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How To Build A Successful Team

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Build a successful team|How To Build A Successful TeamFor most small businesses, there will come a time when it needs to expand. It could be that bigger premises are required, or that new products should be introduced to the line. Or it could be that more staff are needed. It is at this point that, if the business owner is not very careful indeed, things can start to go wrong. Putting a team together is one thing; putting the right team together is quite another. Without the right team, a small business can vanish overnight. The right team can boost it to the next level – and, in fact, as far as it needs to go. Read on to find out more.

It’s Not What You Know

When it comes to employing your core business team, it’s definitely more like ‘it’s who you know’. If you can possibly do it, you should always hire people you already know. Not family and friends (not necessarily anyway – if they have the requisite skills, then it isn’t a problem), but those you have worked for in the past and found to be professional and good at what they do. This way, you can be sure that the foundations of your team are strong and that they know what they are doing. Training new team members is the last thing you want to do when you are also running a business, unless it is absolutely necessary.

Make Sure They Have Experience

If you don’t know anyone suitable, or if no one is available, you will need to broaden your search. This can be worrisome, but remember that you are looking for experience. That’s the key point. Don’t hire someone just out of university who, despite their excellent degree, hasn’t done anything like what you’ll be asking them to do before. That will just take more of your time, and it will slow the progress of the business down too. If you get things right at the beginning, the time will come when you can afford to hire those who are just starting out to give them a chance. That time is not when you are building your first team.

Sales And Marketing

If there is any part of the team you should be looking at first, it’s the sales and marketing part. Without them, nothing else matters. You could have the best company in the world, but if no one knows about you, what’s the point? Sales and marketing need to get acquainted with the business and how it all works as early on as possible. They should definitely be part of your core team.

Find The Passionate Ones

As well as people who know what they’re talking about, whether they’re experts in trailer reflective tape or which social media platform to use for marketing, or what kind of coffee is best in the waiting room, you want people who are passionate about your business and want to see it succeed. This is partly down to you as the business owner, as the person who can show them your vision and ask them to get behind it. It’s about the rest of the business too. If these people can also have experience, then you will have the best of both worlds.
Therefore, it is down to you to instill that passion in the people you want around you. They’ll stay for longer, and they’ll do a better job for you.

How to Have Fun with Your Teams

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Teams|How to Have Fun with Your TeamsWhen you are in a leadership role, one of your jobs is to make sure that the morale is good within your teams. All places of work will have periods where things will become stressful, and these days, job seekers are looking for more than just a good salary to help them choose which position to accept. This is why you need to be creative and make sure that your teams are kept happy at work and allow them to have a little fun in the office rather than it being all work and no play. So, if you’re looking for ways to boost the moods of your team members, here are a few fun things you can try.

Betting on Sporting Events

When there is a big sporting event such as the World Cup or the Grand National, it could be fun to get the team together to make some bets. Not everyone has to take part if they aren’t keen on gambling, but a lot of people do like to bet on the bigger events like this as a bit of fun. Just make sure that you keep the betting limit at a sensible budget so that no one is getting themselves into financial trouble if they lose.

Host an Online Casino Night

If your teams aren’t fans of sports, then why not get the same thrill that betting would have provided everyone by drumming up some competition when playing casino games. You can find reviews on websites like best online casinos USA has and organize a casino night to play live roulette or blackjack.

Host Competitions

Another thing you can do to inject a bit of fun into the workday is hold competitions for your team members. For example, the first person to hit their daily targets wins a shopping voucher or a box of chocolates. This will not only make their workday more fun but offer them another incentive to hit their targets. Alternatively, you could do things like the desk with the best Christmas decorations wins a food hamper for some festive fun.

Monthly Socials

This is not only a good way to let your teams blow off some steam, but it can help them to bond and form friendships at work with their colleagues. Once a month, book a table at a local bar or restaurant on a Friday night that you can all go to after work. Whether people only stay for one drink or a few hours, this is a good way for everyone to have fun with each other and is a nice little reward after working hard. Just make sure that the bar or restaurant is easy to get to, preferably within walking distance from the office.

Employee Awards

Hosting employee awards once a year can be another way to boost morale and have some fun in the office. A lot of places might choose to do this around Christmas time, but doing it during the summer months could be a good option if you already host Christmas parties, as then it gives your teams a little boost at another point in the year. You can take these awards more seriously or make them novelty ones if you want to make it a sillier event for some laughs.
If you want to help to boost the morale within your teams, consider the suggestions above to help make work more fun.