Ways to help teams work more effectively

Whether you are a business owner, a leader or a colleague in a team, there are always things that could work more effectively in your team.

So says Karran Bonner, who runs Dundee-based Brightside, an organisation specialising in training and coaching to help people and companies develop.

“So often, you are busy working on projects that time isn’t made to review the ways of working as a team,” she says.

“As philosopher Will Durant said, ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit’. Team habits are crucial.”

According to Karran, some successful team habits that help organisations include the following:

Regular team meetings – with a simple and meaningful structure.

One-to-one catch-ups – between manager and teams to ensure performance updates, recognition and feedback are provided.

Working groups – instead of always working in teams. Invite other people across the organisation and customers to get involved in new projects or to provide feedback on existing ones.

Celebrate success – by taking time every week, month and year to mark key achievements. Ask your team how they want to receive this feedback. Some will like it to be included in the meetings, one-to-one, or in an email. Why not try all three?

Workflow check-in – to see how tasks are being distributed across the team. Where do people need support and who can help? This can alleviate pressure from team members who find it tough asking for help.

“When you lead a team, your team are often a reflection of the standards that you are willing to accept,” says Karran.

“To look inwards at your leadership style is crucial for any success to happen. Create a list of daily standards that are crucial for your leadership style and then share them with your team to be more open about your aspirations.

“Once the team is familiar with the concept, set your team standards. Make them up into a team charter. Team standards are prescriptive and leave no room for misinterpretation.

“For example, as a team, we will contact 50 customers each day to add value by reviewing their accounts and sending monthly reports.

“Each team member will give a piece of constructive criticism to a colleague to enhance the team working each day.

“I would suggest setting no more than eight standards – and prioritise these.”

For more information, contact info@ brightsideinspiration.com.

To look inwards at your leadership style is crucial for any success to happen

Karran Bonner runs Brightside, which specialises in training and coaching to help people and companies develop.