Whether it’s a sports team or a store staff, team chemistry and on-floor interaction play a big part in both wins and losses. Great chemistry is one of biggest reasons the Boston Celtics have made it back to the NBA finals.
Yes, I’m a lifelong Celtics fan, but you can’t deny that without great chemistry this team of four experienced stars and one of the hottest players in the NBA would probably not be able to come together as a unit and play up to their very considerable potential.
Great chemistry and good team karma start at the very top. It’s up to the coach, manager or owner to bring out the most in every person while at the same time getting them to work as a high-performance team.
Here are some ways to create and maintain great chemistry on your team:
1. Be clear about your expectations. Great teams win together because every person on the team knows what is needed and expected of them. On less effective teams the expectations are more vague, resulting in uneven performance among the team. Every employee should know what it takes to achieve and exceed your expectations.
2. Hold people accountable for their performance. It’s hard to have good chemistry and teamwork when some employees feel they are contributing more than others. Whether someone on the team is considered your favorite or just a slacker, letting anyone contribute less than what is expected is a recipe for team failure.
3. Maintain open and productive communication. Nothing kills a team more quickly than teammates talking behind each other’s back, especially if the talkers include any members of management. You can overcome this by discussing in your Daily Take Five and monthly staff meetings both team and individual strengths and areas of improvement. It’s also up to each employee to not participate in unproductive conversation. Here’s a simple benchmark – never talk about another person unless they are present or it’s praise.
4. Take personal responsibility. Once a team starts blaming each other or outside forces for falling short they’ve given away the power to win. United you stand, divided you fall. Successful teams spend their time and energy figuring out how to win, not blaming outside forces or teammates for why they’re losing.
5. Be a great place to work. Positive energy and positive people create positive results. One of the most important things we do as leaders is to create an extraordinary work environment. Making work fun and challenging is key to getting the most out of people. Retail, like many other occupations, can become extremely monotonous if the owner or manager allows it. It’s up to us to make working at our store or business as exciting as shopping there. They truly do go hand in hand.
So let me ask, do you create winning team chemistry?
