team management Archives | MoneyDigest.sg

Managing a team is never an easy task.

You can curse out your ex-manager for being this and that but truth be told, it’s a challenge. And now that you’re in a managerial position, are you in a dilemma?

How on earth do you ensure that your team members are contributing equally? Well, we will be delving deeper into this topic in this post. So buckle up, and let’s roll.

Invest in team building

Depending on companies, some management groups think that team building is necessary at least once a year.

For me, I guess you set your own rules—once every quarter isn’t that bad. If it’s too much, then go for once every 4 to 6 months.

Team building is a good investment if you want a cohesive team. Duh. How can anyone work together in harmony if they don’t know each other well, don’t have common topics to talk about, or don’t see eye to eye?

Have clear sub-goals

Anyone who has walked into a project managed by a manager who does not know how to create clear objectives knows how it feels.

GG.

No, not good game, but good grief.

If you want every member of your team to get a slice of the pie, then make sure you map out your overall objective(s) and concrete sub-tasks.

For example, if you’re a team working on launching the latest summer collection of a fashion brand, then make sure every headcount involved in the project knows what they are doing. From the most senior executive to the newest intern, everyone should have a defined (quality, not quantity) task to work on.

And yes, keep those deadlines in check too.

Create an evaluation system

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I’m not going to lie, I’m not a huge fan of evaluations. Why? Because it keeps me on my toes.

Knowing that I’m being “watched” not just by my boss but also by my colleagues leads me to pull my weight a little more.

So if you’re a manager who wants to play around with some psychological motivational forces, focus your attention on these:

Step 1: Peer reviews

To ensure that peer reviews work and not harm, it has to be done right.

I suggest making peer reviews anonymous. Whatever means you use to evaluate—the old-school way of paper forms or online ones—the only person that should be able to view those feedback would be you, the manager.

There’s no need to, as the Chinese saying goes, 挑拨离间 (sow discord).

Step 2: Analyze feedback

Once you’ve gathered fellow responses from your team, it’s time to analyze them.

Anonymous peer feedback is the best feedback if a certain point raised is rather consistent across teammates.

For instance, you may get comments such as:

“Meixin is quite slow in the work assigned to her. She doesn’t keep to deadlines.”

If just one person raises this point, then maybe it wouldn’t be that credible. But if you have a team of 10 and more than half has somehow or rather given such feedback, it shows something.

But I understand no one has the time to do such detailed feedback like that all the time. Maybe twice a year or once at the end of the year may work. Or you can consider using automated tools to track project progression and workflow completion ratios. This is wiser for managers who have to take care of >1 team.

In a nutshell, we have raised 3 main strategies in this article to ensure that everyone’s pulling their weight in the company. As a manager, the responsibility is on you to build a team that can work together. While you can’t guarantee everyone will like each other, teamwork can be built based on respect and regular conversations. And don’t forget to always pen down clear tasks for your teammates to work on. Lastly, have an evaluation system in place so there’s a proper outlet for peer reviews that can help you gauge the strengths and weaknesses of each team member.

Create a team charter

You and your team need to be on the same page if you want to create a high-performing team.

That’s why it’s necessary to develop a team charter that outlines the team’s purpose, roles, and responsibilities. This document should be collaboratively created and should serve as a guidepost for how the team should operate.

The team charter should also define what success looks like for the team and how it will measure progress. This will help the team stay focused and constantly strive to improve.

Choose the right mix of team members

You’ve probably heard that a high-performing team has the right mix of skills and personality types.

But how do you go about choosing the right people for the team? First, take a look at the skills that are necessary for the job. Make sure you have people on the team who have the skills to do the job. But don’t stop there. You also need team members with complementary personalities.

For example, if you have a team of all analysts, you might be in trouble. They will all be great at analyzing data, but they might not be so great when it comes to getting campaigns launched. On the other hand, if you have a team of all-doers, they might not be so great at strategizing and looking at things from different angles.

The key is to have a mix of people who can bring different skills and perspectives to the table.

Hold regular team meetings and establish clear communication channels

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You need to hold regular team meetings to keep everyone on the same page.

This is a time to share updates, discuss goals, and troubleshoot issues. But meetings can only be effective if everyone can communicate effectively. This means establishing clear communication channels and making sure that everyone is heard.

Encourage team members to give feedback

Constructive criticism is essential for growth, and when team members feel comfortable giving feedback, it can help boost performance significantly.

But be sure to set the ground rules first.

Make sure everyone understands that feedback is given in the spirit of improvement and that there will be no finger-pointing or personal attacks. Then, encourage your team members to speak up when they see someone not pulling their weight or when they think there’s a better way of doing things.

Create an environment where everyone feels comfortable giving and receiving feedback. When team members feel like they’re a part of the process, they’re more likely to put in their best effort and help the team achieve its goals.

Celebrate team successes and failures

When your team knows that you’re there to support them, they will be more likely to take risks and push themselves to their limits.

But it’s also good, to be honest with them. If they fail, don’t be afraid to point out where they went wrong and help them learn from their mistakes. That’s how they will improve and become a top-notch team.

There’s no question that building a high-performing team is essential to success. But it’s not always easy. If you want your team to outperform the competition, you need to put in the effort. As we close, here are four takeaway steps to help you build a high-performing team: set clear goals and expectations, encourage creativity and innovation, promote collaboration and teamwork, and foster a positive and supportive environment. Good luck!