Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
The opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
As a seasoned performance coach with over twenty years of experience working with entrepreneurs, I have seen how frustrated many entrepreneurs are that their startup is not growing as fast as it should or that its growth is stagnating. A common factor that is often noticeable in such entrepreneurs is their lack of teamwork skills.
Your business can only grow as your skills as a team player improve. My experience has shown that by developing the following five qualities, you can become a team player who is best placed to grow your business.
1. Welcome your team’s ideas and build on them
As a company founder, you may have a burning desire to turn your company vision into reality, but company success does not depend on you alone. You need the input of your team, and their ideas can make the difference between mediocre company performance and successfully leading the company to higher levels.
Give team members the opportunity to share their ideas. Brainstorming sessions, weekly meetings, and problem-solving sessions can be fertile ground to get input from the team. Evaluate the ideas generated and find ways to implement those that have the potential to advance company goals.
2. Coach your team
Google did a study and found that the best managers and leaders have coaching skills. However, most people confuse coaching with mentoring. Coaching and mentoring are not the same thing. Coaching is about unlocking the potential of your team. Mastering coaching skills allows you to do this.
As a founder, you may also have the expertise and experience that your team members lack, meaning you may be more likely to act as a mentor or “tell” them how to do something rather than coach them.
Coaching builds trust, empowers your team to take on more responsibility, improves problem-solving skills, and creates loyalty. The more you coach your team, the more your business will function as a team effort rather than a one-man show. You will not only have a high-performing team, but also a valuable team. Double win!
Related: Be a Mentor: 4 Simple Ways to Change a Life
3. Adapt your pace to your team
Now it all comes down to it! Many founders have a burning desire to make their dream a reality “yesterday” and are extremely impatient when their team isn't moving forward at the desired pace. At this point, ask yourself two critical questions: Have I hired the right people? Am I communicating my vision and mission consistently so that everyone is clear about the direction the company is headed?
I often tell my clients that it may not be possible for the entire team to work at the same blistering pace that the founder sets, and that it might be necessary for the founder to put the brakes on a little so that the team can move at the same pace. This is a bitter pill for many founders to swallow, but reminding them that they are not a one-man army can help them be more accommodating and better encourage teamwork within the company.
I'm not an advocate of letting your employees set the pace of the company. If you hire the right people and train them regularly, chances are they'll, while not progress at supersonic speed, follow your lead and progress at an above-average rate.
I always tell this incident that I witnessed when I was visiting a client's restaurant for a debriefing. The assistant manager always pushed her direct reports to work at a breakneck pace. The manager had warned the assistant to always give a particular employee his tasks in advance so that he could complete them in a longer time frame. This particular employee was known to be very meticulous in everything he did, but when pushed to work at a pace he couldn't handle, there was a good chance he would produce extremely sloppy work.
The assistant manager neglected this important information and once asked the employee to chop some ingredients and kept looking over his shoulder to urge him to work faster. The employee was pushed beyond his limits and almost lost four fingers when, in an effort to work faster, he accidentally cut those fingers. I rushed in with the manager as we heard terrified screams coming from the kitchen and after the ambulance with the injured employee left, the manager called the assistant into a private corner and gently reminded him that this particular employee should not be pushed to work faster than he is capable of.
The message? Sometimes it's helpful to slow down so you can move with the whole team.
Related: Are you hiring a team player – or someone who only cares about being No. 1?
4. Share the recognition for successes achieved
Another important tip I give to startup founders is that by recognizing the successes they achieve, they can become team players who enjoy more than just decent company growth in the long run. When you put your team at the center of all success, their motivation and loyalty grows and they become more committed to achieving the company's goals.
Related: What do you need: a coach, a consultant or a trainer? Here's how to figure it out.
5. Consult the team regularly
Make it a habit to consult your team members frequently. This may be when there are challenges that need to be solved, when opportunities arise, or when planning the next steps or direction of the company. Don't be the founder who doesn't show his cards and just gives instructions without involving his team.
By implementing the tips above, you will find that your team is more committed to the company's goals and mission, and your company is better able to weather any storm. Teams always find a way to win.
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
