Tag Archives: team

T.E.A.M. What Does It Really Mean?

ThinkstockPhotos-80621060For most workers in the professional world, working in a group setting is the norm and being on your own is unlikely. That means you need to have the skills to be both productive and efficient on a team. But what are the specific skills and attitudes that make someone successful in this common workplace dynamic?

Trust

If you’re new to working as part of a team, there are several things you can do to contribute to the success of the team while building trust.

So how can you start building trust with your new teammates? According to an article from Monster, increasing trust includes avoiding language that focuses on “me” instead of “we,” communicating openly and honestly, and accepting constructive critique.

Additionally, it’s important to keep your word. If you promise to do research for a proposal and have it ready before the deadline, for example, try to have the research completed a week earlier. Building trust can go a long way towards a team’s success.

Energy

Think about the type of co-worker you would like to see in your job. What type of attitude or perspective do they bring to work each day? Is it one of just getting by and doing the bare minimum without much excitement for the work or the goals of the team?

Being part of a team requires energy that can help move the team forward and inspire them to achieve more together than they could ever do on their own. More often than not, the people who bring an energetic spirit to their jobs are the ones who see long-term success.

Accountable

For those who prefer working on their own, one of the challenges to working as part of a team is the issue of accountability. If the only person you’ve ever been accountable to yourself, then a setting where others are counting on you to come through could be tough.

But don’t let this stop you or hold you back. Often, the key to success is the outlook you have on the situation. In this instance, it is helpful to remember that while the team setting may require accountability, it also means you have partners to help accomplish the goal.

Your teammates should be invested in seeing you succeed, because it means they’re more likely to succeed when the team does well.

Mentality

A key element to fitting in with a team is to have the right mentality. That means being positive in the face of tough circumstances, communicating openly about your concerns or hesitations, and being open to constructive criticism that leads to your growth as a professional.

If you were leading a team, what type of people would you want around you? Those with negative attitudes that bring a pessimistic outlook to the job each day, or people who are willing to work together to accomplish a goal while having a joyful and encouraging spirit?

If you’re not already a part of team, it’s very likely that you will at some point in your career, so preparing yourself now is essential for a positive experience.

What other attributes or skills do you think are needed to be successful on a team? Let us know in the comments section.

Have Fun At Work With These Ideas

fun_at_work_day_webWe’ve all heard the saying, “If you love what you do, you won’t work a day in your life!” In fact, research shows that happy employees have a real and positive impact on revenues and customer satisfaction. A study by Glassdoor Research found that employees who genuinely like coming to work every day may have a positive impact on a company’s stock performance.

But what goes into loving your job? Is it the work environment, the pay, the people, or the work itself? In the U.S., Jan. 29 is National Have Fun at Work Day, and this celebration might be just what you need to find enjoyment from your job.

To help you make the best of this holiday, we’ve gathered a few ideas for celebrating National Have Fun at Work Day.

Make It Personal
Fill a box with little gifts of praise or recognition and give an item from the box to a colleague who deserves praise. You can give sunglasses to the co-worker who had a bright idea, a Slinky to someone who is always flexible with work, or a rubber ball to someone who bounced back from a particular challenge. Creativity is the key!

Lead the Fun Parade
Be the champion of creating an enjoyable workplace by suggesting silly games on breaks or during lunch. Host raffles for small prizes like calendars or pens, put up scenery posters in windows, or bring breakfast for the team. When you take the initiative to make the workplace fun, people will likely follow.

Make Work a Game
Challenge yourself and co-workers to fun workplace games. For instance, set a timer and have a competition to see who can get the most done by the time the bell goes off. Or, challenge a co-worker to a competition to see who can make the most sales calls in a morning. Making the work you do more exciting can help you love what you do and be productive at the same time.

Trivia Challenge
Gather some interesting trivia facts about each of your co-workers and create a puzzle that matches the trivia fact to the correct employee. Those with the most correct answers earn prizes. This is a great way to get employees to know each other and spark important teambuilding.

Make Training Fun
If your co-workers are about to undergo training, make it a party. Create teams to promote light competition, have a prize for those with correct answers, and give out gifts for positive participation. Adding an exciting element to trainings and meetings can liven up the atmosphere and keep everyone engaged.

Welcome the New Employee
When you hire a new employee, arrange a scavenger hunt for them to meet co-workers, learn facts about them, gather office supplies, and learn their way around the office. At the end of the hunt, lead them to the common area or a local restaurant where their new teammates are waiting.

Fun and Food
Arrange a potluck in which employees bring a dish from their childhood or hometown. Use food to start a conversation about history or culture, and have employees share a favorite recipe and create a company cookbook.

These are just a few ideas to celebrate National Have Fun at Work Day. Has your company ever celebrated this holiday? Share with us in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Poll Results: What Factors Lead to Teamwork Breakdown

results_job_satisfaction_webTeamwork is an important part of any company’s success, and it’s a skill every job seeker should possess. But, not every team works perfectly. There are a number of reasons why teamwork can break down, and we asked Movin’ On Up readers what they thought was the biggest factor for teamwork break down.

With more than 400 votes, the results are:

  • (delete extra space) Poor leadership – 26%
  • Poor communication – 22%
  • Disengaged team members – 19%
  • Unclear goals – 15%
  • Narcissism/One-upmanship – 13%

In addition, 5% of readers selected “other” and cited reasons including:

  • Lack of recognition
  • Hostile work environment
  • Trust issues
  • Gossip
  • Attitude problems
  • Commitment
  • Lack of support
  • Unequal pay

According to a similar poll on Refresh Leadership, Express Employment Professionals blog for business leaders, employers agree. Business leaders cited the number one reason teamwork breaks downs as “poor communication” with 30% of the votes, and “poor leadership” with 26%.

Why do you think poor leadership and poor communication lead to teamwork breakdown? Share with us in the comments section below.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Better Together: Teamwork Games

better_together_teamwork_games_webWe all know that teamwork is vital to the success of a business, but building teamwork takes effort.

According to a recent article by Six Sigma, an online business institute, “Business teamwork is important because it enables companies to achieve their goals quickly and efficiently. Companies set goals and these goals cannot be achieved by one person. Members of a business need to work as a team. Put simply, teamwork is the collective performance of different individuals skilled at different activities in order to fulfill a group goal or objective.”

To help you better your teamwork skills and have a little fun, we’ve put together a list of game ideas that will inspire and encourage employees. Try these at your next team building exercise.

The Game of Questions
This is a great game for companies trying to address a problem. As few as 10 people are split into two groups. One team stands in a circle facing out while the other team creates a larger circle around them facing in.

The inner circle asks a question of the person opposite them in the other team. The employee has 30 seconds to answer. After, the person in the outer circle asks the same question. The inner circle then moves clockwise one space while the outer circle moves counter clockwise.

Continue the questions until everyone has answered. Questions could include:

  • “What is your greatest strength?”
  • “What kind of management style works best for you?”
  • “What is your definition of success?”

Tower of Cards
In this game, employees gather in groups of two to five members. Each group receives a pack of cards and a pair of scissors. The teams have to build the best and tallest tower using only the cards and scissors. This game is designed to help with team bonding and creativity.

Dodge the Traps
Try this teambuilding game to increase trust and communication with employees on your team. In a large area, place “traps” around haphazardly. Items for your traps may include balls, bottles, or cones.

In teams of two, blindfold one team member from each team. The other member must speak to the blindfolded employee to try to lead them around the traps in his or her path.

Building Blocks
Create a fictional problem like a brain teaser, design challenge, or riddle. Have team members write their solution or idea on a large sheet of paper. Once one person puts down an idea, pass the paper to the person on the left and have them use the idea to build another solution. As the paper continues around, see what the results are. This game allows people to understand and appreciate the value of everyone’s ideas.

Team building games work and are an excellent way to get employees to connect and work more effectively with each other. What are some of your favorite team building games? Let us know in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Lessons From History’s Greatest Leaders

lessons_from_history's_greatest_teams_webAs the saying goes, “those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” This idea suggests that it’s important to study history’s greatest leaders and the traits that made them successful so you can avoid mistakes and become a strong leader.

Throughout history, great leaders like Alexander the Great, Abraham Lincoln, and Nelson Mandela have overcome challenges, built great teams, and inspired radical changes that benefited the world.

And, here’s the good news – you can learn their secrets.

Most great leaders share common traits that helped them lead vast armies, inspire new movements, and cultivate world-changing ideas. These leaders weren’t born with a magical leadership gene – they had to develop those important habits and learn new ways to succeed.

Here’s a look at five of history’s greatest leaders and what we can learn from them.

  1. Nelson Mandela: Sacrifice and Humility – Nelson Mandela is the epitome of humble sacrifice. He often taught forgiveness over revenge, and was committed to peace and justice, even after being imprisoned for 30 years in South Africa. He went on to become the first South African president elected in a democratic process. His lesson? Sometimes you must sacrifice comfort and stability to accomplish your goals.
  2. Rosa Parks: Bravery and Determination – Look no further than American civil rights warrior Rosa Parks to see bravery and determination at work. Parks is best known for refusing to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, AL. That one act of bravery and determination helped inspire the civil rights movement in America. Her lesson? Stand your ground and fight for causes and purposes that are important to you and your team.
  3. Sun Tzu: Observe and Adapt – Sun Tzu, who wrote “The Art of War” in 500 B.C. China, said that a leader must learn to adapt to any situation, and observation was the first step in adapting. He said war leaders should observe the enemy, terrain, wildlife, and soldiers in order to create the best plan of attack. What can we learn from him? Study your workplace, home, friends, competitors, and environment to create the best plan for success.
  4. Alexander the Great: Encourage and Support – Alexander the Great was one of history’s most famous warriors. His secret was to regularly encourage and single out soldiers for special attention for acts of bravery. He listened to the advice of his generals and common soldiers. He listened to and rewarded even those considered inconsequential. His lesson to us? Support, recognize, and encourage your team, and they will bend over backward to continue to succeed.
  5. Abraham Lincoln: Never Give Up – The great president Abraham Lincoln was defeated more than seven times before being elected as president. He could have given up, but he kept going and kept trying. He also faced ruthless opposition to many of the choices he made as president, but he never backed down from decisions he felt were right. His lesson? Never, ever stop trying. Failure is inevitable, but true leaders get back up and keep fighting for their passion and their dreams.

Do you have any personal heroes from history? What lessons did you learn from them? Share with us in the comments section below.


Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

St. Patrick’s Day: Lucky Breaks in the Workplace

st_patricks_day_lucky_breaks_webDo you ever feel like some people are just lucky, especially when it comes to their professional life? Somehow they get all the attention and wind up getting promoted, all the while you faithfully show up every day, do what’s asked of you, and are still in the same position you started out in. It’s understandable why you may feel unlucky, but the reality is that the professional world doesn’t work that way. An article from the Huffington Post lays it out like this: “While many employees do fine work, exceeding expectations in one’s day-to-day activities is not enough to get ahead. Rather, those who capture promotions are driven internally to strive for more.”

However, when you’re in the trenches, it’s easy to assume that someone else’s promotion was for less admirable reasons. “She managed to land the hot projects and got all the glory.” “He only got his promotion because he’s friends with the boss.” “She was always given the leadership roles.”  But, there may be more to the story than these natural assumptions, and chances are the promotion probably had nothing to do with luck.

Landed the Hot Projects
Maybe she did get handed some of the high-profile projects, but you need to ask yourself “why?” Most likely she acted and worked in a way that caused her manager to trust her with bigger and bigger tasks. So, you need to do that too. A Chicago Tribune article recommends anyone desiring a future promotion to “Show initiative by volunteering for projects, either within your department, on a cross-functional team, or a temporary job detail. Project work will give you an opportunity to gain more experience, showcase your skills to a broader group, expand your network, and gain even greater name recognition.” Sometimes it really is as simple as asking for projects and showing you’re a dependable, solutions-focused, hard worker.

Buddies With The Boss
Having a close relationship with top-level executives and learning from your boss can legitimately play a role in getting promoted. Generally, people recommend people they like, even if it gets labeled as “office politics.” “Much of what is dismissed as ‘politics’ is simply part of the job description – being a good communicator,” Forbes explains. “Being visible. Being helpful. Building relationships. You can’t be a leader without doing those things.”  The Chicago Tribune suggests getting a mentor because that person “can also be instrumental in spreading positive press by championing your skills, talents, and abilities throughout the organization to the right people.”

Always The Team Leader
Once again, she was handed leadership roles in projects and within the team for a reason. Attitude, track record, dependability, passion, and drive all factor into whether or not a manager trusts you enough to give you a chance at leadership. And usually that leadership role will start out small, and then as you prove yourself the roles will grow. As the Forbes article states, “You don’t become a leader by being promoted. You get promoted because you are a leader.” It’s up to you to find a way to prove your leadership ability.

Getting a promotion rarely has anything to do with the luck and everything to do with hard work. “People who are recognized and promoted are those who make an effort and stand out in their organization,” affirms Huffington Post. “They are go-getters who are fearless in taking on a new challenge, and they constantly challenge the status quo.” So your best bet for landing that promotion is to stop wishing on a four-leaf clover and start hustling instead.

How have you worked hard to receive a promotion? Share your stories in the comments section below.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Do You Have What It Takes to Play On A Championship Team?

super_bowl_2015_webExcitement is growing each day as we get closer and closer to the kickoff of the big game. Friends are planning parties and fans are picking sides. And in the spirit of one of the world’s largest sporting events – it’s time to put your game face on and attack your job search. Here are five tips to help you become a champion in the job search competition.

Develop a Game Plan
Research companies you would like to work for and develop a plan of action to be part of their team. The most obvious search would be the company’s website to see if the company culture aligns with your values. Consider asking friends who might work at the company or individuals you might know through professional networking organizations. Execute your plan daily with determination, drive, and passion.

Fundamentals are Key
In football and in life, fundamentals are key. You need to practice your skills to make sure you are sharp and ready for any assignment. If you are just entering the workforce and don’t have the experience yet, consider volunteering with a nonprofit to gain some valuable skills like organization, time management, and team building. Or, if you are in the workforce and are looking for a change, you may need to think about career technical school or night school to acquire a new set of skills.

Outplay Your Competition
After you’ve practiced, sharpened your skills, and executed your plan, you’re set to outplay your competition. Here are some suggestions that can set you apart from the competition: dress appropriately for the interview, know what employers may ask in an interview, and be on time. Once you have an interview, make sure you follow up with a thank-you note to the interviewer.

Go Long
It’s 4th down and inches and you are faced with a choice: do you go for it or punt. If you are willing to take a risk on a new job opportunity, but still have questions, it’s okay to ask the interviewer questions. You may consider asking what does a normal workday for this position look like or what is the biggest challenge someone in this position typically faces.

Leave Everything on the Field
You’ve prepared for that dream job and got an offer, now what do you do? Make sure you are on time for work and for meetings, work hard to hit your deadlines, and contribute solutions to projects at hand. Above all, work hard and celebrate with your new championship team.

What are some ways that you attacked your job search with a game plan and landed on the championship team? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.