How I’ve Built Great Teams Applying These 2 Principles

Throughout my career, I’ve had opportunities to build and lead teams. Whether I had to start from scratch in building a department or simply needed to enhance deliverables and process, the following are 2 core principles that have always resulted in building top-performing teams with great people and positive inclusive team culture that people want to join and stay.

#1: The People First Principle

When you become a people manager, there is a transition that needs to take place from having the mindset of proving your self-worth as an individual contributor to focusing on the development of your team members. The higher you rise in your career as a leader the more in service you are to others. You not only serve the top (your boss and above), but also the people you lead. The following are a few methods I use to put people first:

Show Appreciation

Showing appreciation from big accomplishments to smaller wins (such as speaking up in a meeting), and achieving personal/developmental milestones is key to making team members feel valued and respected.

Create a Positive Work Space

Promote a safe space in which people are comfortable speaking up/sharing ideas. Have a truly open-door policy where not only your team but others in the office feel comfortable dropping by your desk to run ideas by you or ask for advice.

Feed Them

It’s extraordinary luck if you can make everyone happy or agree on a great team-building activity. An easier way to create an instant bond is by going out to lunch with your team and bringing into the office treats/snacks for them occasionally. I once worked for one of the rare San Francisco Bay Area companies that don’t feed their employees or provide free/subsided snacks. As a perk, I maintained a snack stash for my team members. This small out-of-pocket expense was well worth the gratitude my team had for being able to grab a snack when needed.

Manage the Gap

If you are taking over a new team, odds are there is a gap between where your team needs to be, and where they are currently. Assess what needs to happen to close that gap, and strategize with your team members to execute an action plan that closes the gap. More than likely your team has great ideas that can be implemented and leveraging their thought leadership to drive change will build trust and accountability.

Endorse

It’s not about you, it’s about elevating them. I always want to ensure that my partners feel just as good about the work my team members produce as they do about mine. This is especially true when you work with data and provide key strategic recommendations that drive organizational and brand strategy.

While I hire great people and provide training, I recognize that it takes time for new team members to settle into their roles, and will work them as needed to complete projects while ensuring they get the credit (even if I completed most of the work).

There was one time I helped an intern with an important client meeting. She was understandably nervous; therefore, we worked together on her project, rehearsed the presentation until she felt comfortable, and booked a conference room for the presentation next to my office in the event there would be a moment during her presentation she was asked a difficult question she couldn’t answer and needed my help. Having that extra support initially was key to establishing a good relationship with the client, and critical to her success. However, within a short amount of time, she was able to complete all of her project work independently and confidently lead client meetings.

Cultivating an understanding of what each team member needs to be successful and providing their needed or requested level of support helps build their confidence and results in them achieving success faster.

Furthermore, I’ve found that finding opportunities to promote your team members’ accomplishments not only helps you build trust with your team but also showcases your ability to lead others successfully.

#2: Be a Great Partner

When I took a role involving re-building an Analytics Department, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to implement; however, prior to executing any plans, I made it a point to gather feedback from my team, business partners, clients, and colleagues. Listening to their needs, expectations, and discovering opportunities in which we could serve at a greater capacity was critical to developing a great team culture and cross-functional partnership to ensure we delivered upon (if not exceeded) expectations.

I’ve had many other opportunities to partner with clients, partners from other departments from Engineering, IT, R+D, Marketing, Sales, etc., as well as external vendors and agencies across time zones on several projects involving cross-functional collaboration. The key to establishing a successful partnership is to quickly establish a “we” mentality and creating an inclusive environment in which everyone is brought along the journey in initiating and completing projects, has a defined role, and all share in the credit.

Also, it may be a small thing but double-check your email “To” list to ensure everyone, including your team members involved in the project, are kept up-to-date on project updates and plans. A common mishap is when leaders assume communication should only be kept at the management level and then funneled down. Unfortunately, there is often a lot of information loss in relying on this method. For that reason, I ensure all team members with ownership over at least a portion of a big cross-functional collaborative project are kept up-to-date on the latest progress and forwarded pertinent emails/added to the email chain going forward.

Final thought…

Putting people first, and having a great partnership “we” mentality will not only help you build great teams but also helps set your team up for success to deliver great results.