Team Synergy: 5 Hot Tips To Re-Ignite Your Team's Energy
by Joyce Weiss, MA, CSP

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Here are 5 hot tips that will boost morale and productivity. Have fun with these ideas. Watch the "bottom line" increase as you surpass your competition.

1. Set a positive example.

Leaders are scrutinized by all employees. If you are a team leader make sure that you "walk your talk." Don't just give lip service on quality. When you make mistakes, share them with your team. Les Wexner, owner of The Limited, a chain of women's clothing stores, shares his mistakes with his team in his "Hall of Shame." His staff discusses their challenges and what they've learned. This creates a very open environment.

2. Give support to create trust.

Leaders must create a feeling of trust in order for their team to succeed. When someone makes a mistake, leaders can discuss what went wrong and then problem-solve for solutions. Yelling at an employee in front of his or her peers doesn't work. It only decreases morale and reduces self-esteem. Sir Edmund Hilary, and Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay, took to their graves the question of who reached the summit of Mt. Everest first. Norgay said, "It was a partnership, Sir Edmund and I, we together, from start to finish." This is one question that will never be answered.

3. Develop an open line of communication.

Create an atmosphere where employees can communicate ideas to you. Convey these ideas to the entire team. A common complaint from non-management is that they feel uninformed. Quality teams share their vision from the team leader on down.

Newsletters or bulletins are especially helpful. Now is the time to enlist the creative writers on your team. Suggest they communicate the team's ideals and goals. 360ø feedback is a very effective strategy. Productive teams are willing to be honest with each other. Employees evaluate leaders, leaders evaluate employees, and employees evaluate employees. We all have blind spots characteristics and traits that others can see but we are not able to recognize ourselves. Think of constructive feedback as a gift. This technique takes some serious training, and when it is done correctly, the team grows together.

4. Create regular and productive meetings.

The leader does not have to be present at every meeting. Leaders can stay for only part of the meeting. The team may feel more comfortable and empowered discussing challenges without the leader. Often times this starts the creative juices flowing.

Knowing where the team excels and what are it's weakest links is one of the strongest elements of a quality team. It can prove fatal when teams skip over their weaknesses. Teams need to constantly ask themselves: How can we improve, and what areas need strengthening? Teams need to find out what they can do to get that competitive edge. Constant improvement is mandatory for quality teams to excel.

These 5 hot tips will help reignite your team's energy. Master one tip, then go to the next. Watch your team's productivity and morale increase. Benjamin Franklin wrote, "We must all hang together else we shall all hang separately." Don't settle for second best when you can be #1 in your industry. Look for 5 more tips in the next article.