Business priorities likely change during the shift from a startup company to a growing small business and beyond. As a startup begins to grow, one of the first big changes is usually adding additional staff members to handle an expanding clientele base. A recent SurePayroll post gathered tips from experts for building and managing a small business team, using a sports team as an analogy.
“Why do some seemingly loaded-with-talent teams go nowhere and others with far less ability rise to the top?” the blog stated. “It is ‘chemistry’: making sure the human beings you are hiring work together cohesively in a way that enhances rather than hinders productivity.”
The source outlined a number of team management tips ranging from establishing clear expectations to performing regular periodic assessment and encouraging communication among employees. Running a team essentially comes down to communication, and a team cannot operate at peak performance without a clear roadmap and plan of action. It is essential that management consistently communicates its exact goals, or even some of the most talented employees and best teams can wind up off course.
As far as communication tools go, virtual office phone solutions enable collaboration without adding any unnecessary hassle surrounding installation and maintenance concerns of individual on-premise communication tools. Options such as AccessDirect’s virtual PBX system provide features like Find Me Follow Me, which allows for efficient call routing so that all employees can be reached even when away from the office, ensuring maximum collaboration.
An other tips that SurePayroll outlined is that two-way communication should always be encouraged and that its benefits can go beyond the normal work environment.
“Don’t get caught in the trap of management dictating all communications to employees like edicts from the mountain. Encourage your employees to freely ask questions to managers and managers to listen and welcome the open dialogue,” the SurePayroll blog stated. It later continued, “‘Teambuilding’ can be a powerful tool to unleash the next level of productivity in your company. Organize periodic fun sessions for workers that might include a bit of challenge, such as rock climbing, or interesting classroom time. This time away from the office, if done correctly can strengthen the bonds of understanding between employees and take your organization to the next level.”
Managing a Small Business Team
Periodic assessment of individual team members and the unit is a necessary part of managing a successful team. It can be helpful to rearticulate goals and make any necessary changes at regular intervals to avoid problem situations. When assessing the success of the team, this can be an optimal time to audit the technology solutions in place to determine if there is any need for adjustment.
Since communication is the core of effective managing a small business team’s productivity, the tools being used for both internal and customer communications should be scalable to meet evolving demands.
In a recent article for the website of NBC‘s Chicago affiliate, startup technologist Sonal Mane emphasized the importance of building and managing a “rockstar team” for ensuring the success of a startup. A tight-knit team contributed to the success of his startup, and noted that forming a team is a balancing act between leading and following.
