Being in sales, I know the importance of results. If you are not hitting quota or exceeding goals, job safety becomes a primary concern. If you happen to be a salesperson who doesn't care much for competition and being a success among coworkers, a different profession may be worth a try. As important as results are, one of the biggest contributors to under performance is work morale. A decent majority of us are affected by the work environment including the attitudes of those who we work alongside. Sales is a lonely environment but that doesn't mean we are not part of a team. The strength of a sales team can be very significant to the performance of each individual. Personally, I would take a strong team with mediocre salespeople over a weak team with some hot shots and some slackers.
Given time, a strong team will cross train each other and outperform whereas a weak team remains stagnant, complacent and no better than when they began. So begs the question, how do you improve teamwork? The answer is dependent on the manager; either management will work to resist or it will help promote initiative. Everyone has their own sets of strengths and weaknesses; as managers, we need to let these strengths shine and become the foundation on how the team will be built.
One sure fire way to deter team building is to be solely focused on results. The main role of managers is to develop people; let me expand: a manager's sole focus should not be on numbers. Excel sheets and data manipulation will help guide your employees but it doesn't make them want to better themselves; increase their knowledge; find purpose; or deliver excellence. Numbers only provide justification.
Carrots and sticks may work for people in jobs but not for those pursuing careers. Managers need to take a step back and ask themselves if what they are truly doing is something which will eventually warp into a self sustaining machine. When you go to work next, begin to look at your employees and ask yourself whether you see a strong team or a team which can be stronger. Your mission is now to develop a strategy on how you can go from mediocre to exceptional.
A good place to start? Well, when was the last time you sat down with your employees in a one on one atmosphere to discuss their aspirations? The main thing when doing these one on ones is to separate current work from the meeting. The goal is to find
out what motivates the individual; I repeat: do not discuss current work performance. How can you expect to build a team if you don't know your people and where they see themselves in 10 years? Take time to get to know your employees on a personal level; there will always be time for performance reviews.