How to start building a united team?
Willis Lau Certified Financial Planner, CFP?
I help leaders & professionals be financially independent and create a life worth living l Featured in Straits Times, Business Times & MoneyFM 89.3 | Associate Director l Tiktok Creator (Personal Finance)
As the saying goes: You can go fast alone but you can go far with a team. Teams are everywhere but united teams are not. Because it takes a lot to build one & attracting talents is always challenging. Over the past 2 years, I've observed how some teams achieved exponential growth over the years. Despite their size, there's always elements of unity. This made me ponder more and here's some of my personal thoughts & observations.
SHARE YOUR VISION
Everyone needs direction. If you want someone to fight alongside you, they need to know the why before they will buy into it. I've seen how some teams or agencies have grown. It's amazing to see how every one of them knows what their team's vision is. To start off, share your thoughts & direction with them. Not 1 time but as many times as it takes until everyone knows.
HELP YOUR PEOPLE TO DEVELOP NEW SKILLS
1 of the reasons why people leave teams or companies is they couldn't see a future anymore. It could be the mundane tasks they are working on. It could be career stagnation. Everyone has natural strengths, help them to uncover these to develop new skills. New skills give birth to new opportunities & vice versa.
LEVERAGE THEIR NATURAL STRENGTHS FOR SECONDARY ROLES
Adding on to the previous point, it does not always have to be roles for their primary work. If someone is good at designing, they could help with the team's branding efforts. If someone is good with crowds, they could help with hosting of team events. A holistic experience at work can help to keep everyone more united.
LISTEN
Before you make a point to whatever that has happened, make it a point to listen first. No one likes not being heard. Spend time to find out what they are dealing with and how the team can help them. Providing them with a listening ear will make them feel more valued.
BE TRANSPARENT
This is crucial. Allowing yourself to be transparent & vulnerable will prevent politics & hearsay. This provides greater clarity for all stakeholders to focus on the right processes. Few are born naturally with strong leadership capabilities. But I believe strong leadership can be honed by modelling after the right examples.
In conclusion, it's not about the things we say or we do. It's about how the things we say or we do make our people feel.
"Unity is not about head counts, but about heart counts"