Team- The Foundation of Every Organization by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC

There are lots of components that go into making a successful business, but none is more important than developing a great team. A team that is well coordinated and committed to excellence is a tool that will provide both you and the team members enormous benefits. Here are some things to work on to improve your team. 

• Train – Be sure your team has the knowledge to do their job. Many employers are great at training new hires, but fail to provide ongoing training to their tenured employees. Be sure to provide training to all your employees to keep everyone sharp and to ensure that employees stay challenged and motivated.
  

• Bond – It’s important to ensure your team has personal relationships. It’s not necessary that they be best friends outside of work, but they should be close enough to work together well and enjoy being together. Encourage this bonding with fun outside activities.
  

• Motivate – Foster motivation on your team by encouraging them to encourage each other. You’ll see a tremendous difference in performance when the team learns to encourage each other, rather than solely relying on you for encouragement.
  

• Build resilience – When your team experiences adversity, don’t shy away from it. Instead, use it as a training tool to ensure you know how to handle the problem next time and to encourage your employees. Ensuring your team can bounce back from problems is key to ensuring longevity.
  

• Reward performance – If you want to retain your good employees and keep your team together; reward good performance. Set team and individual goals and provide recognition when goals are met. Find multiple ways to recognize good performance. Money is important, but prizes and awards are appreciated, as well.
  

Creating and retaining a top performing team should be one of your primary goals as a business leader. When you can ensure your team stays together and works as a cohesive unit, your business will thrive, and your customers will have greater confidence in you as a vendor or service provider.