Believe it or not there are people who do not agree with team building. To them team building may be unneccessary or a plain nuisance. To others team building is not deemed possible due to “special circumstances” when in fact they simply do not realize the advantages that having a good team brings or they are simply afraid that they would be unable to handle a team well. Some of the more common incorrect mindsets that hinder people from making their team, and thus their business, grow both in number and depth of relationship are:
An “I can do it myself” attitude – Sure you probably can but having an entire team behind you will probably produce better results. There are people who are not really team players but in business you really need to learn to be able to delegate tasks and work with other people if you want to be successful.
An “I do not have management skills” attitude – This may be true but this is why there are management books, classes, and other resources out there. This is also why you should hire a very good manager who will be a key member of your team.
An “I don’t have the resources to hire people right now” attitude – While it is true that you might not have enough to hire an entire team at once slowly increasing the size of your team is more often than not doable. You might be stuck in present financial figures and do not realize the added value that having a team member brings. If you do everything yourself then your revenue will also be limited but by adding a person to work with you, you can find ways to increase your profits.
A “We don’t have time for team building activities” attitude – Time is limited but in business remember to figure the return of investment of whatever it is you and your team do with their time. A stressed out unhappy team slogging through work will be less productive than a content/happy team. You don’t need to have expensive week long activity. Simple but frequent team building exercises is more important although a special bash now and then would be a great reward for a job well done.
A “My employees are no good” attitude – If you are frequently unhappy with your employees it is time to start taking stock of what’s happening. Chances are it isn’t entirely the employees’ fault. Remember you hired them so you need to take responsibility for your choice as well as your present leadership.
In my next posts I will be explaining how dealing with each attitude will help your business perform better and thus, hopefully increase profits.
Originally posted on February 8, 2008 @ 4:02 am