“There is no ‘I’ in the team”, says Target’s CEO Gregg Steinhafel.
While we assume it’s the hefty paycheck and bonus which builds up your dream team, the truth is far from that. Yes, employees deserve to be paid for what they’re worthy of, but behind an organization’s success lies a plethora of other fundamental concepts which motivates an employee to give his best.
According to “Happiness at Work: What Matters Most”, The Atlantic, Nov 22, ’14 issue, employees place their purpose, their quality of work and their work-life balance above their pay. So yes, if your company is making a positive impact in the world, giving your employees the work which they love to do and finally not slogging their asses for 10–12 hours compromising their work-life balance, you have a Happy Dream Team at your doorstep.
Here’s a quick five-step recipe for a Happy Dream Team:
01. Hiring The Gems
The first step is to hire the right people, right? Most often, the criterion for hiring is esteemed education qualification, Grades A or perhaps an impressive and expansive work experience. While we don’t mean to sabotage any of those preconditions, we want you to lay a deeper emphasis on your potential employee’s personality.
A Dream Team doesn’t need a programmed robotic. A Dream Team needs a person who is ignited for his passion, enthusiastic about his work, has a bone of loyalty and reliability. We learn most of our work on-job and so skills can be taught over time, but a person’s personality is what he brings to the table. So be mindful of that!
02. Challenging Them
Massachusetts-based author of Business Innovation For Dummies writes, “When you have a chance to have your ideas heard and one of them actually gets implemented, it’s such a boost.” Giving scope for your employees to grow with every new project and tasks can challenge your employees in unimaginable ways. It not just keeps them on their toes but makes them feel important to the output of the company.
So, instead of trying to maneuver and hold the reins of the most important project on your own or keeping only a few mastered ones in the loop, consider delegating it and publicly asking who’s up for the challenge. They will figure something out and well, you will have a totally fresh perspective at hand to motivate your team. Trust and give them opportunities to explore themselves.
03. Trusting Them Through Flexibility
Employees give 3/4th of their day to your company and so they’d really want you to trust them with their work and deadlines. Leashing them to an hourly desk doesn’t necessarily bring out the best in them. Employees love to be understood as more than a work machine. Respect that and give them the flexibility to split their work in their own way. Remote working is catching up in India as people are becoming more and more independent. As a coworking space, myHQ is always encouraging curated, multi-located workspaces and cafes. Our team mostly works remotely out of our different spaces and can vouch how productive and independent our employees feel.
04. Create a Motivating Communication Channel
A private communication channel for your employees can harbor collaboration and motivation. One can use a platform like Facebook or other social media tools to post comments, respond to others’ and “like” posts. You can also try a platform like RedTalk to encourage such communications.
When you share team-mates’ achievements and glories, you naturally encourage and motivate others to step forward. We suggest you play around with giving a literal shout-out, celebrating with confetti or simply giving a bouquet of flowers with a letter of appreciation — cliched perhaps, but you know how rare we make it happen.
05. Vacay Vacay
Step out of your professional shoes once in a while and sport Crocs — with your Team. Dream Teams stay. They stay because they feel a sense of belonging and friendship beyond the four walls of a cubicle. Marie Forleo recently took her team for a vacation in Mexico while Virool went on a wine tour to Napa. BuzzFeed India’s editor Rega Jha shows you just the right ingredients of how to motivate your team.
And so, even if you cannot afford an out of station vacation, go for a hearty brunch or a casual day out to an amusement park. Just let loose for a day!
Building a team which stays motivated, inspired and kicked up about working with you is so important. Even if your business has your ownership written on it, its team will always be its backbone. Slowly, carefully, pick people who you can build your trust and relationship with and vouch to have your back!
Nevertheless, let it be a process you enjoy.
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