4 Special Traits That Set Apart Teammates From Employees

When it comes to cultivating good company culture where do you begin? What key factors set apart a company with an outstanding culture from a company stuck in a cycle of mediocrity? Well, the secret lies within the identity of its workers.

Are you an employee? Or are you an irreplaceable member of a working body pressing toward a common goal? Are you an employee or are you a teammate?

An employee shows up to work, gets the job done, and goes home. The next morning they repeat the cycle. On the other hand, a teammate is excited to show up to work! A teammate is a part of a team that works together to get the job done, a teammate goes home feeling accomplished and comes back to work eager to tackle the new day.

So what specific factors distinguish a teammate from an employee?

1. Employees

What kind of language do you use around the office? What title do you give your co-workers? Commonly, companies refer to their hires as employees.

The most basic way to enforce the idea that you are a part of a team is to simply refer to the people on your team as teammates. Words are the filters through which we view and perceive reality. Words have power, and that power can be harnessed to unite your workforce.

2. Aligned Vision

By knowing what the vision of your company is, you are creating a common goal that each teammate strives toward. When your vision is aligned, making group decisions becomes astronomically easier.

Each member of your team will have a better understanding of why your company makes the decisions that it makes if your teammates are aligned with your company’s vision and purpose.

By making a vision statement or mantra you are inspiring the members of your team to push toward to common goal. You are subsequently creating a shared process of decision making that is geared toward promoting your company vision, thus, uniting your team.

3. Collaboration

By promoting collaboration and open communication within your team, you are indirectly telling them that they are working WITH the company, not FOR the company. You are telling your team that as individuals they are valued and their opinions and thoughts are considered.

Each member of your team has a role that ensures the success of the company, the same way each position on a sports team is created to push toward the ultimate objective: winning. The concept of collaboration can be compared to making a game plan.

Together through collaboration and shared efforts your team will create a game plan that secures your companies success. Together as a team, you win.

4. Caring

Perhaps the most profound concept that separates an employee from a teammate is caring. Each new hire is an investment. If you invest and care about individuals on a personal level, then you are demonstrating to them that they are valued. You are overtly showing them that they matter and that you care.

It’s not difficult to show your teammates that you care for them. It’s not difficult to invest in people. You invest in individuals when you give them perks and benefits. You invest in people by offering them opportunities for development. You even invest in people when you host team building activities!

By engaging with your teammates in these ways you are telling them that they are more than just a number on a payroll. You are telling them that they are an integral part of the company’s success!

Unlike employees, teammates are immersed in a company environment that treats them as if they are an essential and valuable member of a team.

If you want your company to have a culture that is set apart from every other cookie cutter institution, then it starts with your team. If you truly want your business to grow then begin by growing individuals.

Incredible company culture is harvested from the efforts of teammates working together to press toward excellence. If you cultivate a team-based culture, your company will surely win.

Tell us, is your company winning by hiring teammates? Let us know in the comments.

Originally published at www.hitedigital.com on October 26, 2018.