How to use Good Teamwork to Achieve Company Goals

The importance of teamwork cannot be underestimated, especially in a business environment where a group of people are working together to achieve set goals. The successful outcome of their teamwork will reflect upon their individual abilities, their performance as a unit and on the company as a whole.

It is not always possible to choose the members of a team who will be working with you on a project. As this might be already done for you, the next best thing you can do is get the group together and work out a plan on how you all hope to achieve your goals. This will give you an idea of the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals in the team and the fields in which they specialise in or feel comfortable working. Having a range of different skills and personalities working together can be a bonus especially if each member of team is straight forward and honest about his abilities and is happy in the role that he will be assigned in the team.

Communication with one another is an important part of good teamwork and a group of people who share information and ideas freely with one another have a definite advantage in achieving what they have set out to do. Ideas should be communicated across all levels of the group so that a supervisor or team manager knows exactly what the others are feeling and their views are at every stage of their work. Coordinating and cooperating with each other are a direct result of good communication and the more easily information is shared the more responsive and proactive is the group.

Having respect for one another is a good foundation for any team as is encouragement, support and appreciation for each other’s efforts. Having favourites and ignoring some members of the team creates divisions and animosity and will bring about negativity; an attribute any good team can do without. 

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11 Easy Ways to Finally Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

Knock your next presentation out of the park with these public speaking tips.

How successful we are at selling ourselves, our products and our services depends on our ability to stand up and be heard. What often prevents us from telling our story successfully is not our inability to articulate what we do, or how strongly we believe in the value of what we offer. Instead, it is simply the fear of speaking in front of an audience. Being nervous while presenting can put a dint in your credibility and have an adverse effect on achieving your business goals.

To manage the fear of speaking in public, you need to first understand the root cause of the fear.

Understanding that our brain can't tell the difference between a real threat (a pack of wolves about to attack you) and an imagined threat (a group of your peers watching you present) is the first step to overcoming the fear. This awareness can help you manage the "false alarm" that happens in the absence of real danger. How so? As you feel your heart racing when you first start your presentation, you can consciously and deliberately interrupt the fear response with a quick deep breath and a rational thought, "This is just a false alarm." The more you get into the habit of interrupting the fear response as soon as you feel it happening, the quicker you'll prevent it from being your default response every time you present in front of a group. You must ingrain in your mind the thought that the fear of public speaking is simply a misfiring of the caveman "fight or flight" fear response, and that you can overcome this.

Here are 11 practical tips to help you manage performanceanxiety so you can focus on your key messages:

1. Reframe the questions you ask yourself.  

How to End a Speech

Should You End a Speech by Asking for Questions?

I cringe every time I hear a speaker end with an unimpressive “Thank you” or “Are there any questions?” I think many speakers say these things because they’ve finished speaking and then suddenly realize that their audience hasn’t realized they’re done! So, in desperation, they blurt out one of these phrases, hopeful that those words will clue them in.

Unfortunately, that’s the worst possible way to end a talk! It just sort of fizzles out, instead of ending with a clear bang!

• Need to know how to end a persuasive speech?
• More on effective openings and closings (end of a speech)?

I’ve been doing this long enough to know that some of you are saying, but Lisa, what’s wrong with asking if there are any questions? To be clear, it’s not the phrase that I object to, it’s when and how the phrase is used. If it is used as the ONLY signal that the talk had ended, then that’s a problem.

End a Speech with a Strong Summary

All good presenters use rhetorical signals to indicate that a presentation has come to an end. The first and most obvious signal is the conclusion. When the speaker reviews the main ideas in summary form, of course, this is an indication that the presentation is coming to an end.

However, to be an effective signal, the conclusion needs to be proportional to the entire talk--about 10-15% of the entire talk. So if your talk is 15 minutes, then your conclusion should be about 2 minutes. For a 40-minute talk it should be about 4 minutes.

If the conclusion is missing or is too short, which are very common mistakes, then the conclusion is not effective. Always include enough time to fully summarize your main points.

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5 simple public speaking tips for beginners

Unless you work in a cave banging sticks together, odds are, part of your job involves talking to other people. Heck, you might even need to run a meeting or two. Those of us who are really lucky get to do "public speaking", which has been known to produce sweating and weak knees in certain people. To combat this, and to work on other communication and leadership skills, I joined Toastmasters about a year ago. It has been an invaluable experience. Here are the top five public speaking tips that beginners can start applying immediately. They are simple, obvious, easy to remember, and practical.

1. Lose the notes (do I really need to say this?)

It may seem obvious, but your dependence on your speaking notes is dragging you down. Having to refer to notes about what you are going to say decreases your credibility, prevents you from making eye contact with your audience, and limits your charisma and body language. Remember, you are speaking because you are the expert. Know the topic, know what you are going to say, and say it. The only exception to this rule is if you are reporting on specific facts and numbers.

2. Lose the crutch words (“uhm”, "uh", "like", "you know")

“Uhm”, and other crutch words, are verbal garbage. They serve absolutely no purpose other than to make you sound dumb. Prevent these crutch words from exiting your mouth and you’ll start sounding smarter immediately. The smarter you sound, the more people will pay attention to what you have to say. If you're unsure about what to say, be silent, collect your thoughts, breath, and continue. It might take practice but it is well worth it.

3. Speak louder

The more power you give to your voice, the more authority you will have, the clearer your words will be, and the easier you will be to understand – all of which combine to make you more engaging and memorable.

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12 Ways to Attack Any Challenge

Stuck in a rut? Need to accomplish the impossible? Step right up. Here's how to get started.

Whenever I'm discussing a challenge—okay, fine, whenever I'm whining about a problem—my wife eventually interrupts and says, "Yeah, yeah. I get it. So what are you going to do differently?"

Her response would be fairly frustrating if she wasn't right. Discussing—okay, fine, whining—never helps. The only way to overcome a problem is to do something differently.

But there's no reason to wait until you're forced to make a bad situation better. There's a better approach. Why not be proactive and turn average into awesome?

Especially since it's easy: Just employ one of the Five As of Awesome. (Wait—did I just channel my inner Tony Robbins?)

All you have to do is pick one of the following things to do differently:

Accept

Be who you are. I would like to ride a motorcycle like this guy. Or climb like this guy. Or run a company like her. Or change the world like him.

I won't.

And, for the most part, I'm okay with that, since I can always be a better me. I can ride faster or climb better than I do now, and I can make a bigger difference in the lives of my family and friends.

Think about the people you admire and pick a few of their qualities to emulate, not their accomplishments.

You can't be them.

The cool thing is, they can't be you.

Let others be who they are. Your customers, your vendors, your suppliers... they aren't going to change. Don't expect them to.

Pick one source of frustration and decide what you will do differently, including, possibly, walking away.

When you stop focusing on negatives you may start to notice the positive qualities you missed.

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5 Signs Self-Help Is Ruining Your Life

People seek self-help for a reason, to help themselves. But like all good things, self improvement has it’s disadvantages. Some people take it too far. Instead of improving their lives, they become delusional.

1. Tony the Tiger… err Robbins

Before I got into personal development, I always thought of people like Tony the Tiger.. I mean Tony Robbins and Richard Simmons as the epitome of self improvement. I guess like many people, I confused self improvement with motivational speakers.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Tony Robbins, I think he’s a great guy and I’m sure he’s helped a lot of people out. But it’s just not my style.

The whole chest pounding, firewalking thing always threw me off. I understand the idea is to get pumped up, but can’t you do that without burning your feet to a crisp? Also, is that really sustainable? If I have to walk on hot coals everyday just to find motivation, something is probably wrong with my life.

These are also the people that remain positive under any circumstances.

Volcano eruption? The heat will help you sweat and detoxify.

Hurricane? Now I don’t have to wash my car.

Earthquake caused a gaping hole in the middle of your house? We could make a swimming pool!

Denial Anyone?

2. Productivity is the opiate of the masses.

There are certain things you must do. This includes things you need to do to not die and stay out of prison.

Some people just have a problem with these things and turn to productivity gurus for help. But it can often be taken overboard. When you can’t enjoy yourself without doing something productive, you have a problem.

3. Self Improvement is your drug of choice

There’s nothing wrong with ferociously pursuing personal development and new contexts. 

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Why Self-Discipline Will Make You Unstoppable

Having and commanding the respect of others is a tremendous advantage in life. That edge comes from self-discipline. The highly disciplined individual does not have to point a gun at anyone to take what he wants; people “sense” his power and cheerfully give him everything they’ve got.

Take a look at how little self-discipline most people have. Ask an employer of any size, and you’ll hear how big the problems of tardiness and absenteeism are. People don't even have enough self-discipline to get up in the morning!

In my business dealings, I find more than half the people can't seem to get to appointments and meetings on time or keep preset telephone appointments. Clients miss prescheduled appointments. Vendors miss deadlines as often as they make them.

In the entrepreneurial environment, there’s a lot to be said just for showing up on time, ready to work. The meeting of deadlines and commitments alone causes a person to stand out from the crowd like an alien space ship parked in an Iowa cornfield. The ability to get things done and done right the first time will magnetically attract incredible contacts, opportunities and resources to you. All of this is a matter of self-discipline.

And self-discipline aimed and applied at a particular thing is quite literally a magic power. When you focus your self-discipline on a single purpose, like sunlight through a magnifying glass on a single object, look out! The whole world will scramble to get out of your way, hold the doors open for you, and salute as you walk by.

Successful achievement of most worthwhile objectives -- including being an infinitely more productive entrepreneur who makes the most of his time -- is rarely easy, but is often simple. In fact, it can be boiled down to three steps. 

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Is There No “I” in “Teamwork”?

“We need to work as a team.” “Let’s do it for the good of the team.” “You aren’t working as a team player.”

Those phrases can be heard around many offices, often during meetings, in the halls, or from the CEO. Another phrase with which everyone is familiar is “There is no ‘I’ in ‘team’.” Teamwork is undoubtedly an important buzzword in the workplace today. As someone who has often had to be a “solo” presence in my work responsibilities, I have really relished the experiences I have had as a part of team atmosphere. My teamwork experiences have been instrumental in providing opportunities for innovation and growth. That said, I would have to dispute that there is no “I” in teamwork. Here is what I mean:

• On a team, you cannot assume that everyone will leave their personalities behind and work as one. In fact, you do not want that to happen. Everyone has their own “I-ness” to offer, and will bring valuable perspective to the task at hand.

• Each person on the team should contribute to the project to the best of his/her ability. Each individual should have a part for which they are responsible as an INDIVIDUAL, with an eye to collaboration, cooperation, and compromise. Each person should be held to a standard of how his/her part is accomplished and achieved. If you are not interested in the project, and don’t plan to truly contribute, you should not be part of the team. Teams thrive with open communication, candor, respect, and trust. Someone with a negative attitude with no plans to add in a positive way would be better off somewhere else.

• Each person is responsible for his/her own part in the final outcome. For example, when a project is being presented or implemented, each team member should support the goal and be responsible for being positive about contributing to and promoting that goal (the teamwork part). 

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Importance of Teamwork in Organizations

According to HR Bible, one of the most popular myths about teamwork is that the skills of team members are more important than their energy, interest and drive for the tasks. Another popular myth is that members are not individually responsible for the successes or failures of their teams. The truth is that individuals are the smallest units within their teams and that their personal abilities affect various outcomes in their teams. Teams often arise when employees come together to accomplish a common goal. Teamwork within the workplace not only benefits your workers but also significantly affects in your business.

Work Efficiency

Teamwork enables you to accomplish tasks faster and more efficiently than tackling projects individually. Cooperating together on various tasks reduces workloads for all employees by enabling them to share responsibilities or ideas. Teamwork also reduces the work pressure on every worker, which allows him to be thorough in the completion of the assigned roles. In sharing ideas or responsibilities, every employee should have a role that suits his specialization. You should also consider employees' levels of interest in the project at hand, which positively influences the efficiency or speed of their output in accomplishing the task.

Improved Employee Relations

Teamwork is important in an organization because it provides employees with an opportunity to bond with one another, which improves relations among them. Workers who constitute a team working on a project often feel valued upon the successful completion of such tasks. A situation in which all of them find a chance to contribute towards the tasks improves relations within the team and enhances their respect for each other. Improved employee relations also result from the fact that teamwork enhances cohesion among members, thanks to increased trust among them.

Increased Accountability

Teamwork increases the accountability of every member of the team, especially when working under people who command a lot of respect within the business. 

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I want it now! How to motivate Gen Y employees

The generation raised on gizmos and social media need very different handling to their predecessors.

Generation Y, the iPod generation, echo boomers – however you describe them, this new wave of employees is steadily filtering into the workplace. Born to baby boomers, many are recent graduates and students aged around 18-30 years old and it is this generation that will soon be at the heart of a company, leading it forward into the future.

So how can you get the most out of this generation?

1. Know its defining characteristics

Compared to Generation X, people in this group are more likely to put their careers first, postponing marriage and children. They are the social media generation who like to be connected at all times. Socialising, both actual and virtual, is a top priority.

Instant gratification and a hunger for immediate information mean they often resent waiting, something applicable to both their professional and personal life. They often choose to find jobs on a short-term basis, are keen to always remain aware of new opportunities that will help to improve their skill set, and will happily change jobs in order to achieve this. These factors combined mean that retention rates are likely to be lower in this generation and that employers may find they need to work harder to keep them.

2. Adopt a tailored approach

To motivate, engage and inspire people it is naturally important to apply different techniques and approaches depending on various aspects, such as age, sex, geographic location, likes and interests.

Reward and recognition schemes should be tailored to include the needs of Generation Y. But what is it that will have the desired effect in terms of motivating them, and how can employers strive to ensure they get it right?

3. Provide ongoing communication and feedback