We’re All In This Together: Create a Healthier Team in 5 Simple Steps

October 28, 2009

When working with your internal team in order to improve your sales and marketing support capabilities, there are 5 simple steps that you can take to contribute to the success of your team.

Think for a moment about all of the management teams that you have been a part of. In order to provide the best possible operational support, you and your team members must focus on doing the following:

  1. Be Transparent – As you contribute individual pieces of work to your team, make sure that all of your team members know what it is that you have been working on. If you find yourself hiding passwords, creating secret accounts, or not being 100% truthful about the work you are producing – the trust of your team members will diminish.
     
  2. Offer Encouragement – It’s no secret that day in and day out as you take on more responsibilities, it’s going to become increasingly difficult to see outside of your own tasks. As you begin to focus more on your own outputs, you may lose sight of what your team members are doing. In order to successfully engage with your team, pay attention to what everyone is doing and don’t be afraid to offer up a kind word of encouragement every now and then.We all like to feel validated in our contributions, so don’t forget to recognize achievements and the hard work of your team members.
     
  3. Be Attentive – Nothing says “I’m not a team player” more than when we exhibit a lack of attention to our team members on calls and in meetings. Respect is a critical building block of a healthy team. Put your laptops and cell phones away, make eye contact with the team member who has the floor, and bottom line – pay attention. 
     
  4. Be Respectful – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” When it comes right down to it, we should all treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated.Management teams, as well as various other teams, typically have issues with respect among members.Healthy teams leave their egos out of meetings. They show consideration and appreciation for the contributions from all team members.
     
  5. Remember What You Are a Part Of – High performing teams are comprised of team members who wish to achieve a set of common goals. If individuals within these teams decide to hold their personal goals above those of the team, the team is more likely to fail. Remember that individual success is defined by the achievement of common goals when you are part of a team. If you are only out for yourself and your own development, maybe the team environment is not for you.

As we embark on group initiatives, it is imperative that we put in the effort to maintain healthy teams.Think about what it’s like to not feel heard, to not feel valued, and to not feel respected. You would never want that for yourself and you should never want that for one of your team members. When you attend your next team meeting, take a step back and revisit these principles.Your team will only benefit from the refresher.

eCommerce Manager, Saucony

Kellie is the eCommerce Manager, Saucony at <a href="http://www.wolverineworldwide.com/">Wolverine Worldwide</a>. Previously, she was an Analyst at OpenView.