It is no longer news that a motivated and empowered team equals an empowered organization. Creating an effective and happy team is essential to business growth. When your team members feel inspired and fulfilled, it has a rippling effect on every part of the business. 

According to a successful team leader, “keeping your team members motivated and hungry for more comes from the top down.” This is why it is the responsibility of every leader to embrace strategies that would encourage and energize their team. Below are tested secrets on creating an effective and happy team from leaders who run thriving companies.

1. Consult a creative employee engagement guide

Monotony is a thief of productivity. Team members will not be motivated if they keep doing the same things the same way. This guide by Perkbox offers some excellent ideas for employee engagement. When you introduce innovative ways of engaging your team, you create an environment for better effectiveness and productivity. Engaging your team members creatively is one of the most important ways to build a vibrant team.

2. Have clear corporate goals

This is perhaps one of the first things you need to put in place if you want to build an effective and happy team. A team divided against itself cannot stand. Clarity of goals keeps every team member focused and energized. Unclear goals, on the other hand, keep team members disconnected and disorganized. Having everyone in the organization working towards clearly defined corporate goals is one major step toward setting up a great team.

3. Create a sense of belonging

People can work anywhere but they would rather work where they feel they belong. To get more from your team, make sure they have a sense of belonging. Let your brand promote collective work and rewards. When every member of a team feels they are part of the success or failure of the team, the team thrives. 

Creating a sense of ownership for every employee tells them they have a stake in the company. This ensures that they see themselves as a part of the organization and would not want it to fail. Do not let your team members feel they have nothing to lose if the organization fails and nothing to gain if the organization succeeds. This kind of feeling brews a lackadaisical attitude that can actively reduce the effectiveness of a team. Align company goals with personal goals and watch your team flourish.

4. Make transparency the watchword

When there is transparency in a team, it becomes easier to manage. Make your systems and processes transparent and you will see a considerable improvement in the vibrancy of your team. Employees always hold out when they feel the employer is hiding vital information from them. However, when the leader lays it bare, trust is built and defenses are let down. 

Furthermore, when the leader makes transparency part of the company culture, team members become more open and honest with one another. They become more relaxed at work and are not afraid to be vulnerable. This has an overall impact on the productivity and growth of the organization.

5. Invest in a good business travel agency

One way to create an effective and happy team is by investing in a competent business travel agency. Being in the office everyday can be quite monotonous and predictable. Business travels facilitate better engagement and interaction among your team members. When team members travel together on business, the change of environment creates better interaction and bonding. This is where getting a good business travel agency comes in. Do your research well and choose one that suits your needs.

Being in a different, refreshing environment and doing fun activities with co-workers can create the needed boost for your team members. They return to work well refreshed and ready to achieve corporate goals.  Although this venture might cost the business a tidy sum, it is well worth the investment.

6. Appreciate and reward accomplishments

Appreciation is a necessity for team growth. If you want an effective and happy team, become a pro at appreciating every team member. Every accomplishment should be appreciated and rewarded. It is up to you whether that reward is a smile, a note or a bonus, what matters is that team members feel good about accomplishing their tasks. This not only makes them fulfilled, it also makes them eager to put in more work.

7. Set realistic expectations

While pursuing corporate goals is one way to create an effective and happy team, putting your team under too much pressure is not. Whatever goals and expectations you set for your team, make sure they are realistic and achievable. When your team members feel like you are pushing them too much, they begin to feel frustrated. Giving your team members more tasks than they can handle can drain them easily. It can also build a feeling of incompetence in them.

8. Communicate as effectively as possible

Miscommunication is one of the culprits of unhappy and unfulfilled teams. Ensure that you facilitate smooth and effective communication within your team. Do not leave room for assumptions. As soon as any team member complains of not being listened to or understood, take the time to do the needful. Making sure every team member is on the same page is a potent way of keeping the team vibrant and constructive.

9. Build your team’s confidence

Lack of confidence can lead to a lackluster team. Therefore, if your aim is to set up a lively and successful team, you should build your team’s confidence. One of the ways you can grow your team’s confidence is by understanding each member’s areas of strength. This will enable you  to give them tasks that will help them demonstrate their strengths instead of their weaknesses. The more people do tasks that show their strengths, the more confident they become. From there, you can gradually encourage them to begin to step out of their comfort zones.

Another way you can build your team’s confidence is by encouraging members when they fail.  Make your team members realize that failure is an important part of success and they will be more confident to learn from their mistakes. It is during the time of failure that they need a confidence boost the most; make sure you are there to give them a healthy dose.

10. Create opportunities for personal and career development

One of the times team members feel unfulfilled is when they do not see themselves growing personally and professionally. This can be very demoralizing and can greatly affect the productivity of the team. A team member can feel cheated or even used when they see that the company is progressing due to their efforts but they are not growing. It is, therefore, your duty as a team leader to create a system that will facilitate both personal and professional growth for your team members. 

Help your team members improve on their skills and learn new ones when necessary. Give them access to training, conferences and courses that can help them become better humans and workers. Encourage them in their passions and pet projects. This will give them a great confidence boost and make them happier at their jobs. It will also prove to them that you are interested in their development and this will build their trust in you.

11. Involve your team in decision-making and strategizing

Part of creating a sense of ownership for team members is making them a part of strategizing and decision-making. As a team leader, you should involve your members in decision-making processes and strategizing sessions. Apart from the opportunity you get to have diverse ideas, you make your members feel needed and valued. A valued team member is a motivated and energized one.

12. Provide the needed resources for achieving team goals

Setting lofty goals without providing the resources for achievement is a recipe for disaster. A happy team is one that can carry out its tasks as effectively as possible. This can only be possible if the right resources are available. If your team members have to constantly worry about getting their job done because of a lack of the right resources, then they are going to be demotivated. 

13. Avoid biases

One easy pit a team leader can fall in is that of bias. Once a team member discovers that you are biased toward another, the team begins to get divided. This might brew unhealthy rivalry and create a lack of self-worth in some members. Avoid the temptation to pick a favorite no matter how efficient such a member is. Understand that people are good in different areas and one person’s strength might be another’s weakness. To build a happy team, create a fair and balanced playing field for everyone.

Last words

Building an effective and happy team requires knowing and practicing the top secrets of team management and growth. These secrets include being creative with employee engagement, setting clear corporate goals, creating a transparent environment, improving interaction through business travels, and rewarding accomplishments. 

Other secrets to keep in mind are setting realistic expectations, practicing effective communication, building the team’s confidence, creating opportunities for personal and professional development, involving the team in decision-making, providing the right resources, and avoiding biases.

Moyofade Ipadeola is a Content Strategist, UX Writer and Editor. Witty, she loves personal development and helping people grow. Mo, as she’s fondly called, is fascinated by all things tech.