Teamwork is not an exact science. The accounts are not “cast” as in mathematics. In this case, 1+1 is not 2, since the sum of efforts makes the results multiply above what is expected, or at least, that is how it should be. However, not everything is as easy as it seems. A team with poor organization can achieve results below what they could individually achieve. Everything is a matter of knowing how to take advantage of the strategies to work as a team and multiply the productivity that we show you here.
A good comunication
Among the main strategies for teamwork we cannot lack communication. This is the basis of a good relationship between co-workers. If there is no understanding, if the information is not available to all members at all times, they may feel outside the circle, excluded or different. have some communication protocols well established will help us, not only to make members feel more integrated, but also to make everything go faster. If each member knows how the company is structured and what kind of decisions each member makes, the flow of communication will be much smoother.
At this point, it will also be essential to establish the adequate communication tools, taking into account the urgency in communication and respect for the schedules of each worker. Email, a private chat with different channels depending on the project (at ADC we use Slack) or even Whatsapp, Skype or phone calls, are some of the options that can be considered. Of course, remember that the most important thing is that all team members know at all times which communication channel to use and who to contact so that communication is effective.
Task management tools
There are endless work tools and task management tools that we can use to optimize our work. Google Drive, Dropbox, Hootsuite, Asana, BaseCamp, or OpenPojet, are some of them. Analyze the operation of each of them based on the type of work and tasks that your team performs, and define which are the most appropriate for your company. It is important that you have the opinion of your employees, after all, they are the ones who will use them and who, on many occasions, know better than anyone what they really need to be more productive.
Do not forget that the tools have been created to improve and optimize work, it is one of the strategies for teamwork that can best optimize time and improve productivity, but the inappropriate use of some or ignorance on the part of the employees of its operation, can have a completely opposite effect on the results obtained.
Do not focus on the “I” but on the “we”
When you start a project as a freelance and go on to create a company, it can be difficult to stop focusing everything on you, and above all, delegate and trust the work of others. A good first step is to start speaking in the plural. Communication changes everything. Going from the first person singular (I) to the first person plural (we) is a small-big step for your project.. Although it may not seem like a momentous change, the truth is that just by changing those two words you will get much more confidence from your employees and they will get involved in the project as part of them. In addition, your customers will also begin, little by little, to accept the change and value your employees as you do yourself.
Sooner or later, you will notice the results. Clients will no longer only demand your attention, they will value your team more and more and you will be able to continue with your work as a leader, thanks to delegating tasks that others can take care of.
Common objectives
Another of the strategies to work as a team that cannot be missing is to establish common objectives. Once again, it is something that is not always as easy as it seems, since we are generally entrepreneurs who start our project alone and that many times we have not found the necessary separation between our personal objectives and our professional objectives. However, at the moment you start to train a team for your company, it is essential that, regardless of their knowledge and training, you take into account their work objectives.
share some values and work philosophy it is much more important than signing the best professional in terms of technical knowledge. To form a team, you have to look beyond the resumes of each member, you have to know if they connect with each other, if they share enough interests to create a consistent company culture.
delegate and trust
In line with the above, it is important that as a leader you learn to delegate and trust the work of your team. If you do not get it easily, it may be due to two reasons:
- You have not chosen the right professionals to make them part of your team.
- You continue to think in the singular and not in the plural when you talk about your company.
The first case has an easy solution. Look for new professionals who really inspire you confidence. Beyond his curriculum vitae, it is necessary that you feel identified with his work and philosophy when starting it up. In the second case, the problem is with you: you are not ready to create a team.
Create a sense of belonging
Although communication and shared goals, as we have explained above, does a lot to establish that sense of belonging, as leaders we must know how to generate that balance and unity among the people who work together in our company. Creating a positive company culture, where we are all aware of some details about our colleagues, is something that can greatly improve the personal relationship between the team, and with it, make the workflow much more enjoyable and enriching.
Small details such as organizing a company Christmas dinner or adding team birthdays to the company calendar will make all the difference. They are small ideas and strategies to work as a team much better.
Celebrate the results
Positive learning is something increasingly widespread in the educational field. It is clear that errors must be analyzed so as not to stumble again on the same stone, but just as or even more important is celebrating the results and sharing them.
When working in a team, it is important not to point fingers when looking for those responsible for successes and errors. You have to know how to share everything! Perhaps a colleague has gotten confused in a small detail… but if there has been a real error, it has been the team’s fault, because someone should have supervised this task, right? The same goes for big hits. It is important that everyone knows the results obtained to motivate their activity and share a job well done.
Bring out the best in each member
Sometimes we insist on organizing the work of others without really analyzing what their most outstanding attitudes and skills are. If we know our team and ask each one to do what they are best at and/or like to do the most, we will achieve much better results. Undoubtedly, one of the teamwork strategies that you should start considering right now to improve your results.
It is clear that for this you will have to know the people you work with in depth, because no matter how much you have hired them based on experience and training, the truth is that talents are not usually clearly reflected in a curriculum vitae. As you work with a person, you will be able to better see their most outstanding talents, and once you have identified them, take advantage of them!
team motivation
Do not forget that as a leader you must know how to motivate your team. Think of that school teacher who really got the attention of the students, who were delighted to learn with him, think of the captain of a soccer team that has managed to generate a unique union between the members, where beyond the sport found friendship, think of all those people who inspire you and inspire thousands of followers (from the Pope to Gandhi)… All of them are people who can help you improve your instinct as a leader. Read their biographies and try to apply the story to yourself.
And above all, remember that each person is different, and the same element does not serve as motivation for all of them. There are those who will be motivated by a training plan in the company, and those who prefer flexible hours to make their work compatible with their family life. Try to listen, understand and empathize with each team member to understand her motivations.
Time to learn and reflect
Something that is increasingly valued, especially in jobs where the demands for updating knowledge are high, is time for training and reflection. For example, in the field of digital marketing, where new things come out every day, it is essential that all team members are trained in their day-to-day activities. Having a department or person especially focused on training that can generate content and quick summaries, or even small training meetings, is a possibility that we can value as strategies for teamwork.
Another option is to outsource this task with professional experts in training this type of profile. For example, At Academia de Consultores we have a special program for agencies where your entire team can have access to our training and obtain their training certificates or update their knowledge whenever they want.
Discover how to certify your Digital Marketing team
We hope you take good note of our strategies for teamwork and multiplying productivity, apply them to your team and tell us how it went. We are sure that you will notice that the relationship between the efforts and time invested, and the results obtained, is getting better and better. In addition to the fact that a good team organization always improves the spirit of the workers, something that is noticeable not only in their performance but also in the spirit and creativity that they show in their day-to-day work.