Getting your Team on Side

Managing people can be one of the toughest challenges faced by businesses. Unhappy employees will perform below expectations, which can have a knock-on effect on the rest of the business. Here are a few tips to help you to get your team on side, in order to get the best out of them.

Get your team involved in planning

Managers should take ownership of the overall delivery of projects, but getting input from team members can help to get everyone invested in achieving the objectives. It also creates a sense of collaboration that can help reduce negativity towards “management”.

Alignment

Even if a team is trying to accomplish the same goals, that doesn’t stop everyone from going off in different directions to accomplish these. Your team needs to be aligned and moving in the same direction. Ensure objectives are communicated clearly and that everyone knows what they have to do in order to succeed.

Be sociable

Interacting with your team and getting to know team members as individuals is key to building a happy, effective and productive unit. Invest time in social activities and say hello to your team members in the office.

Communication is key

If you want to build an effective team, you need to communicate. Schedule a regular weekly meeting and encourage others to contribute to the discussion. Ensure that everyone on the team understands the key objectives, where necessary documentation is stored, what the key processes are, etc. You should also allow time for your team members to ask questions and be prepared to accept constructive criticism. Nobody expects you to get everything right but they do expect you to be accountable and to be willing to learn.