October 2004
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TEAMWORK!
WHO�S GOT TIME FOR TEAMWORK?
You do! Yes, you do if your goal is to build a successful business. Too many businesses make the mistake of looking at their employees as costs, not assets, and live with the unhappy consequences of short-term thinking� high turnover, absenteeism and tardiness, grievances and litigation, poor quality and service, a declining customer base, and a general lack of employee motivation. The expenses of these undesirable results are staggering.
Make no mistake about it, the cost of short-term thinking far exceeds the cost of the extra time and effort required to build a strong team of employees. By taking a long-term view of your employees as assets, you can begin to appreciate the need to invest in your assets, and invest wisely. So how do you go about this business of thinking long-term to generate teamwork? Most employees prefer supportive, cooperative and enthusiastic work places. They like to compete and want to feel part of a winning team. Although there are many keys to successful team building, here are 5 that I consider absolutely essential to creating a successful work environment: 1) Communication - Be sure everyone knows his or her role, and the goals and objectives of your business. The more information every one of your employees has concerning competitor status, sales opportunities and challenges, customer praises and complaints, and business targets, the better. How can employees get involved and play the game of business if they don�t know the game they are playing?
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2) Involvement - Get every employee involved in voicing ideas, opinions and suggestions. Most importantly, give then the opportunity to be involved in deciding courses of action, solving problems and implementing ideas. Seeking opinions is a sure way to recognize your talent. 3) Environment - Create an atmosphere free of fear (Dr. Deming, I presume?) where employees are allowed to make mistakes. That�s how everyone learns. 4) Development - Challenge your people and help them to develop their potentials to pursue the opportunities and challenges necessary for success. Educate! Train! Reward! 5) Flexibility - Above all, be flexible. Encouragement to find new ways to improve the business requires flexibility. The way things are today, or were yesterday, may not make business sense tomorrow. Challenge the status quo and tradition. New ways are the right road to growth and success. Every employee on the payroll is a long-term asset, and the
most competitive way to unleash their creative energies necessary to compete in today�s market is though teamwork. Teamwork creates feelings of belonging, and employees who feel like a part of the business are likely to stick around a lot longer, and work for group goals, as opposed to personal ones. So if reduced waste, lower turnover, improved quality, and service excellence spell success for your business, think long-term with teamwork. You�ve got an important job to do, and one that will pay-off handsomely for you and your teammates in the long run. By
Robert R. McIver BS MS CCP
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