Build a Super Team for Super Business Success: 4 Steps

Perhaps one of the most important elements of a successful business is a top-tier team.

Of course, it’s also critical to first realize that your team is made up of all those who are a part of your business and business processes. This includes you, plus any executives, directors, managers, sales professionals, marketing representatives, administrators, and support personnel. Summarily, your business team consists of anyone who assists in the functioning and operating of your company.

Transforming that group of people into a team that will drive forward business success isn’t difficult. On the other hand, it takes effort – directed and strategic effort – led by you. Without this effort, it’s fairly certain that your business not only stands to not succeed but indeed will fail.

It’s been proven time and time again that a team not intentionally nurtured and developed will never accomplish what it could otherwise.

The four steps below will help you strategically create and build a super-team that is powerful and drives your business success.

Building a Super Team Step One

You must first be a super leader to build a super team. You may have heard that a company, business, or organization becomes the shadow of its leader. The example you set will shape your team—good or bad. You – what you believe, stand for, don’t stand for, etc. – will become the culture of your business. It will be the example all others who are a part of your business – your team – will follow. Thus, you must make sure you do shape this culture and not let it shape itself by accident.

Of course, however, being a super leader does not mean forcing your team to just blindly follow you—doing everything you say “just because” you are the leader. People don’t follow people—they submit to a cause.

This means if you want to truly be a leader to your team, you must create and develop a cause they can get behind. You create the vision, sure, that sets the pace. But it must be a vision they can relate to and subordinate to, because they won’t simply subordinate to you.

Building a Super Team Step Two

Start your team off right. How do you hire you hire your team members? To develop a super team, you need to hire on more than just skills or capability. You have set the culture with your leadership and now need to hire those who will buy into that culture—into the vision you have set and established.

Additionally, all team members must complement and augment each other—being greater together than their individual parts. All teams need stars and supporting actors too; those who are outgoing and those who keep to themselves; members who strategize and members who execute.

Since this is true – and all actors, playing their role, are vital components of a super team – then you should also be sure to not judge or measure each team member strictly by output.

For example, a strategist is critical to the team success but often won’t produce outcomes personally. However, you can’t afford to disregard their contribution, downplay it, or compare it to the sales “guru” whose success is illustrated in stats and figures. Especially since that sales guru likely wouldn’t be able to pull those numbers without the strategist’s guidance and input.

Building a Super Team Step Three

Step two leads perfectly into step three—remembering that your team is made up not of just “titles”, “roles”, and “responsibilities” … but are indeed, all people. As such, these people need attention, respect, recognition, authority, and feedback. They need all these things – both personally and professionally – to thrive—to develop into that super team.

Likewise, make sure you don’t overlook your role in providing these things for all members of your team. As previously mentioned, all team members – from those at the top of your corporate ladder to those at the bottom and back again – need your dedication and support.

If you constantly praise the biggest “performers” in your team, your “supporting actors” will get resentful. On the other hand, if you don’t give the superstars due praise because you feel like the results they produce are reward enough, they will get resentful. And resentment amongst your team is the surest way to NOT create the super team you’re seeking.

Building a Super Team Step Four

Deal with conflict within your team the moment it arises and deal with it intelligently and with compassion. You cannot protect your team from all conflict – internal and external. Additionally, you cannot afford to remove all emotion from how you deal with conflict either.

As discussed above, your team is made up of people so they need to see you are a person too. Thus, when conflict inevitably arises, address it. Deal with it. Manage it. But do so with heart. Be generous with praise so that when you must issue criticism, it is tendered and received constructively.

There are many experts who say that the greater conflict a team faces, the greater potential there is for huge triumph. If you find yourself needing to step in and resolve team conflicts, you must focus on doing what is right and not who is right.

In summary, every leader wants to create and lead a super team. It’s also critical to the success of your business so it’s not only a want – it’s a must. If you wonder whether you have a good team now, look at the success your company is having. If it’s not currently successful, then you need to look at how – and where – your team can be improved.