Meet Tom…
Team alignment is an aspect that many business owners ignore. Meet Tom, the owner of a small construction company called BuildRight who made that mistake.
Tom spent years gaining experience while working for other companies before deciding to take the leap and start his own construction business. His vision was to build a company known for its exceptional craftsmanship, quality and outstanding customer service. A company that people could trust and rely on to deliver top-notch construction services. With his skills and experience Tom was confident that he could turn his vision into a reality and become the Nr 1 construction company in his area.
Tom hired some great people and he assumed that everyone understood the company’s vision. Whilst he was driving his dream he assumed everyone saw what he saw and was working towards the same end goal.
But as his business grew, Tom realized that his assumptions were incorrect. He found it increasingly difficult to keep his team aligned and focused on the same goals and objectives. His team members had different ideas about what was important, and they struggled to work together effectively. As a result, projects often went over budget or took longer than expected. Quality suffered and clients were unhappy with their results. This impacted the company’s reputation and profitability.
This short case study of BuildRight shows the importance of alignment and focus across the full business team. Without this foundation in place, your team may struggle to work together effectively and this will impact the success of your business.
Is my Business Team Aligned?
If you’re not sure whether your business has alignment and focus across the full team, ask yourself the following questions:
- Are team members working towards the same end goal, or are there conflicting priorities?
- Are team members fully aware of the company’s main key performance indicators (KPIs)?
- Are team members continuously aware of the company’s current performance against its goals?
- Are team members aware of the individual roles and responsibilities required to achieve these goals?
- Do team members have personal KPIs that support the company’s core goals and objectives?
- Do team members collaborate effectively, or is there tension and disagreement?
- Are team members communicating effectively with each other?
If you did not positively and confidently answer “Yes” to most of these questions, then it’s likely that your business lacks alignment and focus across the full team. You may find yourself struggling to complete projects on time or within budget, or you may be losing business due to poor client experiences.
How do I get Team Alignment?
If you’ve identified that your business lacks team alignment and focus across the full team, it’s time to take action. Here’s a practical, step-by-step strategy to help you address and correct this problem:
Communicate with Your Team:
Ensure that all team members understand the company’s vision and objectives. Communicate regularly with your team to ensure that everyone is working towards the same end goal.
But don’t rely on meetings only – here are some examples of different communication techniques you can use to communicate the message with the team:
- Regular team meetings: This is a great way to keep everyone on the same page and discuss progress towards goals. Meetings can be in-person or virtual, and should have a clear agenda and action items.
- Email updates: Regular updates via email can help keep your team informed of any changes or progress towards goals. Be sure to keep emails concise and to the point.
- Performance dashboards: Dashboards can be a great way to visualize progress towards goals and communicate it with your team. They can be shared in real-time and updated regularly.
- One-on-one meetings: These meetings can be used to provide more personalized updates and feedback to individual team members.
- Employee engagement surveys: Surveys can help you gauge how engaged your team is with the company’s goals and progress. This can help you make adjustments and address any concerns.
Encourage Collaboration:
Collaboration is caused by great team alignment and is an essential element of achieving business goals. When teams work together and collaborate effectively, they can achieve their objectives more efficiently and effectively.
Here are some practical examples of different ways that teams can collaborate to work together towards the company’s goals:
- Regular team meetings: Again, team meetings can be an effective way to ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals. Ensure the meetings allow for lots of discussion between different teams.
- Cross-functional teams: Cross-functional teams bring together individuals from different departments or areas of expertise to work on a specific project or initiative. This approach can help to bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to the table.
- Task management tools: Task management tools can be used to assign tasks, track progress, and ensure that everyone is aware of what needs to be done. This helps to ensure that everyone is working towards the same objectives and deadlines.
- Knowledge sharing: Encouraging team members to share their knowledge and expertise can help to build a more collaborative culture. This can be achieved through regular knowledge-sharing sessions or by using collaboration tools like shared documents or wikis.
- Team building activities: Team building activities can be a great way to build trust and foster stronger relationships between team members. This can help to improve collaboration and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals.
Celebrate Success:
Celebrating success with the team is an important aspect of building a positive and motivated work culture. By acknowledging and recognizing accomplishments, you can help to reinforce the value of teamwork and encourage your team to continue working towards your shared goals.
There are many ways to celebrate success with your team, and the most effective approach will depend on your team’s preferences and the nature of the accomplishments. Here are some practical examples:
- Public recognition: Hold a team meeting to publicly recognize and celebrate the achievements of individual team members or the team as a whole.
- Awards and incentives: Consider offering awards or incentives for exceptional performance, such as bonuses, gift cards, or other rewards.
- Special events: Host a team-building event or special outing to celebrate major accomplishments or milestones.
- Team lunches: Take the team out for a celebratory lunch to recognize a significant achievement or a job well done.
- Social media shout-outs: Share the team’s successes on social media to help build morale and recognition among a wider audience.
The types of successes that can be celebrated are varied and can range from achieving specific goals, landing a significant new client, completing a major project, or hitting key performance metrics. Celebrating these successes helps to promote a culture of collaboration, motivation, and dedication that can inspire your team to work even harder towards achieving the company’s goals.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you can align and focus your full business team towards a shared vision and objectives. With a united team, you can complete projects more efficiently and effectively, improve client experiences, and increase profitability.
