Your role as a leader has a major impact on team performance. Good leaders do far more than explain to employees what is expected of them. They are able to galvanise their people to work together to achieve shared goals.
Team performance call for an investment of your time
Team performance starts with building a high quality group of employees. Ensure each staff member understands their role and the expectations you have of them. Explaining these goals one-on-one is a big commitment. But it provides a firm foundation for a high-performing team.
Regularly check every employee’s progress. Be prepared to reward those who outperform, and to coach staff members who may be lagging behind. The time spent investing in your people will be rewarded with a stronger team.
Demonstrate commitment to your team’s success
High quality professionals want to move ahead with their career, and by committing to the development of your staff, your employees will not only be more productive, they will also be more engaged.
As a leader you need to be able to offer opportunities for training, upskilling and advancement to encourage your people to succeed. Your commitment will be valued by your staff, and it can be a big motivator that builds team performance.
Develop team spirit
In a workplace environment, few people achieve their full potential on their own. At some stage everyone needs to call on the support of their colleagues for help meeting deadlines, managing workflow or handling a crisis.
This is why team spirit is so important in any organisation. It helps employees recognise that they can achieve more as a team than as an individual, and this can make a significant difference to team performance.
Your leadership will be the lynchpin that builds team spirit. Encourage open communication and nurture employee interaction. Share your goals for the team with every staff member, and look for their input on how each goal can be achieved – it can encourage employees to buy into your vision.
Reward teamwork
As a leader, it is up to you to ensure outstanding work is recognised and rewarded. This can be a highly motivating factor that encourages all staff members to consistently achieve a high level of productivity.
But don’t just reward individuals. Offer rewards for small groups or pairs of employees, who have worked collaboratively, and take every opportunity to acknowledge the effort of your team as a whole if a particular goal has been met or exceeded. This helps your staff embrace the value of teamwork in a competitive business environment.
Keep morale high
Even in the most collaborative workplace, conflicts can arise, and team performance can suffer if issues are not quickly resolved. As a leader, you need to be prepared to listen when your employees are experiencing problems, and counsel staff members to solve the problem together, before it starts to impact team morale – and ultimately, productivity.
All human beings enjoy a sense of belonging, and this extends to the workplace. Using your leadership skills to create an inclusive workplace where every staff member sees themselves as a valued part of a bigger picture, can be a valuable driver of team performance.