Teamwork provides a firm foundation for productivity and great performance but it’s not always that easy to nurture. If you’re a manager or business owner it can be easy to get caught up in the business and to forget how important it is to take the time to make your team feel valued. If that sounds familiar then there are some simple ways to turn the situation around.

Be available

A genuinely open door policy is important to make team members feel valued by leadership. You may have an incredibly busy schedule but it’s important to make time for those who come seeking help or to ask questions.

Know your team

There is nothing that makes people feel valued quite as much as being seen. Take the time to really get to know your team. What are they good at and what are their individual goals? Ask questions about their experience and what might be done to improve it.

Teach, don’t criticise

Very few employees respond well to being lectured in a professional situation. It can make people defensive and fearful and this means they will find it difficult to engage. If you’re delivering advice or feedback, be constructive and kind. Allow room for mistakes and make it clear that you understand they are a key part of the process for growth.

Establish strong values

Where the focus of the business is purely profit driven then teamwork won’t thrive. If you want to establish a team that is able to pull together and overperform then there has to be more of a motivation then simply making money. Establish a broader set of values for the team, whether that’s making a difference or fostering more constructive working. Give each team member the opportunity to do more than just the basics of their job.

Clarify the difference between accountability and ownership

Holding people accountable for their actions or mistakes is an action driven by management. Ownership, however, comes from employees. Create an environment in which taking ownership is encouraged, even of mistakes or errors.

Value innovation and creativity

Not every process needs to immediately yield revenue to be profitable. Employees can benefit enormously from being able to participate in innovation and creativity projects – this can help the team to bond and create surprisingly productive results.

Establish and value trust

A team will always function better with a leader they can believe in. That’s someone who is clear about their values and beliefs, open in terms of employee expectations and who does what they say they will.

Create a collaborative space

Your team will be more productive when collaboration levels are high. Encourage cooperation and working together, mutual feedback and praise and ensure that everyone is included.

It’s not difficult to make your team feel valued with a view to fostering better teamwork but it does take some conscious action and thought. The right combination of initiatives and actions can be incredibly productive for any organisation.

Give me a call today on 07703 107 070 for more help with advice about how to boost teamwork and make your team feel valued.