The views expressed by the business participants are their own.
As a seasoned coach with over twenty years of experience working with business owners, I’ve seen how many business owners get frustrated that their startups aren’t growing as fast as they should or seem to be stagnating. Another common trait that often stands out in such entrepreneurs is their lack of team player qualities.
Your business can only grow as your skills as a team player grow, and my experience has shown that cultivating the following five qualities can make you a team player well-positioned to see your business grow.
1. Welcome and build on your team’s ideas
As a business founder, you may have a burning desire to bring your business vision to reality, but the success of the business will not depend entirely on you alone. You need input from your team, and their input can be the difference between mediocre business performance and successful business direction at the highest levels.
Create opportunities for team members to share their ideas. Brainstorming sessions, weekly meetings and problem-solving sessions can be fertile grounds for getting ideas from the team. Evaluate the ideas generated and find ways to implement those that show potential to advance business goals.
2. Train your team
Google conducted a study and found that the best managers and leaders have coaching skills. However, many people confuse coaching with mentoring. Training and coaching are not the same. Coaching is about unlocking the power in your team. Mastering coaching skills enables you to do just that.
As a founder, you may also have skills and knowledge that your team members do not have, meaning you may be more likely to advise or “tell” them how to do it rather than coach them.
Coaching builds confidence, empowers your team to take on more responsibility, improves problem-solving skills and builds credibility. The more you train your team, the more effective your business will be as a team effort rather than a one-man show. Not only will you have a high performing team, but you will also have a high value team. Double win!
Related: Become a Mentor: 4 Simple Ways to Change a Life
3. Adjust your pace to match your team
This is where the rubber hits the asphalt! Many founders have a burning desire to make their dreams come true “yesterday” and become extremely impatient when their team isn’t moving at the pace they like. At this point, you ask yourself two critical questions: Did I hire the right people? Do I always share my vision and my work so that everyone is clear about the company’s approach?
I often tell clients that it may not be possible for their whole group to go the same way the founder is wired, and it may be necessary for the founder to pump the brakes a little to get the group moving in the same direction. speed. This is a difficult pill for many founders to swallow, but reminding them that they are not a one-man army makes them more social and better able to encourage collaboration in business.
I don’t recommend letting your employees set the pace for the company. If you hire the right people and train them regularly, chances are that while they may not move at top speed, they will follow your lead and move at above average speed.
I always give this scenario, which I saw when I visited a client’s restaurant for a follow-up session. The assistant manager always pushed his direct reports to work at breakneck speed. The manager warned the assistant to always assign his tasks to a certain employee in advance so that he can complete them within the set time. This worker was known to be very meticulous in whatever he did, but if he was pushed to work at a faster pace than he could handle, he might not have done a very sloppy job.
The assistant manager ignored this important information and at one point asked that worker to chop some ingredients and kept hovering over the worker’s shoulder pulling them to work faster. Pushed beyond their limits, a worker nearly lost four fingers when, in an attempt to work quickly, they ended up accidentally amputating those fingers. I rushed with the manager when we heard a terrible scream from the kitchen, and after the ambulance left with the injured worker, the manager called the assistant to a private corner and gently reminded them of the warning not to push that particular worker to work. faster than they could do.
The message? Sometimes, it helps to slow down a bit so you can keep up with the rest of the group.
Related: Are You Hiring a ‘Team’ Player – or a No.1 Lookout?
4. Share recognition for any success achieved
Another important tip I give to startup founders is that they can be team players who enjoy steady business growth by sharing the recognition for their success. When you put your team at the center of every success, their motivation and loyalty increases, and they are invested in achieving the company’s goals.
Related: Which Do You Need: A Coach or a Mentor or a Trainer? Here’s How To Know.
5. Communicate with the group regularly
Make it a habit to consult with your team members regularly. This can be when there are challenges that need to be addressed, when opportunities arise or when you are planning next steps or a business strategy. Don’t be the founder who keeps his cards close to his chest and issues instructions without involving his team.
As you apply the above tips, you will notice that your team will rally around the goals and mission of the organization, and your company will be in a better position to weather any storm. Teams always find a way to win.
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