How do you create a successful team culture? What can you control and shape for an environment of winning and excellence? Of course, it starts with hiring the right people for your team, but this discussion is not about hiring. It is about what you can do as leader to enhance the potential of developing a team that thrives and desires to achieve the goals and strategy of your business.
Having a clear vision that you communicate often helps your team understand what you expect daily. Keep everyone on the team acutely informed of relevant information affecting their duties and responsibilities. Ensure you are eliminating inner circles and favoritism. Get out the critical information in the open to create overwhelming trust.
In the Army, I served under many commanders who had a vast array of abilities and personalities. Those who treated their people with great respect and who communicated openly got great respect in return along with immense loyalty. I also witnessed those who bullied their subordinate leaders which created fear and doubt. I had one senior commander who chose to not keep his staff in the loop on orders issued to subordinate units. Those staff leaders were often blindsided with requests creating mistrust.
Be focused on these areas to create a winning organizational culture:
- Your business environment. Have a clear vision and communicate its importance often. Your vision and strategy are the roadmap for how the company accomplishes its goals. What is the end-state you are trying to achieve? Additionally, be a learning organization where you focus on improvement and innovation – always striving toward the vision.
- Your team. Make everyone on your team better. Encourage team members to grow in their skills and abilities along with empowering them to take actions for the company. Look out for their shortcomings and offer a way forward to improve. Every day, practice great respect for their input, hard work and accomplishments. Perform and encourage constant communication.
- Yourself. Be humble in everything you do. Know that you are not and can’t be perfect. However, show great courage and determination for seeing your vision succeed. As leader, you are responsible for the company’s success or failure. Prioritize the critical tasks so there is no guessing. Express a positive attitude even when things don’t go so well. Every day, leadership is about confidence, communication, and making adjustments to fulfill the vision.
To encourage your team to achieve the vision of the company, establish a team culture of open communication and respect. Work hard to eliminate confusion and political maneuvering that can undermine your vision. Prioritize your team’s effort and empower them to act on the best interests of the business.
“The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development. There is almost no limit to the potential of an organization that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders and continually develops them.”
What areas listed in this discussion are you having trouble with implementing and why?
Please comment or email me at comment@stephenmclain.com.
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Copyright 2017 – Stephen McLain