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Teamwork begins at the top, most of us will set back and nod our head as people and training organizations tell us that teamwork is important, but we don’t realize that applies to us. We think yeah it would be great if the technology department would be a team or if our Human Resource department would step it up together. We don’t realize though that the team effort of a business starts at the top. It is the executives, managers, supervisors and leaders that set up the environment of team work.

If a leader isn’t willing to enforce teamwork then they are wasting their breathe when they try to implement teamwork among departments if they themselves are not willing to adhere to the same team values. For instance a team is willing to accept ideas from any of its team members, no matter what position they hold. As a leader in the organization are you willing to do that? Not just listen and not but evaluate and give feedback and perhaps even implement the idea? If not then you are undermining the very principle you want implemented.

How is your team rewarded for performing as a team? Often organizations teach teamwork, expect it and say that is the core of the company but then the only people who get rewarded are individuals who had the most public role in the project. Instead of rewarding people, reward teams for doing the job. Maybe give them a budget to through their own team party. Or give each team member tickets to an upcoming sporting event or play. Or even bring in a caterer for lunch to reward the group as a team. This fosters working together rather then competing.

Finally remember things that are done well and recall them often. Say things like remember when the sales department collectively sold out our entire water bottle product line. Recalling these experiences will inspire other teams in your organization to earn your recognition but they want to earn it as a team because that is who you as a leader praise.

Teamwork can push your business to new heights if it fostered in an atmosphere that emphasizes its importance. Learn the tactics that will truly inspire your organization to work together rather to work against each other.

Teamwork can increase your productivity, improve your work environment and foster creativity. Why not invest the time it takes to form this valuable resource? There are ways to start creating it today, but you may also consider hiring a corporate trainer to come in and motivate your team.

Bart Icles has seen organization that have benefited from teamwork and organizations that we’re in desperate need of a solid team. He would recommend to anyone to contact CMOE and learn about their Teamwork and Strategic Management training.

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Businesses know that it is a important to create a culture where the customer feels they are receiving value and being valued. It is ultimately the customer that is supporting your business and their words and their feelings are what are going to keep your business successful. Leading your organization in a way that encourages customer orientation takes some strategic management.

First, make sure everyone understands the priorities. If there is confusion on what the real priority is there will be confusion on what should be happening. If customer value is truly important to your organization then communicate that to your teams of people. In meeting communicate this important topic, make sure your team leaders convey it every chance they get and remind all areas that this priority is first and foremost. Also reward individuals and teams that excel or make an extra effort for this priority.

As a leader in the organization you need to not only preach this priority every chance you get but live it always. Your organization and/or team is watching your actions, make an effort to make this priority visibly important. If customer service and value is important make sure the way you talk about your customers is respectful. You can’t sit and degrade or complain about them in your planning meeting and then expect your staff to go out and treat them with the highest respect they can.

Feedback is vitally important in an organization. Give your staff immediate and factual feedback. They need and want to hear how they are performing. This feedback is another time to convey the importance of customer service. If they are doing a good job let them know, and you will find they try even harder. Don’t just let they fact that you are ‘allowing’ them to keep their job be the only way you let them know they are doing well. People love hearing they are performing well and it inspires them to continue to perform well. Of course if they are struggling let them know and challenge them to do better.

When you strategically manage your staff so they see, hear and know that customer service is priority in your company you will see your business sore in that area. Making your priorities known in strategic and effective ways will inspire your staff to be the team you want and need the to be. Start today to make the focus of your business known to everyone in your company.

Bart Icles recommends getting professionals come into your business and train them in the major topics such as Strategic Management and Teamwork. Topics like this will have immediate and long term effects on your business.

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Wikipedia has probably one of the most complete yet simple definitions of teamwork

“Teamwork is the concept of people working together cooperatively as a team in order to accomplish the same goals/objectives.”

If you stop and think teamwork is one of the most important aspects of every business. There isn’t a business that doesn’t talk about the need to their team to work together. Why though is it viewed as so beneficial? The majority of us are programmed to think what is in it for me, what reward will I get, what leadership will I gain and what power over others will I have. Why then fight so hard to overcome these instincts?

Teamwork has a unique outcome when it is truly applied to a project or goal. When several people are working together with the ‘what’s in it for us’ mentality things are done faster, more efficiently and with more innovation. We cannot all be masters of everything but we do have things we excel in. When you get a group of people together working on various aspects of one project you will find that what would have taken you hours or even days to complete only takes someone else a fraction of the time.

People specialize in various areas and struggle in others, experience teaches us the best way to do things so allowing others to do what has taken them precious time to learn will save everyone time.

Problem solving as a group also sparks your own mind. For instance I was in a meeting once where we were asked to come with our ideas and then share them with the group. I thought and thought and had a whole page of ideas for the meeting. I got to the meeting and realized that as other people spoke it triggered something else in my brain and I had another idea. By the time the meeting was done I left with 2 additional pages of ideas. Thinking together is effective because it triggers parts of our own experience we weren’t able to trigger on our own.

Teamwork has great power in a workplace and all though we have to fight nature it seems to accomplish it, it is worth it. There are more ideas out there to be had, more projects and goals to accomplish and teamwork is an effective way to think, complete and reach them. It will take an extra effort in your business to create a teamwork environment but your results for doing so will improve your business.

Bart Icles knows the importance of working as a team especially in the workplace. He recommends visiting CMOE for more information on their Teamwork and Strategic Management
training.

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We all know what is like to have a hectic morning where you just don’t seem like you had enough time to get ready or sleep or prepare for work. We rush in through the office door and then sit down and start to work on our list of tasks with the same frantic effort. We rush around over 5 or 6 different tasks starting several but never really knowing what we are accomplishing. We are busy the entire time we are at work but by the end of the day we aren’t any closer to our goal then we were.

We won’t be able to avoid those crazy mornings were time is short and we have to rush into the office. From there though we can control how the rest of our day goes. Imagine instead of rushing into the office and then frantically attacking your tasks with the same haphazardness you instead sit down and a lot yourself 15 minutes to adjust.

Those 15 minutes are dedicated to strategically managing your time so that you can be as effective as possible. You visualize what you are going to do that day and how. You may know how to do your tasks but have you stopped to think if you are doing them the best way possible? Is there a faster more effective way to do those same tasks rather then just letting tradition govern your routine?

Also during those 15 minutes you pull out a sheet of paper and make two lists. One list are the things you have to get done today in the order they need to be accomplished. That way you can start on those very first and ensure that you accomplish them. The second list you make is at least one if not more, ideas of something that you can do that day to make your tasks more effective.

Then at the top of the paper write the overlying goal that you have for the day. Something pretty general that you can focus on. For instance ‘be a better communicator’ or ‘Keep track of my time better’ or ‘Do more than is expected’. Learning this strategic management technique isn’t for people looking to go to work put in their hours and go home. It is for those people who want to excel and learn from what they are doing.

Strategically managing your time is one of the best ways you can become a better employee. Employers want someone willing to make the business better and if you can make your area as efficient and productive as possible then you are accomplishing that goal.

Bart Icles know that strategically managing your business is worth every effort it takes. Visit CMOE for more information on topics such as Teamwork and Strategic Management
.

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Many employers attempt to avoid having to comply with federal and state laws by mis- classifying their employees. Instead of giving them their regular titles they are promoted in title to managers, supervisors, and assistant managers. They then pay them salaries instead of hourly rates and pay no overtime for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week. Human resource managers should be keenly aware of this as many large business have been successfully sued.

A job title of manager does not mean the employer is not liable or that the employee is not entitled to overtime pay. What matter is whether or not the employee is actually still an hourly employee or if the employee is a manager or supervisor.

Management or supervision of other employees means that two or more full time employees report to the manager or supervisor for work assignments and oversight of their everyday tasks. You also have to consider whether or not the employee gets a regular salary regardless of the hours actually worked or would the employee be paid less for working fewer than 40 hours per week.

You also have to determine what percentage of the time is actually spent managing or supervising. Duties that are substantially the same as an hourly employee are not management or supervisory tasks. The manager or supervisor must spend about 60 to 80% of his or her time in management duties. Often the opposite is true, the supervisor or manager is asked to continue doing his work and to spent about 20% of his time in management activities. In more severe cases the employee’s duties are the same except for perhaps an additional task such as opening or closing. Some of these managers or supervisors are also required to fill in when an employee does not show up. If this occurs regularly the manager or supervisor spends more than half of his time doing the same duties as an hourly employee, but
without the benefit of overtime pay.

These types of claims arise on a regular basis among even the biggest of employers. In one case the store managers at Radio Shack were deemed to be hourly employees and not managers and were awarded back pay for working overtime. In another case Wal-Mart was sued in California for allegedly failing to pay overtime. In another case in Oregon, Wal-Mart was sued and employees were awarded overtime pay.

More on when is overtime pay required at.
Personal Injury Attorney, Carlsbad, Encinitas

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As the business world evolves and changes, workers are expected to follow suit. Unfortunately, change comes naturally to some while others have trouble adapting. The trick is to find out why certain people are more adaptable than others, and to help those who fall behind catch up with the rest of the group.

The ability to adapt to quickly is vital for both companies and employees. A mood disorder can seriously affect the performance of the most determined and faithful worker. Employers can benefit from understanding how clinical depression and mood disorders are a detriment to productivity in the workplace.

Many workers who find change difficult to cope with suffer from depression and other mood disorders. Attitudes that are conducive to change aren’t easily developed by workers who suffer from these ailments. Depression can also breed negativity among other employees, which is a fire that is hard to extinguish. Even worse than its impact on job performance, nearly fifteen percent of people with severe clinical depression end their lives in suicide. Clearly, clinical depression and mood disorders in the workplace can not be ignored.

Managers and supervisors need to be vigilant in order to spot depression in workers. Sudden changes in appearance, personality, attitude or productivity can be a sign of severe depression. A gentle confrontation needs to occur, without any condescension (Knippers, 2006). This will let the worker know that there is a problem, so that they can correct the issue before it escalates. If help is needed, a specialist in mood disorders may need to be consulted. Because untreated depression tends to worsen over time, it is vital to help your employees cope with the problem before it escalates.

By learning the skills to work with those suffering from mood disorders, a great management team can train any employee to be adaptable. Some workers may have to be led a little differently than others, and others need help learning how to handle social interactions. The missing social interactions between people affected by depressions and mood disorders reduce the communication quality.

Those suffering from depression often have difficulty communicating and following directions. That’s why it’s important that leaders communicate clearly to their employees. Make sure that directions are precise and that employees completely understand what is expected of them, especially in times of change. When a company attempts to make major changes, leaders need to give clear and precise directions and followers need to have a clear understanding of the new direction and vision. One of the major reasons for collaboration and productivity failure is that job descriptions and directions are not clearly understood (Gappmaier, 1997)

One of the hardest things to determine when dealing with an employee afflicted with depression is whether the mood is a temporary emotional state or a serious chemical imbalance. Only a professional is qualified to make a diagnosis. Emotional disorders cost companies millions every year, with over two-thirds of the lost revenue attributed to productivity issues and absenteeism (American Psychiatric Association, 1995). Therefore, it is vital to an organization’s success to deal with the issue depression in the workplace.

T. Fox researches healthy smoothies ,a mix of blenders and health ingredients, and negative ions , all resulting in collaboration. People perform better when they are healthy.

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