Honesty Check: Who’s on Your Team?
If you have employees, take a moment to consider whether they jibe with you and where you want to take your business. Ask yourself:
- Do they get along with one another?
- Are they productive enough?
- Do you enjoy working with each of your employees?
- Is anyone making consistent mistakes?
- Does drama get in the way of any of them taking care of business?
If you haven’t yet hired multiple employees, take the time to consider what you want in a work team. Ideally, you’ll hire people who share your work ethic and who get excited about your products or services. You should write out a job description for each key position and keep that handy during the hiring process. Also, invite other team members to participate in the interview process and weigh in on who you’ll hire next.
Clean House
It’s not personal; it’s business. If there’s anyone on your team who you feel is deterring your business from its true potential, let them go. That sounds harsh, but sometimes we put up with behavior from employees because it just seems easier than finding a replacement. Hold yourself accountable here: your goal is to create a team that works well together for your business, and if someone isn’t in line with that objective, it’s time to replace them.
Create a Team Culture
This is a challenge for me at times because my marketing/sales/operations team is primarily virtual, so it’s not like we’re chatting over coffee in the breakroom each day. However, I strive to create cohesion by having a weekly team call. I also do an annual team retreat at the beginning of the year where I fly in the team and plan out our year. This is our chance to check in with one another, catch up a bit on the personal stuff, and make sure we’re aligned in what’s happening for Team SmallBizLady.
If your team is all physically in the same location, it should be fairly easy to build and foster that team culture, but still make an effort. Hold regular staff meetings so that people who may work on their own for the most part can feel like something greater. Take them out to lunch. Show them that you care about them as individuals, and that you want them to feel like they belong.
If your team is virtual like mine, leverage technology like Skype so you can be “face-to-face,” sometimes and try to plan an event not related to work where you meet in real time at some point during the year. You’d be amazed at how spending time together and not just talking about work can really strengthen your bond.
You rely on your staff to help your business grow. So naturally you want that team to enjoy working together to be most productive. Get clear on what you want in a team, and make sure the people you employ are always living up to your expectations. It starts with making sure they know what you expect and then holding them accountable.