Steps to building an effective team

Published by Andrea Day on

Steps to building an effective team

Table of contents

Businesses cannot succeed without a strong team behind them. Building an effective team requires more than just assembling a group of talented people. 

To be truly effective, the team must unite with the same vision and be motivated to bring that vision to life.

They must share, clear, measurable goals, and be committed to each play their part in the overall success of the team.

Building an effective team is not something you can simply switch on. The process requires attention and constant evaluation. Most importantly, building an effective team means building processes, deploying them and then training on them, with continual evolution to improve them in response to feedback.

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Define the purpose

Defining a purpose isn’t just putting an idea on paper. Instead, you need to take the time to translate that vision down into granular business goals and steps for everyone to follow.

A lot of companies use something called OKRs or Objectives and Key Results. OKRs were pioneered by Andrew Grove at Intel and basically are a process whereby employees work with their line manager to translate the company’s purpose and goals into quarterly, monthly and weekly goals for every employee. It’s a great idea to have the C-level start with their OKRs first and then communicate them to the rest of the team. That allows the rest of the team to align their goals with the direction of the top management.  

You don’t have to follow the OKR approach, but it is a nice way to get employees to buy into the company’s purpose. The point, however, is that clear goals and objectives need to be communicated, not just put in a business plan.

Hire the right people

Hiring the right people for the job is critical. Once you’re clear about your company vision, and the kind of team you want to create, you should hire individuals who will further these goals.

A person’s qualifications or work experience matter, but they should also share your passion and vision. 

Make candidates’ soft skills, including work ethic and personality, as important as hard skills and work experience.

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Communicate and train

Communicating with and motivating the team plays a big role in building an effective team. You should frequently communicate progress on goals and changes to timelines or responsibilities while simultaneously motivating the team. 

Making sure that everyone understands their goals and responsibilities is critical. As mentioned above, the OKR model is based on goal setting and then communication of those goals to the rest of the company. Models like these make sure you communicate. 

However, communication alone isn’t enough. You need to train your team members to give them the skills they need to be successful and you need to train them on how your company serves its customers. 

Training isn’t just about telling your employees how to do certain tasks, what rules to follow, et cetera. Training is about helping them to feel part of the team, to feel like they are part of something bigger. 

When a team makes a positive contribution to your company culture and feels part of your journey, they’re more likely to enjoy their jobs, build better relationships, and perform better.

Share reporting, insights, and observations on how decision-making happens so the team can better influence and partner throughout the business.

Support growth

It’s very likely that your team will want to continue to grow in their roles, skills, and career. You should foster that by encouraging them to take the next steps.

Employee development can help your team gain the skills the company needs to continue its growth trajectory. 

Consider offering professional training on software and tools. Give them time to pursue educational opportunities, such as relevant certificates.

The importance of trust in remote teams

Trust is key to an effective team at any time, but it’s especially important when it comes to remote work.

Employers need to trust their employees to perform their work on time and follow the company’s best practices, without micromanaging or having to follow up constantly.  

On the other hand, employees need their employers to give them the training, tools and support they need to succeed. 

This will allow them to do their job well and create a remote work environment that’s conducive to teamwork and open communication. 

Working from home may mean distractions. But by building a team based on trust, you know your team will get the work done even if they do need to stop to answer the doorbell multiple times throughout the day. 

Empowering remote workers to manage their time in productive ways creates a culture of trust built on strong foundations. 

At BestAtDigital, we create digital experiences that build the right working environment and help businesses move forwards. Contact us today to find out how.

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Steps to building an effective team

Businesses cannot succeed without a strong team behind them. Building an effective team requires more than just assembling a group of talented people.

To be truly effective, the team must unite with the same vision and be motivated to bring that vision to life.

Categories: Onboarding