How to build an effective team

Running a business is an exciting and rewarding journey, but it can also be a challenging one. As a business owner, you have a lot on your plate. You need to be an expert in your field, a strategist, a marketer, and a visionary.

But one of the most important aspects of running a successful business is building a strong team.

Your team is the backbone of your business. They’re the ones who’ll help you achieve your goals and bring your vision to life. That's why it's essential to have an effective team that works together seamlessly, communicates effectively, and shares a common goal.

However, building a successful team is not an easy task. It requires patience, dedication, and hard work.

You need to create an environment where your employees feel valued, engaged, and motivated. You need to invest in their professional development and help them grow as individuals.

If you're struggling to build an effective and powerful team within your business, don't worry. You're not alone. Many entrepreneurs and team leaders face similar challenges.

In this blog, we'll discuss strategies that you can use to develop a strong relationship with your employees and bring together individual team members into a cohesive team that performs at its best.

At Taxtful, we understand the importance of having an effective team. We've implemented these strategies ourselves, and we've seen first-hand the positive impact they can have on a business.

So, whether you're just starting your business or looking to take your existing team to the next level of success, we're here to help. Let's dive in and explore how you can build a successful team that drives your business forward.

The importance of an effective team in an organisation

Having a strong team means you can win most battles. An effective team that includes a wide range of complementary skills and knowledge, will bring different perspectives that will provide innovative and effective solutions.

Effective team building takes time to in order to achieve optimum results. As your team members grow and evolve, you'll have to constantly reevaluate the approach, strategy and goals. That includes addressing any possible issues like disputes or communications failures and implementing new strategies for improving team performance.

#1 Communication

As a team leader a clear communication strategy is vital.

You've probably got a system to engage with your clients, but more likely than not, there isn't one for your team. At Taxtful, every morning, we hold a 15-minute huddle meeting. At each day's end, the team reports on what commitments they've delivered against and what they plan to achieve the next day.

We find it valuable to understand the existing team's performance to know what challenges they may be facing.

We've recently added to our EODs and now include a section on what we've learned. This provides a place for other team members to share and reflect. Reflecting is a great way to learn from mistakes, and sharing those with the team only means we can all go on a learning journey together.

Another thing to consider is, as team projects develop you should assess the team's performance. Is it possible to meet your deadline? Can anyone identify the biggest obstacles preventing them? Does it cause friction between teams?

Success and failures should be shared by each individual member of the team. Evaluating team performances may help identify problems before they ruin the entire assignment.

#2 Deadlines

It'd be best if you gave clear deadlines. Clarity is essential.

Using tech will provide an easy understanding of resource allocation, capacity for tasks and which team member is responsible for what. We're a fan of Pixie at Taxtful, but that's accounting-specific. Hence, many of our clients use Monday and Slack to monitor delivery.

But there are other solutions, such as Microsoft Teams or Google Workspace. These are easier to implement if you're in a start-up. But remember, start with the end in mind. I wish we had Pixie years ago!

Once you begin tracking deadlines, you should roll in some KPIs or OKRs around what you deliver in that space. This will give the team goals to strive for.

For example, we might be really interested to see what the outcome is in terms of billing. Adding KPIs to track tasks gives a key metric to deliver goals and objectives, motivating your entire team.

#3 Non-negotiable

Finally, for building an effective team, and having successful teamwork you need to be mindful of non-negotiables.

Have you asked your team members what their non-negotiables are? It's essential to have a clear understanding of these, so you don't impact the team's morale as the business owner. Having this positive attitude, respect and awareness for your team members will improve company culture and overall build a strong team.

That means you make sure you know when your team are taking their lunch, so you don't book a meeting over that time (as entrepreneurs, what's lunch?).

Our apprentices must dedicate specific time to their on-the-job training within our team. Each of our apprentices splits their training time differently to accommodate learning styles.

Lets wrap up

So, there you have three actionable steps you can implement today to build your leadership style and lead a better, more effective team and help your business succeed.

Of course, every team is different, so you may need to tailor these tips to fit your workplace dynamic. But the underlying message remains the same: effective communication, setting clear deadlines, and being mindful of your employees' non-negotiables are vital in building a high-functioning team.