How To Build a Winning Team

A winning formula to business isn't just about your product, service or idea. You need to position yourself to attract people who will bring that product, services and idea to life.

Never underestimate the importance of recruiting the best staff. But if you already appreciate this point, how do you go about managing and harnessing a winning team?

Consider these five key pieces of advice:

• Give credit where it's due
• The successes and failures of a team reflect on the manager. And every good manager should take responsibility for those wins and losses but that doesn't mean you ignore where the hard work came from. Appreciate your team members for their efforts and give praise where it's due, in person and in front of other team members. Allowing team members to feel they are a root cause for the growth of the business will simply encourage further productivity and hard work.
• Know all your team members are different
• Do you have a winning sales person in your team? Do they raise the bar and perhaps your expectations for the rest of the crew? That's fine but it's important to be realistic. Perhaps not everyone will have the natural abilities or experience that others may possess. You may need to nurture the talent of some to help them achieve the same targets. They may also have other traits you can acknowledge, which may be just as valuable, such as organising productive high yielding campaigns. Understand the individual strengths and weaknesses of your team to help them complement each other and grow in a sustainable way.
• The office family
• It's not just a line from an old mafia film - your organisation should be like 'family'.

In that way you should be loyal to them, have their back when things are a little tough and be their confidant and source of guidance. If you're their manager, you're like their guardian and they'll be looking to you for advice. You want them to do that rather than flail and ultimately fail in private.

• Encourage proactivity and individual working
• There's something to be said of the manager who doesn't micromanage their team, letting them develop into leaders themselves. This is about letting them work to their own beat and bring their ideas to the table.

This will mean two things. Your business will benefit from fresh thinking and proactivity. Your staff will also enjoy coming to work, feeling empowered as important pillars of the organisation.

As a manger you just need to guide them, keep them on track and hone their ideas where needed.

• Be clear and provide clarity
• Having promoted an environment for free thinking and individualism, it's still important to remember that your role as a manager is still crucial. Part of this is delivering a clear message and understanding what exactly is going on in your team.

Avoid assumptions and encourage your team members to communicate with you, reporting back on key developments and providing regular updates. The better informed you are, the better you can direct them.

Make sure your part in this communication cycle is just as meticulous. Provide unambiguous guidance and disseminate information that will help them do their jobs.

An inclusive and well informed team can only bring success to your business.