Strategies for Cultivating Strong Teams

In order for teams in organizations to be high performing, they must be treated like any other living organism and be provided with the right conditions to grow and thrive. In this #EntrepreneurMagazine article https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/333527, #AytekinTank, founder of #JotForm shares his five-part strategy for cultivating strong teams.

  1. Feed Them Challenging Problems

When challenged, most people rise to the occasion and put their best work forward. A challenging problem provides stimulation and requires an individual to call upon their creativity and intelligence to solve it. There is sense of accomplishment that arises as a result. As shown in an Information Week survey, the majority of IT workers stated that “challenge of job/responsibility” mattered most to them about their job. We encourage you to identify some challenging problems that you can give to your teams?

  1. Offer Real Independence

Autonomy is a core human need. Tank states that “team members working in autonomous groups also feel less ‘emotional exhaustion’ and engage in more active learning. Providing autonomy to teams shows that they are trusted by their leaders to produce great work while driving out fear of failure.

  1. Respect Their Time

Teams thrive under conditions where they are able to focus on a single project at a time, and solve the challenge that has been given to them. Recently we posted a blog about the importance of focusing on a central issue to help leaders improve. This concept is also relevant for teams, and helps to increase their momentum. Tank also mentions the importance of respecting your team’s time outside of the office to avoid overworking and burnout. Openly expressing this respect to your team will create a stronger bond between you and your team.

  1. Give Them Some Breathing Room

While the “open office” format has been popular amongst startups and modern businesses, studies have shown that providing designated offices or more private spaces for teams to work removes the distractions that often come along with an open format, allowing teams to stay more focused. Mental and emotional space is also important. Ask your team what they need to perform their best and provide for them. They will feel respected and will want to do their best work possible.

  1. Foster a Culture of Warmth and Energy

It is important for groups to have a friendly, collaborative nature. As we discussed in our recent blog post about the importance of psychological safety in high performing teams, Tank emphasizes that warmth and safety within teams helps them to perform at their peak. When team members feel free to fully express themselves, they are able to tap into their deep creativity in order to solve the challenging problems they have been given.

Leading a team inevitably brings challenges. At #AvionConsulting we provide a range of solutions in order to insure that teams develop effectively and perform at the highest possible levels. For further discussion we invite you to contact us directly at info@avionconsulting.com and/or join our newsletter at  http://bit.ly/AvionNews.