What’s a football team without a quarterback? A concert without a drummer? A kitchen without the chef? Teams have needs - they all have predetermined roles necessary to produce a polished finished product. The same applies with your organization. You have a team; each individual has specific responsibilities that play a role in the final project. You simply can’t have a successful company without employees, or a manager, or senior leadership. All of these elements are the glue that holds a working company together.

Without a leadership figure to drive the company vision, employees could lose their focus on organizational goals. Likewise, without a manager to guide projects and stimulate engagement, employees are likely to join the 51% of the disengaged workforce. Engaged employees perform 20% better and are 87% less likely to leave a company; so isn’t it worth it to develop an effective team to drive engagement? Here’s how you can align your workforce to work as a better team.

Who is doing what?

Explaining organizational values and goals to new hires gives each member of the team a better understanding of company performance expectations. While strong work ethic is a solid foundation in a new employee, they still need a sense of direction in order to meet company expectations. In a recent Harvard Business Review Analytic survey, 77% of respondents agreed frontline managers are important in helping their organization reach business goals. 

Set attainable goals for employees during the onboarding process to establish a benchmark, then build off of those goals during performance reviews. Readdress these goals on a regular basis to check the status of projects and to see if your team needs your leadership guidance.

Create prime examples

If hiring managers and superiors sit at their desk with their feet up, take extended lunch breaks and slack off during work hours, it’s likely the employees will do the same. Even your top performers, your most engaged employees are subject to similar behavior. In fact, 53% of fully engaged employees admit they perform by learning how their superiors work. Set the standard for the team by performing how you expect them to work.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep

Unfortunately, 29% of employees don’t feel valued by their employers. The underlying cause? A surprising 32% of employees don’t feel their employer is always honest and truthful. Stay true to your employees to lock down their trust and loyalty. Keep the team aligned with company values and goals by continuously and openly communicating your expectations. This will form trust between superiors and employees, driving everyone to pitch in and do their part.

Keeping close tabs on goals and achievements with your employees and maintaining trust will show your employees you care about their success for the sake of their professional development and contribution to the working company. 

Creating goals early on in the onboarding process, assessing achievements and improvements within your team, displaying success by example and building trust are all necessary elements of being a team player in your company. Show candidates you wish to hire during the interview process that your company believes in strong team building and work ethic. Don’t let poor company culture be the downfall of your team; work hard and work together to create the highest potential for your company.

Bio: Sean Pomeroy

While selling other companies software solutions, Sean worked with Michael Warden to design over a dozen applications for different organizations and industries over the years. Sean now focuses on the vision for the company, business development, and continues involvement in the software design of Cyber Recruiter, applicant tracking system and Cyber Train, learning management system. Want to see what Visibility Software has to offer? Take a demo now.

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