Cook up success with this recipe for teamwork…
At Created we got our measuring cups out to give you our favourite recipe for tasty team success:
1. Pre-heat the oven with Trust
Trust is the solid foundation of a great team; the dough, if you will. But you’re going to need a few important ingredients to make that sweet sweet base.
Numero uno, you’ll need clear boundaries. These can be clear personal or set by the company, like contactable hours.
You’ll need to be reliable. If you don’t deliver on those promises, trust is immediately threatened.
Don’t forget: everyone needs to be accountable. Speak up if you screw up. Make sure everyone feels they’ll be supported, not blamed.
Check out Brene Brown’s amazing work on The Seven Elements of Trust for more about generosity and making time for others.
2. Add lashings of responsibility
Give your team space and lots of autonomy. It’s the spoonful of sugar to sweeten the deal.
The role of a leader, self-appointed or not, is to help people come up with answers, not dictate them. Teams need to feel a sense of ownership over their work. Don’t let a head chef’s ego get in the way of team input.
3. Roll together with common goals
Any team needs a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Sometimes the smell of hot cookies just won’t cut it.
Every member of the team needs to be aligned towards a common goal. Every person needs to understand why they are there, what’s expected of them and what unique flavour they bring to the table.
4. Let it burn. Make mistakes.
Mistakes are GREAT. Sometimes it’s the only way to learn what works.
When things go squiffy, don’t berate your team. If someone makes a mistake, everyone who’s part of the project has a responsibility to fix it and help.
5. Ice the cake: communicate
Communicate, communicate, communicate. We just can’t communicate to you how much you need to communicate.
Find the magic taste combination that works best for your team: email, Slack, Asana… Whatever it is, find it, use it and review them regularly to check their still to everyone’s taste.
P.S. Did we mention you should communicate?
6. Compliments to the chef
Get yourself some self-raising feedback. It should be part of your team’s culture. If nothing’s raised, it can’t be changed.
Keep your emotions out of it, give and receive it factually and you’ll be just fine.
With this advice, we know you’ll cook up a storm. Keep ideas and ingredients fresh, and take those setbacks with a pinch of salt.
Related Resource
