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Business
Owner Tips: Improve Your Collaboration Game
As a
business owner, you have to lead by example. Suppose you want a company where
all individuals can work together and tackle projects with strong
communication. In that case, you must show how important it is to communicate
as a team. Technology Signals notes that your workers share
a common vision for your company. Keeping everyone on the same
page can help encourage more communication between workers and help your
company reach a common goal. Read on for some tips from Best Practice
in Human Resources.
Create a
Culture of Communication
Be the
leader and start
a culture that values open communication. To lead your
staff effectively, you must build trust with your team. Do not expect to change
the company’s culture if you do not allow others to trust you. Remember that
actions always speak much louder than words. Show yourself to be the
trustworthy person that you claim that you are. You must build trust
consciously, not avoid discussing it at work.
To show yourself
as trustworthy, be open and honest with your employees. Show
them compassion and dedication to connection, but also be clear about your
expectations. Do not lie, even if it may save someone’s feelings. If you need
to deliver a harsh truth, try to set it up with some positive statements before
you get into the negative ones. Additionally, let others know how you think
they can improve.
Be honest
to gain the respect of those around you. Great Place To Work suggests setting
time aside every week to speak
one on one with members of your team. During these
meetings, you can discuss grievances or focus on positivity from the previous
workweek. When you touch base with workers, you also show that you care about
their lives outside of work. Tell your team they can speak to you if they have
any trouble within the group.
Discover
Collaboration Technology
There are
various ways you can collaborate nowadays. You do not have to live in the same
city or country to collaborate. Look into different platforms where you can
discuss ideas. Platforms like Zoom allow
you to host meetings, whereas project
management software will enable you to all work on various files
and documents.
When your team
comes together, they are more likely to finish a project
quicker than those who work solo or do not collaborate with the rest of the
team. Make it easy for the team to collaborate by offering different options.
The more options you have, the more likely everyone will have a chance to
communicate with one another and track the projects.
Allow for
Criticism
Ask your
team to give feedback about collaboration and teamwork. Do they feel like the
avenues you offer are enough? Do they have other ideas or know of different
technologies that may serve you better? Be open to hearing from your colleagues
and employees about what you could do better. Sometimes, you may want to ask
employees to offer
criticism anonymously. Some people might feel
uncomfortable sharing critiques when you know who they are.
While
collaboration should focus on working together on projects or brainstorming new
ideas, it can also be a time for others to speak their mind. Encourage your
workers to be honest in group communication. For instance, if someone feels
like one of the team members stopped pulling his or her own weight, the
employee should feel comfortable enough to bring it up politely.
In
closing, follow a few or all of the above tips. Remember to create a positive
work culture, use collaboration tech and tools like project management
software, and welcome criticism. Soon your collaboration will reach new levels,
bettering your bottom line and maximizing the strength of your team.
Julie Morris
Life and Career Coach
