Home
>
Team Building
>
Creating a Winning Staff Team

Creating a Winning Staff Team

As a business owner, I've had staff come and go over the years: some have done extremely well, and others not so well. During the time I was involved in running my business, I found some weaknesses in myself that tremendously affected things that were going on, especially from a negative point of view. It was not uncommon for me, whenever something was not going well, to ignore it. Sometimes I would hope it would go away, or maybe ask somebody else to solve it for me, whatever was going on.

As time went on, I started to actually think negative thoughts about a certain staff member or staff members that I had difficulties communicating to. I would have thoughts that perhaps they should move on - why don't they just quit? If I wasn't happy somewhere, I would just quit: why won't they? As time went on, these people would usually just end up leaving or I would be forced to fire them.

As I learned more about how to better run my business, I realized that nearly every one of these situations of the unfortunate firing or the employee quitting directly pointed back to my inability to communicate. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't as though I was completely and utterly responsible fully for what other staff members were doing that led to their termination but prior to things getting so bad that somebody needed to be fired, I needed to act and did not.

As an example, let's say that a staff member walks in 20 minutes late for work. As they walk in the door, you glance in their direction. They now know you know that they were late. But yet you don't say anything about it. Let's say it happens again the very next day, and you notice it too ? you see him coming in, and they don't say anything and you don't say anything about it. Do you think after a while, that employee might think it is acceptable to come in 20 minutes late - that you already know it, and since you don't say anything it must be alright? That's possibly just the first time where things were not okay with a particular staff member but it created a license on the part of a staff member to kind of push the edge of the envelope since it doesn't seem like you'll do anything to exert proper discipline. If you just would have said to the staff member who came in late: "Hey, what happened? You're late." in a very friendly manner and heard what they had to say and just acknowledged it, that might have handled it all by itself and things would have been fine. But you didn't, because it was a little uncomfortable for you. But it is a whole lot easier to confront it at that time than it is to deal with more serious disciplinary actions later, because you wouldn't hold your position as an executive.

When you have a staff member situation that you are not quite handling the way you should be, you usually go home and talk to somebody, like your spouse, about that staff member. You usually are not saying great things about that staff member and you consider that they are not as valuable to you. Well, those critical thoughts and comments regarding that staff member will likely not get them to advance in their profession. If you look over your years as a business owner you may find that any staff member that ever quit, you knew that they were going to quit before they quit. You start noticing that the more negative thoughts that you have about the staff member, the less likely they have a chance of making it. It is pretty interesting. If you start thinking that you have the best staff -- that these people will do anything for you -- and you start considering that to be true and you start treating them as though it is true; well guess what, it will become true. But if you consider that you have staff, that quite honestly, are less than ideal, who won't go to bat for you, who are just trying to put in their time and get a paycheck versus be loyal and dedicated to the expansion and purpose of your organization, you'll get exactly that too. It is all up to you, as it always has been.

Usually you find how a business is doing based upon how the owner is doing. Is he or she happy? Can he or she get things done all by his or herself? It is a barometer of you. If you are not doing well, your business doesn't do well. But a very simple place to start is by considering that you have very willing staff members who are completely on the team, playing by the same rules as everyone else, and when something just doesn't seem right, that you go to that individual and talk to them about that concern that you have. You'll find that your organization will run smoother and things will be easier.

I can not overstate the importance of communication with your staff. Not with orders but with kindness and truly caring about what goes on. Listening and offering assistance to them will get your staff to do almost anything for you.

Each day go around to each staff member and ask, with sincere interest: What are you working on? Do you have any problems in getting it done? Do you need my help? Try it for a week and find out precisely how much this little action will improve staff morale and increase their overall productivity. Not to mention the smile instead of a frown put on you face.

These three simple questions can restore a lot of communication in your office. If you have any staff members that you feel that you can't pleasantly ask these questions, especially the last one, then you need to communicate more, not less to them. Find out what really is going on, because that is part of the responsibilities of being an executive.

Shaun Kirk is President and Co-Founder of Measurable Solutions Inc., a consulting firm engaged in all areas of business management. Measurable Solutions trains entrepreneurs and executives how to be consultants to their own businesses, so they not only can expand their own business but any business. With his partner, he has built the most rapidly expanding company of its kind in the world. Visit his website at http://www.measurablesolutions.com

affordable house cleaning Park Ridge ..

In The News:

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

Creating a Winning Staff Team

Team Building