By Henry Brown
Teamwork is the oil that lubricates the machine that is business. The end product that results from all the gears and cogs working smoothly together is unity. Of course, revenue is tied directly to this as well as other things like productivity and innovation. However, let us focus on why unity is so vital to the success and future of any startup and or small business.
Very early on you’ll notice that the young days of your business will be fraught with immense challenges. These challenges can stretch everyone’s patience in the company, and you might start seeing this in the form of less and less cooperation, office disputes and a general lack of communication. Slowly but surely, the motivation within your employees dies and they seek to move on and leave your business. That’s just one of the risks you run when unity is not encouraged.
Acknowledging personal achievement
Have you ever worked in a place where the acknowledgment of your achievements was barely a topic of discussion? Think about what hard work and innovative thinking requires the individual. It’s difficult to align all your creative and logical thoughts, you have to take the time to care about what you’re doing and then execute it with your actions. When an employee has achieved something such as getting a task done before the deadline, breaking through a problem that helps the whole team move forward, or when they do a task very, very well, you should reward them for it. Praise and acknowledgement of their achievements must be done publicly as well as privately. It also allows the team to unite behind one of their own, creating a temporary local hero kind of ideal.
Stepping up and stepping out
A promotion in and of itself is something that the individual will celebrate. It can be just another step up or it can be a giant leap up the ladder. Either way, you as the boss should make the effort to be involved in their celebration. In fact with Surprise HR you can give them an online gift that they can use in real life. They first receive an email online that marks the occasion. Then they just click on the link and they’re transported to a gift box page. Then you can give them a reward that they would like personally. For example, if you know your employee Kevin loves his sports, then he can open up a prize that could be tickets to a sporting event, a discount off sports clothing wear or perhaps a day out at a leisure center where he can be taught a sport by a professional instructor.
Three cheers
Even just a simple pat on the back, looking them in the eye and telling them they’re doing a good job goes a long way for hard working employees. However, you can acknowledge their achievement in front of the whole office in a meeting. Giving them three cheers is a boost to their confidence and recognition.
Unity is itself a powerful tool in business. It brings brilliant minds together but shows employee at all levels that their work and dedication that they show day after day is appreciated.
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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.
