with Audrey Burke McCarthy – Motivaction
As 2017 is drawing to a close, many plans and goals have been achieved however there probably are still outstanding performance targets and deadlines that have not yet been fully met. When business owners sit back and reflect on what could have been different over the year, many come to the conclusion that they took on too much themselves and should have involved the team more in achieving the business goals and meeting the pre assigned targets. All is not lost! 2018 is fast approaching, a new year brings new beginnings, hope and dreams. An organisation’s New Year’s resolution could include empowering a teamwork culture by working collaboratively towards a shared vision/goals with collective responsibility. Teamwork takes work and planning to achieve but reaps huge rewards if it is done right.
A real team does not just happen – you have to work at it, create it, maintain and sustain it. If you do all of these then you stand a good chance of having an effective team – one that really works. A good team brings together and focuses all of the skills and abilities of the people who are a part of that team. Diversity of thinking needs to be encouraged and valued. A high performing team that delivers results on an ongoing basis has common goals and values, they align their efforts by working collaboratively on a shared team action plan. All the team should be invited to contribute to formulating the Team Action Plan through group brainstorming and discussion.
Consider utilising the following questions to help you compile your 2018 Team Action Plan
- Who are we? “What values are important to our organisation? What values do we as a team aspire to have in order to serve our clients?
- Where are we now? What is our current situation? What are we doing well? What is our Unique Selling Point? Where is there room for improvement?
- Where are we going? What needs to be achieved? What work processes/systems need to be in place to optimise the current resources to meet the changes in the operating environment? How can we perform better than our competitors?
- Looking to the Future: How will we get there? What performance is necessary? Where can activities be streamlined and where are the pressure points? What can be done to meet the challenges? What behaviours do we have to adopt? What should our Team Charter (guidelines) be?
Action owners should be appointed to all identified tasks as well as target and review dates. It is also important to discuss and agree what KPIs (key performance indicators) will be utilised.
Lastly, celebrate all milestones and successes no matter how small.