A team of specialists will always perform better, faster and more productively than any individual. Mutually beneficial cooperation with regards to status clients and large-scale projects in a portfolio are available mainly to teams of specialists, but not to the “lone wolf.”
Working with a team gets you more prospects for networking. Alone, one person may be able to network with thirty others. However, a team of ten people creates the possibility to network with three hundred others. But how does one build a team from scratch?
Misconception # 1 “A great guy is not a profession”
You are determined to gather a team of like-minded people to create, conquer, earn and prosper. Where do you go to search for comrades? Most likely, you will offer this role to a best friend, perhaps even a relative. Unfortunately, most likely this is a mistake. Working with close ones, we inevitably face a number of conflicts and inefficiencies in business processes. Subordination and structure are necessary in the work community. But when working with loved ones, it is much more difficult to be objective, to give constructive criticism, etc. Any business conflicts immediately become intertwined with personal relationship. As a result, both the career and the private life suffer.
Misconception # 2 “No man is an island”
Inability or unwillingness to delegate authority is very dangerous for the manager. We often think that it is easier to do everything on your own. It may seem a faster, more efficient, and overall the better way. This is an illusion! Each time you do work that a member of your team could’ve and should’ve done, the following happens:
- Motivation will fall, as team members are not trusted and doubt their professionalism.
- The leader does not have time to fulfill his direct duties.
- Employees do not learn new things and do not get experience.
- The structure of the team will start collapsing, which means that communication becomes ineffective.
Misconception # 3 “A bird in your hand is worth two in the bush”
If a position in the team has been vacant for quite some time, there might be a strong desire to compromise and hire “just about anyone” to “teach, toughen up, and explain things”. The employee, who is not qualified not only fails to do the work, but also reduces the efficiency of work for the whole team. You must create a strict selection procedure, accept only those who meet your requirements and profess the values of the company. It is better to hire nobody, than hire someone who is “not a perfect match”.
Misconception # 4 “Put a quart into a pint pot…”
When creating a team, one must set clear and realistic goals. Each of your employees must understand what the company is striving for and what is his or her role in achieving this goal. Often we forget about this, which leads to setting tasks in a very vague manner. If colleagues and subordinates do not know the endgame or intermediate goals of the company, their work turns into a vicious cycle of meaningless labor. It does not motivate, does not give understanding as to what the team is trying to achieve and does not inspire to do work well. It is necessary to build continuous communication with each of the team members and set clear tasks.
Misconception # 5 “Using the wrong tools”
We often fall in love with all kinds of new ideas, without fully getting to know the functionality of them. This is especially obvious in growing teams, when every member has his own way of doing things. There is nothing wrong about it, until the moment when you need to settle legal issues, sign legal documents, invoices or contracts together. That is the moment, when the team needs a single solution, suitable for all needs. SignNow is such a tool, suitable for tax purposes, sales reps, and legal issues in any segment of the business from healthcare to sports.
Fillable fields and hints make it easy for clients to sign documents at the right place at the right time. Audit trail and the ability to share documents between teammates helps team leads to track all the changes in files and all the signatures in real time. SignNow provides legally binding e-signatures, equal to signatures on paper documents. SignNow allows you to send documents for e-signature, create documents and templates, add fillable fields and encrypt and securely store everything in the cloud storage. iOS and Android apps make it the easiest task in the world to approve and sign any document anytime and anywhere you like – on a train, on a plane, or on a boat.
By choosing such a unique functionally-rich tool, you get a team of multi-taskers and doers. Just one convenient and easy to use tool can makes a world of a difference for motivating and getting the team “on the same page”. Also, by going paperless, any business can save tons of money and time for every employee.
Of course, this is not the full list of mistakes one can make during the stages of team formation. Nevertheless, if you use at least a few of these recommendations, then the team building will be more successful, and the first successes will give you the confidence to not be afraid to make mistakes – every mistake makes you wiser and brings you closer to victory.
