A key focus of my blog is Organizational and Management Discussions. One of the keys to successfully running any business or organization is promoting team cohesion. Many managers don’t understand this but it’s absolutely critical. The following contributed post is entitled, Team Cohesion Is Not Rocket Science.
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Brand cohesion is only achieved when you have boardroom cohesion. But brands are built off of the backs of incredible employees who are able to deliver the message you want, effectively. This is why so many companies are investing so much in team cohesion as the lockdown has shown us all, employees need to stick together through thick and thin. So how do you, as a business owner go about making each and every single employee, feel connected to the colleague sitting next to them? It’s a task that requires deep thinking and excellent leadership skills which personify a people management know-how that’s on another level.
Go around the room
If you want to send a powerful message to your employees, the next time you’re in a meeting, go around the room and ask them how they feel. It sounds so simple and obvious, right? But, what you’re doing as the leader is, showing everyone who works for you that you want to hear their professional opinion. It’s very easy to pull someone into the office to see how they’re doing and if they are finding some things difficult. But when you’re in the process of making decisions and you ask a low-ranking employee what their opinion is, you blow their mind. It’s generous, caring, thoughtful and most of all, shows you don’t have an ego that overrides your ability to hear differing views.
Take the time to give employees that aren’t in a management role, to speak their mind. What you should make clear to them is, you’re not going to judge them or hold them responsible for a decision you make based on their opinion. The buck always stops with you.
Encourage employees
When employees feel scared of being in doubt, this is a sign of poor leadership. In the world of rational reasoning, when you’re in the midst of problem-solving and you feel doubt about something during, this is a sign that you need more clarity. Leaders are there to provide just that. Employees should be encouraged to ask questions when they’re not sure about something. But what is their method?
Middle management should regularly ask employees at their desks if they need help or support with something. Ask are they sure what their responsibilities are in a task or project. Many times, employees won’t say anything until they hit a wall and simply cannot complete a task. But this ends up wasting time and money, so just cut to the chase and ask them in a friendly tone, if they need clarification on what they are supposed to be doing for the day.
Forming a visible team
You need to show employees that at the end of the day, talk is cheap. You’re ready and willing to make them part of your team. Using commercial photography, you can take headshots and group photos of employees and teams, so that they can feature on your website, social media, and to the industry at events on banners and posters. The photographers are experts at lighting and they will make sure the background is clean so that focus is on their faces and figures. This is so important for brand identity because you want to show the world that people make your business what it is.
The after-hours club
Businesses used to have events that were outside of work but this practise has largely died out. Only large companies like Google and Apple are refusing to let this pastime fade away. And guess what? It’s super effective in building team cohesion. Work isn’t just working anymore, it’s a lifestyle. When you feel as if your colleagues are your friends, you care more about them. Thus, this comes in the form of loyalty and working harder as to not put them in a bad position, like when deadlines aren’t being met.
What kind of events should you have? Focus on things everyone can do. Go out bowling with the gang, go to a sports event or perhaps hire a holiday home and invite employees to a house party. After-hours events are brilliant for businesses because it breaks down the walls between employees that they didn’t even know existed. Being away from each other for 3 months due to lockdown, colleagues will want to reacquaint with one another, which is best done with a leisurely gathering.
Business owners yearn to be experts in team-building. So many don’t realize that it’s not rocket science. Don’t be too complex, just ask employees to share their views and show each of them that you have the time to make them feel welcome.
