How Smart Teams are creating Smart Business Outcomes

While the Smart50 recognise there is nothing like a good recession to create opportunity and growth as indicated in the SmartCompany article How the Smart 50 are planning for recovery” Tuesday 22 September, there is no doubt that Smart Teams also know they contribute to smart business outcomes.

While performing as a team in the recent traumatised business arena seemed to be testing values and visions of many businesses and people the emphasis has started to shift from just looking after the fiscal responsibility to stimulating learning, development and motivation so people can significantly lift the bar and not their blood pressure as business ramps up again, and expectations are high.

And given that today’s economic situation is impacting on people’s ability to manage their expanded roles, it’s critical to provide environments that respond and recognize individual diversity, pressure, and resilience. A smart team recognizes what it needs and ensures that it engineers its way to get it. So, if you’re looking to create a Smart Team especially now to be ahead of the pack

Be sure you’re clear on what you’re asking or needing from people. Paraphrase and check your assumptions – positive or negative. Be specific, brief, and clear. Encourage your staff and others around you to do likewise.

Communicate your message in small, digestible chunks that allow people to process and manage their work. Acknowledge contribution personally and publicly.

If you’re unsure or feel uneasy about something ask for clarification and updates as often as possible. Encourage everyone to contribute to open dialogue.

Be “the wind in the sails not an anchor on the tails” of your people and teams. Positive framing in negative times provide the Ying and the Yang needed in business.

5. Do regular Team Audits to assess how accurate you and your team are with their assumptions of how things are going.***

A valuable exercise to do is ask your staff to identify three instances over the past six months when they have counted on each other in ways that clearly enhanced the team’s performance. Discuss those instances and the impact it had on the business.

Then identify three instances over the past six months when your people missed opportunities to deliver satisfactory or exceptional customer service because people did not sufficiently count on each other’s knowledge or skill to help solve the client or the business problems. Compare the impact of both and what how they can use this knowledge in moving forward.

Relationships within teams vary and indeed relationships vary from client to client and person to person and over time. Relationships will change due to the changing nature of a business transaction and a personal interaction.

Smart Team members are all responsible for looking after the relationships as part of a chain of responsibility and care. Being proactive and managing relationships takes time, but are the DNA of our businesses .Don’t let the fallout from GFC stand between your teams and what your business stands for.

*** To download a Smart Business Audit, email leadership@rickynowak.com with Audit in the subject line.
www.rickynowak.com Ricky Nowak