Teamwork at Work or at Home can Bring a Greater Sense of Accomplishment

Where ever you work, what ever you do if it involves others participation then you know that teamwork is very important. It's just plain common sense to work as a team to achieve a goal faster and better then you could working alone. Unfortunately it appears in some work places working as a team has gone by the wayside. Now days it seems that most people are more concerned with when they can go home or go out and party then to try and accomplish something more as a team. If you have ever worked in a factory you know that the basic fundamentals of how the assembly line works is through team work. Each member of the team needs to finish a given task, within a given time frame so as the part(s) moved down the line others could do their jobs. This is the same in most ever type of job. Some would argue that golf doesn't involve team work. But its not just about how good the golfer is but also how good his caddy is. A good golfer will depend on their caddy to help determine what type of club to use for various lies. One of the things I have noticed with my place of employment is that most of the younger workers lack that teamwork spirit. Their sole concern is making money and getting out of work as soon as possible. Most of the young people I work with seem to also care more about getting a few extra minutes smoking a cigarette rather then helping someone else catch up with their job. I don't know about the rest of you but I wasn't raised that way. What has become of teamwork and how can we get it back within the work place environment? Teamwork starts with the manager or owners. It's important they do their job in a way that both encourages and develops teamwork. A number a years ago there was a book written that I read and feel should be mandatory reading for anyone who is in management - the book is titled, "The One Minute Manager." If you are in management or have your own company you need to read The One Minute Manager. After you read it live it. It is a wonderful way to improve and increase productivity and teamwork within your establishment. If you don't work or are looking for work or even if you're working from home get a copy of The One Minute Manager. There are a number of books in the One Minute series. Check with your local book story or library and read them. They will help you bring teamwork back into your environment - no matter where you are (home, work, school or play). I am sure that there are some people that believe that teamwork is not important or is not all that necessary for what they do. Maybe some that even believe that everything rest solely on one person doing the work. These people have likely never cut a finger or had a broken bone. Ask anyone that has had an injury no matter how small it may be and see what they tell you. That little cut on your finger will feel like you all but cut it off after you bump it while trying to do some of the simplest things. It continually amazes me just how much a small cut on my finger - in what appears to be an out of the way place on my finger - is almost always the very place I bump that dang finger while working ( ^^ ouch!)
I have learned a lot from people I have met online and in person. They have shared with me their insight on subjects ranging from love to politics. This too is a form of teamwork. This is one of the most basic forms of teamwork and one that most of us do on a daily bases without even thinking about twice. A good writer will bounce ideas off friends or loved ones to see if his or her writings are garnering the responses he or she is shooting for. Again this is all a form of teamwork. So how do we get teamwork back in the work force? Here is a list of 8 things you could do to encourage teamwork both at home and at work: 1. Personalize teamwork so that each member of the team (family) knows that they are part of your team. If this is for a family project at home you might even get matching tee shirts or work clothes with each members name on it. 2. Fully explain what you want each member of the team to do and how that plays into being part of the team. Go the extra mile to explain in detail here specifics. This could be done by making a list or chart with each job listed and post it so each team member can see who is responsible for what. This will also allow them to know where they can fill-in the gaps to help out the team. 3. Stand by what you expect. Don't allow anyone to slack off from being part of the team. When you see someone not showing teamwork take them off to the side and let them know right away you expect more. Don't be-little them or degrade them but re-encourage them to be part of the team. 4. Follow through with what you say by being the VIP of the team. The best way to encourage teamwork and get others to be part of the team is to lead by example. The more involved you are the better performance you can expect from the team as a whole. 5. Set goals or objective that your team can work together to achieve. Make it realistic and obtainable but make sure that everyone works together as a team to get to the finish line. 6. Synchronize the team so that each understands where they fit in. Also this will help encourage that everyone is working for the same goal. 7. Encourage and motivate each team member throughout the day. Everyone gets down from time to time - positive re-enforcement is important so that each feels their part of the team is as important as others 8. Reward the team for doing a good job working together. No matter how small or simple the project is let it be known when they do a good job as a team. This isn't a reward for successfully completing the job or task, this reward is for the Team for working as a whole unit toward a common goal. Even if you don't quite finish the job it is important that each member feels that the team as a whole did their best. A pat on the back or a simple hand shake in some cases can be all someone might need to feel a sense of accomplishment. I hope this helps you thrive at being a better boss or husband, father, mother or wife. No matter what the project always remember that working as a team will give more enjoyment and accomplish greater satisfaction then working alone can do.