Building a Successful Team

The Foundations of Successful Team Building

Think for a moment about the many steps one must make before reaching a far-off destination. Each part of your body must work in tandem with the other to achieve the mind’s goal of moving forward on a path. Without your breath flowing into your lungs, each foot stepping to one after the other, your spinal column keeping you upright, all together in sync, reaching the goal would be impossible. Keeping this mindset forward when creating the best team for your business, of the importance of every player in the game, is not only a good idea but an essential one.

Planning Out Your Team of All-Stars

It sounds corny, but every position on a team is a leader position, regardless of actual title. This is precisely because every diverse job that needs to be done requires someone with that specific talent. In order to figure out what type of team members would ideally suit your business, think about the type of tasks you must complete in order to have a successful work day. Generally, you will find that these three or similar types of people make up a winning team. People who are organized are those who help gather important bits of information and are comfortable with building solutions from the ground up. People who are socially charged are those who thrive in group settings, find their energy in tackling fast-paced or high intensity situations, and are a valuable asset to have when dealing directly with customers and clients. Finally, people who are diplomatic help others see issues from all sides of the aisle, and do well in resolving conflicts between multiple parties while maintaining fairness and grace.

For a fun way to measure where future teammates (and yourself!) lie between these broad spectrums, consider taking the MBTI personality test. Known as one of the most popular tests to implement in the onboarding/team-building process, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI, may help categorize future team members into their ideal positions based on where they score on four different factors. While a personality test shouldn’t be used as the final say on how to hire, the MBTI or other personality tests can be used as a simple, educational categorization tool when planning out your team of all-stars.

All in Perfect Timing

There may be a want to rush the process of finding suitable partners for your business. However, the best teams come with time! Try to approach the process by hiring the key people you would need at your specific point in the ground building process. If you don’t have an office space, or you’re generally starting from the bottom and need assistance, focus on hiring people who can help you construct those big ideas into reality. These positions can include the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Operations Officer (COO), if you yourself are not acting under one of these positions already. From the top, move down the line on levels of immediate importance until you’ve covered all your bases. From professionals who are knowledgeable about all products/services, to community managers who can best deal with others directly, gathering a diverse team with different skill sets can guarantee a smooth start. Check out this resource for measured suggestions on the first eight people you should hire when starting a new venture.

Cultivate a Welcoming Culture

So now you have a functioning, well-structured team! At this point, you’re tasked with what comes after. As the head of the business, peers will be looking up to you for guidance on how to work together within its system. Cultivating a healthy team environment is crucial for helping to maintain not just a pleasant worksphere, but for employment history well into the long-term as well as the healthy future of your business as a whole.

You may be surprised that that health comes in many forms. Employees naturally work better in low-stress environments overall. Add in an unnecessary competitive edge, forced salary-based workaholism, or any other situation overly detrimental to a team member’s physical or mental health, and you’ll see more shift call outs for ill health and low morale. Connect with your team on a human level, hear and address concerns, and avoid leaning on power structures as a reason to push others to the brink. This base level attention to your peers, who share their work days with you and the growth within, is sure to boost appreciation and productivity.

To maintain this balance, it’s a good idea to have a core set of values to direct any and all forward movement. Set clear goals to work as an organized team, respect each other’s backgrounds (be it career or personal), and to have fun building something new! One should also create a strong Human Resources group to oversee these crucial functions within the business. Follow this guide to fill in any gaps on where and how the company culture should align.

At the end of the day, we all must work together as people first when trying to start and steer a business. Recognizing everyone’s unique talents or limitations and building upwards from there is what makes a long-lasting team stay together.