Every leader aims to create a team that delivers exceptional results. But what transforms an average team into a thriving one that achieves its goals, retains top talent, and drives growth?
In this blog, we explore some key elements, including considered recruitment, targeted coaching and development, and promoting wellbeing through workplace support.
Recruiting the Right Talent
A thriving team needs people with the right skills and abilities. Investing time and resources to really understand what’s required for success will allow you to create an accurate, compelling job description that will attract your ideal candidates. Consider where and how you promote roles to find diverse talent.
When recruiting for a role, it is important to remember that cultural fit is just as important as skill and competency. To create a thriving team, each person must align with the organisation’s values, style, and mission. This mindset and motivation fit is key to creating thriving teams and should be explored throughout the recruitment process. Use interview questions that assess not just experience but motivation, work styles and values. Consider psychometric testing as part of the recruitment process to complement competency-based questions in gauging fit. Onboarding should be focused on helping to integrate new team members, equipping them with relationships, knowledge, and tools that will help them to become productive contributors quickly. Investing in selective, strategic hiring pays dividends through engaged team members.
“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.”
Steve Jobs
Coaching and Developing Team Members
A thriving team needs its members to continuously develop their skills and address growth areas. As a leader, have regular conversations with your team that offers insightful feedback specific to each person. Recognise and celebrate your team strengths and discuss improvement opportunities and the support you will provide. Role model your commitment to your own development, sharing your experience and learnings generously. Consider getting a leadership coach to help you enhance your leadership competencies and develop your leadership style.
Support development through access to training, stretch assignments, mentoring relationships and job rotations. A culture that is focused on continuous skill building keeps team members challenged, engaged and prepared for opportunities. These are benefits that thriving teams will recognise and appreciate.
“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.“
Phil Jackson
Promoting Wellbeing and Support
While building capability is important, leaders of thriving teams also prioritise the holistic wellbeing of their team. Reasonable workloads, flexible work options, and respect for personal time all contribute to a healthy work-life balance. Provide tools and policies that enable people to care for their physical health and mental health appropriately. Implement strategies that build your team’s resilience and equip them to manage stress and avoid burnout.
Create an inclusive environment where people feel safe to share openly. Handle conflicts quickly through transparent communication and move forward with understanding. Recognise achievements publicly and celebrate success to promote morale and connection. Demonstrating genuine care for people as human beings, not just employees, allows teams to thrive even when they are under pressure.
“Take care of your employees, and they’ll take care of your business.”
Richard Branson
The business landscape is complex, but having high-performing, resilient teams provides a truly competitive edge. If you’d like to learn more about creating your own resilient, thriving team, get in touch here. We would love to explore how we can work together.
