Turn a group into a team

A team is a group, but a group in not always a team. The difference: if a collection of people shares a common office address, then it's a group. If it shares a common mission and works together to achieve it, then it's a team!

Smart business owners know that running a business is not a one-man show and that in the workplace having a team is a lot more pleasant, efficient and ultimately profitable than having a group. But good teams don't just happen. They are the result of an intentional effort on the part of the owner to create a work environment in which every person knows how they are contributing to making the business successful and are made to feel appreciated for their contribution.

The most common comparison when talking teams is to think about how a successful sporting team operates. Here are some lessons from sports coaching to help jumpstart the team-building process in your small business.

Set the vision

Sports team members share a very clearly defined goal, or vision and know that the only way they'll achieve it is to cooperate. In business this means sharing your vision and your goals with the employees, your team. Did you choose a primary objective for your business to achieve this year? Did you share it with your employees so they all know where you want to go and can get behind it? Did you involve them in working out the strategies to achieve it? Let's say your primary objective this year is to stimulate retail sales for a new product line, and you want it to be 20% of overall sales. If that information isn't shared with the people who do your marketing and selling then they'll just go on pushing the same products they always have. To win the game everyone has to be working to the same game plan.

Establish clearly defined roles

In team games every player knows what the role of their position is and the extent of their freedom to operate in contributing to a successful play. And they know what the other team members do so they don't interfere with their game. As the business owner, it's your job to make sure that every employee clearly understands the role they play in the business. That means developing a clear organisation structure (who is responsible for what) and ensuring that every employee has an accurate job description. Tools such as an organisation chart and team meetings provide a way for employees to see how they fit into the big picture and to sort out any time wasting overlaps or conflicts.

Make communication work to improve team spirit

Communication is the building block of an effective business team. Not just open communication, but honest and respectful communication to build regard for each other. There should be no tolerance of abusive, denigratory or sexist language in the workplace. Those just turn people off from thinking of themselves as part of the team.

Resolve conflict quickly and fairly

Inevitably, there will be occasion for conflict among team members. Ignoring a conflict can leave space for it to grow until it becomes a major problem. So instead of ignoring them, develop your conflict resolution skills and create a mechanism for them to safely bring those conflict situations they can't resolve themselves to your attention. If you don't feel up to the task of counselling your employees on how to resolve their conflicts yourself then consider bringing in a professional or do some training to improve your skills and level of comfort with the process.

Celebrate achievements as a team

Since every employee plays an important part in the success or failure of your business it only makes sense to celebrate your achievements as a team. Match the size of the celebration to the size of the accomplishment. Be careful to be inclusive - most wins are the joint effort of many people including those not directly involved in the final sale or whatever the achievement was.

Turning the group into a team

A lot can be done towards building a team through the application of experience and common sense but it can be helped along the way by the use of a business coach with particular skills in the area. It can be very useful to employ an advisor - particularly in the initial stages - to run a review and establish just what needs to be done.

Behave like a captain

What you need always to remember as a business owner/captain of the team is that your team will look to you for guidance on how to behave. Your behaviour will be a model for theirs and if you are positive, upbeat and respectful of them, then team members will tend to act the same to you and each other. Demonstrate a negative or critical attitude and the team will fall apart into a group. Strong tone at the top is essential to hold a team together.

For more information contact your RAN ONE business professionals at
Academy of Business Excellence Limited