that the changes he made were necessary for the department and company to achieve the goals and objectives.  He had chosen the right people, let them know what was expected, trained them, got them the needed materials, and created a good working environment, but still had to find more ways to keep them motivated.  He needed a strong and happy team in place or else it would all fall apart.

 

By making his employees feel like a true team, he decided to let them work as a team.  He found ways that inspired teamwork.  They knew that by working as a team, they would not be micro-managed.  He let them be involved in making decisions and really listened to their suggestions and ideas.  He also made it a priority to always acknowledge exceptional work done and in a timely fashion.  He made sure that everyone fully understood that if the goals were achieved, they would be rewarded both in pay and other small gifts of gratitude.  He developed a performance appraisal that was based on statistical reports that documented whether the goals were reached.  He also documented their strengths and weaknesses in order to always keep them challenged and to improve.  He would always look at ways to help them grow, and promoted his exceptional employees.  Basically, John showed his team that he cared about them as people.  He got to know them personally and supported them 100%.  He did know, however, that it only takes one bad apple to spoil the lot, so whenever he felt there was conflict, he dealt with it immediately before it affected the group.

 

John had built a solid, unified team with the same goals in mind.  They wanted to work hard because they knew they would be recognized and praised for a job well done.  The harder they worked, the more John would show his appreciation.  The skills they obtained were truly recognized, and even upper management came by to talk to the team about their success.  John’s department was not only physically and logically in place, but now with a motivated team who was happy to follow the processes and procedures, he had created.

 

Epilogue:  Your employees work better when they are happy and feel they are part of a team to reach a common goal.  It gives them a purpose and they will feel like an important part of the company.  You want them to want to look good in your eyes.  By implementing the skills taught in this lesson, you will have a strong team who respects your management skills and sees you as a leader who cares.