Eight Steps to Building Teamwork
- Communication is Key: When talking with co-workers and employees, healthy communication can either build a strong foundation for teamwork or tear it down. Avoid using criticism, humiliation, judgment, and contempt. Have empathy and compassion for others. Listen without interrupting, be willing to compromise, and stand up for your own wants and needs while respecting the wants and needs of others.
- Clear Goals: Having clear and specific goals help to give your staff a sense of purpose and a common mission that they can work together to achieve. Not only can this help with bonding, but also a sense of accomplishment, which often times leads to increased motivation.
- The Bank Account: You should hold people accountable for goals. If they fall short, be sure to identify barriers and use constructive criticism to help them move forward. Like a bank account, however, if you only make withdrawals, you eventually end up with nothing. Also make deposits to build up that account. Use timely praise when tasks and goals are completed. Make it immediate and specific – catch people doing good! Use occasional rewards, such as a pay raise, extra day off, or a lunch party. Don’t reward mediocre performance; instead use as an incentive for exceptional performance.
- Create a Healthy Environment: Foster a compassionate and supportive space where flexibility is allowed, creativity is encouraged, and mistakes are corrected – not punished.
- Training and Tools: Make sure every team member is properly trained, has clear expectations, and has the proper tools to do the job in a safe and efficient manner.
- It Starts at the Top: Supervisors should be accessible and model healthy behavior, such as good communication skills, healthy relationships, appropriate boundaries, and self-care.
- Eliminate the Drama: Gossip is like a cancer. Protect yourself by not getting involved. Rather than throwing each other under the bus, support and empower each other. Got a workplace bully? Talk to both the bully and the boss. When confronting the bully, express your needs and concerns. For example, “When you ___, I feel ___. From now on, I’d appreciate if you would ___.
- Remember the Mission. One of the biggest contributors of workplace conflict is personality differences. Learn to respect and appreciate your differences and build authentic relationships based on trust and respect. After all, you’re all in this together, and so even when times are tough and conflict arises, try to remember your common goal – the animals.
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