Questions

I find myself training and teaching my team a lot of things, which is inevitable since we're a small start-up and I have team members who are quite new to the industry (they are loyal, creative, and a smart bunch). It's pretty time consuming for myself as a founder, nevertheless I want to assure that Im growing them in the right way for the long term. I'd like to know if there are any key things that you've seen in great 'team builders'? For example: Do certain members learn quicker when left on their own? Or should I be actively involved in training them? etc..Would be great to hear from experts that have learnt this the hard way.

Your question is very interesting and gives me a feeling you have a real commitment for success because it makes me feel you care for your team.

If this question could be fully answered in a couple of lines, you can imagine all managers and executives would lead their teams successfully.

The 2 key principles to remember are:

1. Everyone is different: you have to adapt to each individual. It is time consuming but pays off in the long run because everyone has their own learning styles, speed and attitude. Take the time to have 1:1 conversations about them as individuals: likes and dislikes, under what conditions they perform best, how they learn most easily and about their career goals.

2. Create a team spirit. This is the exact opposite of point 1: as much as you recognize everyone as individuals, you have to also build unity and cohesion. There has to be standardized rules of behavior, common values and a shared vision. You have to take time with your team as a whole.

This will lead you to create:

1. A personal development plan for each individual in your team, which helps you develop a tailored approach for each person, create reward & recognition systems and monitor people's happiness and performance. This helps you understand your team from a micro-perspective.

2. An organizational development plan for your start-up to give you a more global vision of the talents you need to acquire, retain and grow. This helps you understand your team from a macro-perspective.

Team building requires taking time for all the different aspects of bonding: forming, storming, norming, performing, mourning.

It's always about balancing two extremes:

On one hand you want to take time to work together and alone, to learn & grow, to brainstorm, to create, to plan, to prepare, to research and to measure performance.

On the other hand you, you also want to take time away from the office to stop & think, take time to have fun, take time to get to know each other, take time to rest & relax.

Do you need any guidance to build individual and organizational development plans that will support growth and team building for your start-up?


Answered 10 years ago

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