Trim the Fat
If someone or something is holding the team back – at first, try to keep them up to speed. And if at first, you don’t succeed, try again one or two more times. If you truly put your best foot forward and nothing is changing – trim the fat. No hard feelings but if you want the team to succeed you have to leave behind the things that are holding you back.
Build the Muscles
Challenges are good – they are what keep a team working closely together to solve a problem or objective. Keep them coming. You do not want to burn out your team but you constantly want to keep them challenged. And just like building muscle in the gym – it needs to be replenished and repaired afterward. After a team’s accomplishment, give them a pat on the back and celebrate the ups and downs – that powers the team to want to succeed time and time again.
Readjust the Bones
Sometimes when building a team we think of it like a puzzle. The right pieces all need to fit in the right spaces. But real life is not that simple. It is okay to rearrange a team so that they can be as efficient and motivated as possible. Maybe it is as simple as reworking a seating arrangement for optimal workflow or it could be that a team member you originally brought on for one job is actually better or more motivated at something else so let them shine there.
Fuel the Energy
Work hard and play harder – the motto I have always taken with me through my career so far. Working together on projects is a grind and honestly, it sometimes depletes a team of their solid energy. But if you can insert happiness, laughs and team-building activities throughout intense projects or work – I think you will find that it fuels the team’s energy and motivation.
Stretch the Thinking & Doing Muscles
Maybe your team is absolutely unstoppable at what they do. That is amazing, however, it is important to break up the routine every once in a while. If you keep drilling a team to do the same thing over and over again because they rock at it then they are building really strong muscles and thinking but are they learning and growing? We need to stretch these muscles too. Whether that is just encouraging your team members to work on their passion projects or if you can throw them small little projects between the big ones.