Team Building Skills = Company Success

In case you have missed our progress over the last 6 weeks, DigiBuild has now advanced to the semi-finals on Meet the Drapers which takes place April 26. We are having phenomenal success with fundraising on Republic for the viewer investment side of the show. You can check out our progress here: https://rep.pub/invest-digibuild

With the momentum, I find myself thinking more and more about our team and team building. 

I believe when you are bringing together a team, you always have to consider the industry you serve, in our case, that industry is construction.

As I have discussed previously, the construction industry is known for being one of the most stressful and dangerous occupations.

• The majority of construction projects come in over budget, their people are overwhelmed, and finger-pointing and legal disputes are common.
• The cost of turnover in construction is higher and is really unknown as most companies don't have systems in place to track exit costs and onboarding. 
• One in every 10 construction workers is injured annually.
• Out of every 5,000 private-industry worker fatalities, 1,000 are in construction!
• Construction continues to have the 2nd highest suicide rate of all industries.

At DigiBuild, the team I have assembled understands these realities fully and we have made it part of our mission to develop our software to make a difference and to bring attention to these real concerns at every opportunity.

Any business is only as good as its team, consistent and conscious attention needs to be invested in the well being of that team.

As if you needed it, here is the argument for happy team members

Happy team members are more creative and make better team players. They are also more productive and make better leaders.

A satisfied team means less turnover!

Turnover can damage your brand. Stressed team members do poor work and a revolving door can erode customer loyalty. When you lose a valuable member, productivity takes a dive. It is actually two-fold; the absence of work being accomplished by the now departed member and another person taking the time to find and train a replacement.

There are steps that can be taken to lead to team happiness.

Recognize each team member's contributions and unique talents. Think about the set of skills that a team member possesses that led to them being part of the team in the first place. Make an effort to remind yourself what that skill is and how to continue to apply that skill in new ways.

Make everyone on the team a part of the big picture. This is a very small step that can’t be underestimated in value. When a team member is connected to the bigger vision and their role in accomplishing that vision, they are able to be much more focused and deliberate in their work. When the team is aligned consistently in the goal, the chance of success increases drastically.

Allow disengagement at times. Many team members feel like they are always working because they have a “cubicle in their pocket” that they can never turn it off. When work-life balance is missing, people feel tremendously harassed and stressed. Encourage times when team members are completely disengaged so they can focus on their family and set their own personal priorities.

And last but certainly not least, get to know each team member and stop calculating everything!

Motivation

When you think about the world’s coolest companies, they all have one thing in common: a kicka** company culture.

But how do you define a great culture? Many would argue that you can measure it by how motivated team members are. But motivation isn’t as straightforward as it seems — and it’s rarely just about the highest salary.

Motivation isn’t just a touchy-feely thing that you read on a poster. In fact, improving motivation can increase gross profits by 47%, according to a study in the Harvard Business Review.

Good leaders = good culture, which impacts motivation. And motivation always impacts profits.

Organizational identity, team roles, community, and career paths all play a part in team satisfaction.

• What is the organization, and what does the team feel like they’re working toward.
• Is there the sense of shared goals and values.
• Who is the individual team member and how do their skills fit the puzzle.

Leadership is Vital

• A strong leader believes the unbelievable and has unshakable confidence.  
• Focus on a larger purpose.
• A leader finds opportunity in uncertainty.
• A leader is professional but openly human.
• Lead by permission, not authority.

A leader must understand their own motivation and really ask themselves why they want to lead. In addition to what motivates you, it is critical to know what increases and decreases your energy. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses helps you diversify your team and get a well-rounded portfolio of skills. It helps you avoid hiring carbon copies of yourself and allows you to surround yourself with others who are not like you

Your leadership style plays a role in how you interact with your team and should be evaluated as well. 10% of employers say that soft skills are just as important as hard skills.

Team Building is even more crucial in start-ups.

Not having the right team is the third highest reason start-ups fail, a whopping 23% of them, right behind no market need and running out of cash.

Even as a start-up it is important to consider the long-term vision for your business.

Don’t build your team for a startup since the startup phase is temporary. It is important to build your team with the entire organization’s structure in mind. Very early on here at DigiBuild, our team got together and drafted an organizational structure of what we envision our team will look like at full steam. Although we have made minor adjustments with shifting priorities and as new opportunities arose, that map is serving DigiBuild well and is still very relevant.

The Takeaway: People want to belong to a tribe.

Culture is about creating a tribe that people want to be a part of, one that recognizes that people need a common cause but are recognized for their individual contributions — and while money is important, it is very often not the most important thing.

Our mission is to build construction solutions and connected platforms that create the only true version of the truth. In this collaboration, we eliminate risk, disputes, save time and create a healthier and happier global industry.