How to Keep Everyone Happy

Creating a successful team isn't easy, neither is maintaining one. There are all sorts of idea and personality clashes that you have to deal with. However don't let this turn you away from working in teams. Keeping everyone happy can be done if dealt with appropriately. Here are some tips on how to keep your team members happy:

• One very simple way to keep team members happy is to recognize everyone for their efforts. Everyone likes to feel appreciated for their work, so giving others a bit of recognition to show that their efforts aren't going unnoticed is a great start to keeping them happy.

• Another very important way to keep your team members happy is to build relationships within your team. Creating a trusting bond between each other will ensure that your team would want to stick together and help each other succeed.

• Try to keep your team members engaged by learning new things together. Keeping the energy fun and alive will help keep your team strong!

• Encourage everyone to share ideas. Everyone likes to be heard so having an open ear to listen and respond appropriately can make your team members feel important.

• It is important to build the confidence of all team members and make sure everyone feels comfortable in the team. 

A team that is happy together stays together!

Ineffective Team Members

The road to success isn't an easy one. When working in teams a lot of conflicts arise that if not dealt with properly and immediately, can destroy the whole tone of the team.

3 Characteristics to Look Out For Ineffective Team Members

1. Weak members - These are the members that don't pull their own weight. They often look to others in hopes that they will pull the weight for them. It is important to remember that each member needs to contribute equally in order to maintain a positive vibe within the team. If one member of a team is falling behind, it can be a good idea to help this member by offering support in order to get them back on track. No one should be left to pick up another member's slack because it causes stress and adds more responsibility for the other team members.

2. Controlling members - These are the members who try to dominate the group. Although these people can make strong leaders, nobody likes to be told what to do. More issues can arise especially when there are multiple people with controlling personalities on the same team. Dealing with these members can be a little tricky. It is best to make them feel appreciated for their efforts, but also express how their behaviour can affect their team members negatively.

3. Irresponsible members - Every team member should have a role and responsibility. If someone in your team is showing signs of irresponsibility it is best to deal with it immediately so that issues do not pile up during the course of the work. It is important to talk with these team members and let them know of their responsibility within the team. Letting these members know that their efforts are needed in the team can help them feel included.

The 4 C's

Here's a video I found interesting on how to be a great team member!

The 4 C's of a Great Team Member

Commitment - In order to be a great team member you must be committed to the team you are in. Without commitment there is nothing stopping you from leaving one team to go to the next. Commitment shows a level of loyalty towards helping your team members achieve the goal of the team. When you are committed to something you are willing to do what it takes to see it succeed. 

Communication - As with any relationship, communication is key. When working with other team members always remember to communicate! Having an open flow of communication is key in any successful team. Sharing thoughts and ideas between members builds trust. It is important to talk with your team members about all things - good or bad, big or small, positive or negative, so that you can solve issues immediately as they arise. 

Cooperation - In order to have a successful team, all members must be willing to cooperate. This is because the success of the team member is interdependent on the efforts of all members, not just a one or a few. The greater the cooperation of the team, the better they will get along and strive for the best together.

Contribution - You can't have a successful team based on just one person's effort. As they say, there's no "I" in team. Team members should not be left to pick up the slack of weaker team members. Everyone must be willing to contribute equally towards the team's efforts. Otherwise it wouldn't be fair that some members are putting in more effort than others. 

References

Sanborn, M [Mark Sanborn]. (2011, May 18). 4 C's of a great team member [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDKLyW69GcM

Successful Teams

In order to create a successful team, it is important to work on team building. Success isn't a one-man effort. It requires effort from the whole group. There are lots of way to incorporate team building. Team building can be done through various activities, workshops, games, exercises. It is important to have fun together so that everyone feels connected and shares the responsibility for the success or failure of the group. Making everyone feel a part of the team helps the group to work together towards the common goal.

Successful teams are built from an early established structure. According to the Forbes website, an important step in creating a successful team is "defining each members' roles, activities and responsibilities within the team, what are the rules of combat: what is allowed and not allowed, and what type of people should be in the team" (Forbes, 2016). By establishing these definitions early on it allows for complete openness and sets limits between members. Building trust and setting rules early on is essential in making a successful team. If a member is uncooperative or feeling detached from the team, you can't expect that they would put the teams best interests at heart. Having a team that respects one another and wants to see each other succeed is essential in any successful team.

References
IESE Business School. (2016, Feb 4). 6 steps to successful teams. Forbes. Retrieved from       https://www.forbes.com/sites/iese/2016/02/04/6-steps-to-help-create-successful-teams/#7073e6bd53d3

Teamwork

What is Teamwork?

Teamwork is the process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a common goal (BusinessDictionary, 2017).

Working in a team allows people the chance to come together to accomplish more than they can accomplish by themselves. One of the benefits of working in a team is that you can generate more ideas brainstorming as a team versus brainstorming alone. You can achieve higher results and greater success when the team is able to work well together. 

Two heads are better than one!

Advantages of a Team
Although some people prefer working on their own, there are many advantages to working in a team. For one thing, you can accomplish so much more working with others than you can on your own. When the workload is shared, it takes less time to finish which leads to higher productivity. Another advantage to being in a team is that their is shared responsibility. The success or failures of the team are a group effort and not just one person's fame or fault. Also, when working in a team there are more ideas being shared and higher productivity than working alone. For example, it might take 1 person 10 minutes to think of 50 characteristics of a successful team, whereas as team of 5 people can work together to come up with the same list in less time.

References
Teamwork. BusinessDictionary.com. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/teamwork.html