How to Build an Office Team
Help wanted: professional, flexible, dynamic,
well-organized, accurate, self-starter, independent
thinker, upbeat, energetic, multi-tasked, experienced
team player. A lot to ask of any individual, especially one who has
not played on any team since softball in the third grade! Many businesses request a team player without knowing
what that actually means. Being on a team means being
inter- dependent in a relationship, being able to
trust others. First, one must be independent. If you cannot function
well on your own, an office team can turn into an
outlet for all your personality flaws. An independent
person knows what makes him or her tick, what’s
important in their lives. These values can then be brought to any team and
become part of the contributing process. People who
can’t be managed or trust others will have a hard time
being effective on any team.
A team needs a reason to get together; a project or
specific plan that requires results. The Team also
requires that the owner/manager/supervisor is willing
to support the team’s success. Teams are not magic bullets, so here are a few
suggestions. How do you put a team together? The owner/manager of the business must be aware of
how teams work. The team is accountable to each other,
not the owner. The owner chooses the team leader.
Teams require guidelines and need values of its own.
Commitment, contribution, communication and
cooperation are the four values or cornerstones of the
foundation of any capable team or business. 1. Commitment. If one is not committed to the plan and
the team, nothing will work. Until there is commitment
there is nothing. Being committed means being charged
with a responsibility for a particular result. In this
time of quicker and faster, not many take the time to
do whatever it takes to get the job done. What being on a team truly implies is giving up your
ideals for something greater than yourself. 2. Contribution. Differences are what make a team
exciting. Not everyone on the team needs to be alike.
I look at a team as a microcosm of the world. The team
is your community if you were sliced off the end of
the earth. You must trust and be accountable to each
other, not the owner. The owner or manager may lead the team, but allows
the individuals on the team to blossom and grow. No
throwing cold water over anything new or different!
Teams can be about change and that is their greatest
strength. Various people on teams bring
an abundance of creativity - a total windfall! 3. Communication. At the beginning of any meeting,
everyone should be heard briefly, without
interruption. This is an opportunity to settle in, to
connect before the real work starts. Continue the
process with everyone offering information about them,
including that sense of humor sometimes missing in the
workplace. Teams can be enjoyable and fun, but no one
will know that unless team members relax and
lighten up. 4. Cooperation. Pool all the resources and ideas of
each individual while putting aside personal goals for
the objective of the team. The significance of
cooperation is to work together in relationship and
that requires patience. A reminder: everyone on the
team is an equal, without a boss. A word of caution. Not everyone is a team player.
People who are loners need just that, to work alone.
As long as they can create results on their own, let
them. People on a team have to want to be there. No
one wants a person on a team that does not want to be
there; they just stall any progress. Set your plan in motion and have fun! ~~~~
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