Building Strong Teams: 4 Things You Need to Know

by Startacus Admin

Having a strong team around you is key - these basic tips highlight all the things that you'll need to consider...

Your workforce can be the most valuable asset your business has but, if things go wrong, it can prove to be the costliest. Much of your commercial success depends on the skills, efficiency and dedication of your staff, which means it’s vital to hire the right people and nurture their careers. To get started, take a look at these four things you need to know to build strong teams:

1. Respect Staff as People

When you’re managing a business, it’s easy to look at your staff solely as ‘human resources’. After all, they’re performing a service in return for a salary, so you can expect them to meet their obligations. In reality, however, managing people requires a far more nuanced approach than maintaining machinery.

By respecting every member of your teams as an individual, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know them better. As a result, you’ll learn more about their career goals, preferred working methods and aspirations for the future. In addition, you’ll be highlighting how much value you place on your employees and, therefore, gain their respect and loyalty in return.

2. Focus on Employee Development

Hiring top talent is always advantageous but developing your workforce is crucial to long-term success. When you use online appraisal software to monitor staff performance and provide 360 appraisals using data from multiple sources, for example, you can ensure that feedback converts into actionable development tasks.

Business owners often assume that comprehensive employee development is time-intensive, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right appraisal software you can gather 360 feedback for appraisals, generate real-time performance feedback, set development objectives and measure development KPIs instantly.

3. Incorporate Your Entire Workforce

The gig economy is changing the way we work, and an increasing number of businesses are relying on freelancers and sub-contractors to supplement in-house teams. Although they may not be your employees, it’s vital to ensure that they’re given the same support and development assistance as other members of your teams. When you work with the same individuals on a frequent or long-term basis, for example, you’ll want to ensure that they’re motivated and loyal to your brand.

Similarly, don’t assume that building strong teams only occurs in the workplace. As more companies develop distributed workforces and use remote teams, finding innovative ways to forge professional relationships across numerous locations should be a top priority.

4. Keep Staff Incentivised

Recognising your employees’ hard work is a simple yet effective way to show them the respect they deserve and can help to ensure staff remain motivated. By finding additional ways to incentivise teams, you can boost motivation even more and optimise staff performance. From in-house competitions and employee rewards to flexible working and consistent support, there are a variety of ways to ensure staff remain engaged and incentivised.

Building Your Workforce

Start-ups often have low budgets and limited resources, which can make it difficult to hire vast numbers of in-house staff. By building a core in-house team and supplementing your staff with freelancers and service providers, however, you can cultivate a talented and dynamic workforce that responds to your needs and helps to drive your business forward.

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Published on: 21st June 2021