Build a positive team environment

Happy 2012! It’s a New Year, and some say this can bring a fresh start for individuals, and leaders are obviously no exception. Whether you’re the type to make a New Year’s resolution or not, you should take a step back and plan your goals for this year.

This is also a perfect time to evaluate how well your team works together.
Yes, your team – also known as the people who come in every day and do the heavy lifting for the company.

For many companies, teamwork is a core value in its culture as teams who effectively cooperate and collaborate can truly make a difference on the company’s bottom line. A successful team will share information and expertise, respect individual and cultural differences, hold each other accountable for their deliverables, and recognize and reward each other for a job well done.

Does that sound like the mood of your team? If the answer is the opposite of yes, your team may not be playing well together. If you feel your team has issues, remember that good teamwork begins with managers showing their commitment to the concept of teams. You might not be adequately encouraging cooperation, teamwork, and commitment to the work group.

The outcome of your own endeavors is often based upon how well your team works together and how well you provide team leadership. This skill is also an important part of communicating and building relations with peers and coworkers.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when it comes to managing your team:

• Allow staff meetings to be team building sessions, with open brainstorming and problem solving.


• Allow the team to take responsibility for its performance. If you take responsibility, the team delegates both initiative and risk-taking upward to you. You lose their creative input, initiative and problem solving and, ultimately, their greater involvement.


• Match crucial assignments and team members so: (1) assignments challenge the team members, and (2) the likelihood of success is great.


• Ask your team members for their input and their different approaches to reach a goal that may have been set by someone outside the team. Use a variety of ways to reach consensus: discussion/persuasion, majority rule, or predicted outcomes and consequences of recommended actions.


• If you want to encourage teamwork, recognize the team for its successes. Make it clear that active involvement is a valued and necessary component for a functioning team. Publicly reward whatever team player activities are observed.


• Develop working relationships with people in different functions or departments, and look for opportunities to participate in interdepartmental teams.

How do you build a positive team environment in your workplace?

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Keep your team focused during the summer

We’re in the middle of summertime, the temperatures are reaching 100 degrees, and many people are daydreaming about their pools and upcoming vacations.

It is not a secret that summertime months can lead to sluggish productivity, and even you, the manager, may be counting down the days until your vacation. That is understandable, everyone should be encouraged to take time off – it helps prevent burnout.

But when people are not on vacations, summertime also provides an opportunity to help people become better workers. Here’s a handy check list to keep in mind for the rest of summer.

Maintain your energy

Sure, summertime provides a more laid-back attitude, but you still need to set the standard of remaining enthusiastic and displaying a high energy and drive to your direct reports.

For example, if you start coming in late and leaving early every day of the week, your coworkers may also start slacking off. Why? Well, because you’re sending mixed signals about the importance of your organization’s mission and direction. Just because summer provides opportunities for vacation, doesn’t mean you or the team needs to take the entire season off.

Don’t miss out on the chance to inspire, energize, and motivate your team – especially during the summer.

Provide new challenges

The slower summer pace can give employees a chance to grow. You should challenge your team members to find ways of improving business and the work processes. Use various forms (e.g. team meetings, private conversations, performance plans) to stimulate and reinforce the need to make continuous improvements. Think about giving team members an opportunity to lead a project that is outside of their normal responsibilities.

Be sure to set aside a specific time during the week with team members when you are available to discuss new ideas, along with problems and concerns with group members.

Team-building activities

Okay, I know the word ‘team-building’ causes many to roll their eyes in annoyance. That is because many team-building exercises are the opposite of fun. But there are plenty of relatively inexpensive exercises that your team could partake in that can get everyone out of the office and get people engaged.

You could set up a company picnic at a local park or take the whole team out to play laser tag. Whatever you decide, use the day to get to know one another better and celebrate team’s success.

Extra time off

One way to motivate your staff is to allow them to leave early on Fridays. For businesses that can’t really afford for all employees to leave early on Fridays, offer it on a rotating basis. This can increase motivation for employees, and also shows that you as a manager are supportive and appreciative of all their hard work.

Now it’s your turn. How do you maintain your team’s focus during the summertime?　

Help manage away bad habits

Talented, hard-working employees are the heart of any organization. But what do you do when stellar performers in the organization display destructive behavior patterns?

Now everyone has their own quirks, and we all learn to work productively in spite of them. However, there are some highly competent people who are held back by fatal personality flaws. The habits can result in consistent problematic behavior, according to the Harvard Business Review article, “Managing away bad habits”.

The authors of the article uses the term “bad habits” not to describe compulsions like nail biting or smoking. The term “bad habits” is shorthand way to describe deep-rooted psychological flaws. At best, people with these “bad habits” create their own glass ceiling, which limit their contributions to the company. At the very worst, these people sabotage their own careers.

If it the situation seems hopeless – it’s not. There are effective ways to help people recognize and correct the bad habits. Managers that help employees break through their own personal glass ceiling provide the ultimate win-win scenario for both the individual and the organization.

If you are a manager, here are six behavior patterns to look out for in employees:

The Hero
The hero always pushes himself or herself – and subordinates – too hard to do too much for too long.

The MeritocratBelieves the best ideas can and will be determined objectively and ignores the politics inherent in most situations.

The BulldozerRuns over others in a quest for power.

The Pessimist
Always worries about what could go wrong rather than considering how things could improve.

The Rebel
Automatically fights against authority and convention.

The Home Run HitterTries to do too much too soon – in other words, swings for the fences before learning to hit singles.

As a manager, what can you do?

· Learn how to empower others to contribute at higher levels by providing special assignments, constructive feedback, and targeted development opportunities.

· Make a list of the key strengths and limitations of your colleagues and each person on the team. Find ways to utilize the strengths and to build understanding.

· Ensure that your teams have defined their purpose, goals, and vision. To be a team, team members must share their goals, and their work needs to be interdependent.

If you want to read the entire article, you can purchase it on the TBC site.

It may take plenty of time and energy on your part, but when a member of the team reaches his or her potential, both the person and the organization will benefit.

Try comprehensive feedback for better diverse-group relations

Team members in diverse groups often hide their weaknesses, only reluctantly show their true self-assessments and often become defensive when challenged. However, members can create beneficial interpersonal relationships and work well together by collecting and sharing 360-degree feedback, which comes from themselves, each group member, their employees and other co-workers. Harvard Business Review (07/31)