How do we create businesses with growth focused teams? It does not come from disparate lone wolves all trying to survive and forge their own paths. Hi We are living in the era of the fast growth juggernaut. The household name that came from nowhere to be everywhere. A seemingly simple idea, executed well that soon revolutionised what we do and how we do it. There is a seeming tsunami of entrepreneurial enthusiasts all wanting to build their own. Our students are being told that as traditional jobs decline, they will need to create jobs. Anyone with an idea and a PC can conquer the world. It all seems so easy, but the reality is that seeking the extraordinary is complex, particularly when most teams include at least one or two people who are barely competent. Likely the most complex aspect of growing a business is orchestrating a team of highly competent individuals to deliver and grow. In many ways the culture of disparate individuals behind the product is much more important than the actual customer who really just want simplicity, and do not care about the complexity of how seamlessly it is delivered. Research illustrates that team trust is the critical factor to successful teams.
Team trust is complex, and comes down to many factors including … 1: Competence A critical component of trust is competence. The ability to a job properly, consciously or subconsciously. This is likely to include practical and theoretical knowledge, cognitive skills, behaviour and values used to improve performance; and having the ability to perform a specific role.
2: Emotional intelligence Balancing the need for core competencies and knowledge is emotional intelligence. Unlike other intelligence measures such as IQ, EI includes vital skills to successfully nurture teams such as the capability of individuals to recognise their own emotions and those of others, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, use emotional information to guide thinking and behaviour, and manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve goal(s).
3: Psychological safety Psychological safety is an important aspect of an ever-evolving team, as it provides a cultural environment for team members to be safe from interpersonal risk. They are safe to suggest innovations to systems and processes. In psychologically safe teams, members feel accepted and respected. Psychological safety is said to be the critical working condition for teams to prosper and create positive group dynamics and a learning environment. This may be from fellow team members displaying respect and empathy when listening to other team members, or not fearing repercussions that may moderate risk taking, speaking one’s mind, creativity and offering candid professional views, without fear of punishment. 4: Team based values Research has also illustrated that while it is critical that a business locks into the motivations (and weaknesses) of individuals within a team, the primary focus is on a higher level team purpose and pursuit beyond profit and individual competition. Seeking to solve a fundamental wrong that needs to be made right, high customer focus, being the best in category, game changing, extraordinary or even competent where other businesses are failing. Successful businesses such as Amazon have a set of ‘leadership principles’ to guide the team — “We use our Leadership Principles every day, whether we’re discussing ideas for new projects or deciding on the best approach to solving a problem. It is just one of the things that makes Amazon peculiar.” Amazon ‘leaders’ are viewed as each team member, from manager to front-line individual. More via https://www.amazon.jobs/principles Most importantly, it is critical to have shared team values beyond profit. … Creating extraordinary businesses is complex, which is likely why they are so rare. In this world in which freelancing and contracting is growing largely as a restructuring of the workforce, business and economic growth still largely comes back to creating powerful teams. Six in ten Australian businesses do not employ any staff (61%—88% less than 5 employees), and according to Australian Bureau of Statistics business entry and exit statistics of sole operator businesses have the lowest survival rate. Read the full uncensored article on square holes.com/blog How do we create more businesses with growth focused teams? It does not come from disparate lone wolves all trying to survive and forge their own paths. It comes back to building cultures that demand high levels of competence, nurturing emotional intelligence and providing an environment of psychological safety and strong team values to guide the way. From this come products and services that attract, retain and build customers. Thank you :-) Jason Kevin Rose sits down with Zappos founder Tony Hsieh about entrepreneurship, fostering corporate culture, and his latest project to fuel a thriving tech community in Las Vegas. Here are some other links on squareholes.com/blog related to the above: 1. How to find a single thread of purpose 2. Come on, come on … Let’s work together 3. Finding unicorns, and how to build a ‘$1BILLION’ business in 2 easy steps Also ... I have been a proud board member of the Patch Theatre Company Board since July 2008. We have been set a critical fund raising target of $25,000 by end of April 2017, as part of the Creative Partnerships Plus1 initiative. If (if) we meet the target, and we are well on the way, Australian Government will match dollar for dollar every donation we receive. If we don't acheive the $25,000 no match. :-( As a Board member, I have been set a critical target, and I would REALLY appreciate any support. Please click here for more / to donate There’s never been a better time to donate and support theatre for young children. Patch Theatre Company has a diverse repertoire of acclaimed, tour-ready productions for 4-8 year olds and their families. The company is based in Adelaide, South Australia and has presented over 100 new productions to more
than 1.6 million children and their families since it began in 1972. Patch Theatre's most recent production of 'Can You Hear Colour?' the new opera for children, launched at the Adelaide Festival was very successful and received RAVE reviews.
Companies such as Patch Theatre punch well above their weight in creativity with a small team and budget, and donations are critical. The amazing shows such as Can You Hear Colour are unconventional and empower our future innovators. Please GIVE $1,000, $500, $100, $50 to help fund critical stuff for little kiddies - the future. Do it! Pretty please. Please click here for more / to donate :-) |