How to Stop Doing 100% of the Hard Work Yourself – The Benefits of Teamwork

Published September 21, 2019

Getting Started

Even the best multitasking manager can crash and burn when confronted with the demand of the modern-day running of businesses, especially when trying it alone. Let’s be honest, for complex work, there is no way you can get yourself. And the great managers know they shouldn’t be trying to do it alone. However, an effective team is only as good as the soul of the organization and that is why you need to cultivate teamwork.

How can you manage the hiring and training of employees with coaching, engaging, monitoring, motivating, prioritizing, planning, evaluation and clarifying the vision and mission of the organization all by yourself? How do you handle envisioning, directing, reinforcing, reporting, budgeting and partnership? Would you do all that alone? The elements suggested in this article are just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to the responsibilities of managing a striving organization.

There are several reasons people aspire to become managers. It could mean an avenue to clinch power, grab a ticket to a more prosperous life, advance careers, or even a way to make a large impact. No matter the reasons, a salient question for every manager is why should people follow you? You must focus on the follower’s first. The best leaders move into management to make a difference for others. Astute employees are quick to spot ineffective managers and will gravitate to the manager who would lead them to develop their own skills and nurture career prospects.

Why Do Teams Matter?

There are lots of benefits to building a team in an organization. Fast Company magazine viewed the relevance of a team so important that it identified these in their “Four reasons on why you can’t do everything on your own” article and shouldn’t even try:

1. 
   
   1. TEAMS ALWAYS BEAT INDIVIDUALS
2. 2. WE ARE CONSTANTLY BUILDING ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF OTHERS
3. 3. ONE-PERSON COMPANIES ARE A TINY BIT LESS SUCCESSFUL THAN 10,000-PERSON COMPANIES
4. 4. NOBODY HAS EVER ACTUALLY DONE ANYTHING ALONE

Leveraging the Knowledge of Others

The collective work of a team is better than an individual or a group of individuals. The strength of union, brainstorming, and incubation of ideas, diversification of thoughts and the unison of motivation, passion and a common goal are all the ingredients inherent in an effective team. LeBron James, no matter how hard he has tried, hasn’t been able to beat an NBA team all by himself.

A great manager leverages on the skills, talents, knowledge, and experience of every member. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, wouldn’t have had the resources to grow his brainchild without the input of others. If it hadn’t been the ingenuity of his team, the accelerated success he has realized wouldn’t have been possible.

Individuals are Built by Others

Looking at successful organizations, they may have been initiated by an individual, but each of us reaches a point that we run out of personal resources and need to solicit help. Even in situations where one could claim an accomplishment as their own, there is usually a guardian, mentor, friend, supporter, teacher, and role model who has behind them at one point providing the needed supports, skills, knowledge and experiences.

How to Build a Successful Team

The need to establish a strong but effective team has been a critical issue that drives most organizations to seek better ways to get things done faster, better and cheaper. In offering solutions, Kevin Eikenberry suggests 3 steps that can help managers assemble a vibrant and intelligent team. While there are some tasks a leader can do alone, there are other things he or she couldn’t do without including the strength and suggestions of others. These tips are geared towards giving the manager a clear picture and at the same time offer suggestions on how he could lead his team effectively.

1) Encourage Team commitment but grow individual talents as a unit

In your attempt to assemble your team, what are your expectations? Do you have a clear goal of what you want the team to look forward to? Create clear expectations of your team and encourage them through positive conversations, feedback and reward systems. It’s not just enough to expect performance from your team, your daily actions and inactions will emphasize how much you value your team, the organizational goals as well as how much they should commit to it. Recognize as soon after their success as possible for maximum impact.

The critical leadership element here is that you need to be assured of your team’s commitment to accomplishing the goal and simultaneously to the success of the individual members of the team. The role of the leader is quite different from the role of the individual member of the team when working towards a common goal. Whatever role you play towards the goal, the importance of the team should resonate with you; you also need to adopt a system of conversation, coaching, and real-time conflict resolution. In all, whatever you do should contribute to boosting the morale and success of the team through accountability to yield the best possible results.

2) Let Your Team Personalize the Vision with a Strong Focus on Relationship

A hidden danger to avoid in your team is allowing the members to commit to the vision but have the paramount interest in their own individual success. They may sing the same song but move in a different direction at the expense of your strategy and the organizational goals. Goals alone are never enough without good systems in place. Your major role as a leader is to ensure that your team members connect to the vision of the team and regularly reinforce that it is part of their daily work routine.

In human relations, conflicts are bound to emerge. It is the responsibility of the manager to define the ways to handle the challenge and do so before the conflicts arise. As you tactically manage your team, openness, honesty, and integrity should create the foundations for your approach. A well-managed team builds trust. It’s also essential to know that nurturing a friendly relationship within the team will help the development of a team spirit with a greater sense of responsibility, effectiveness, and strength. This dynamic balancing of task and relationship is what leads to high performance and productivity.

3) Set Winning Standard of Performance

Set the standard of operation, the standard of performance and keep it consistent. Make your communications 1) Simple, 2) Consistent and 3) Connected (to the mission and vision). This approach will set the team up for success.

Support your team at the individual and team levels to help them to grow even if when are out of the office or environment. Lead by example, be their model. Employees are manager watchers, if you are working crazy hours, and burning out, you are not walking the talk. Inspire your team by example, it is a true win-win for you are the team members. The bottom line is that you should focus on goals for the team, both output, and the team cohesion.

The sooner you begin the practices outlined in this article the sooner you will start seeing your superstar team emerge and you won’t have to keep doing 100% of the hard work yourself!

We hope you enjoyed this article valuable on The Benefits of Teamwork and How to Stop Doing 100% of the Hard Work Yourself. You can find more Management and Leadership knowledge on our website www.MagnaLeadership.com. We are trusted advisors for executives of small to mid-sized organizations who realize an investment in their emerging leaders solves their growth and engagement challenges.

Dr. Kevin Gazzara — is a senior partner and founder of Magna Leadership Solutions, based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the author of “The Leader of OZ” www.leaderofoz.com. He is an international speaker and recognized as a Management & Leadership Expert and an Executive Coach. Kevin is a professor at 5 Universities developing and teaching programs to help others achieve their full potential. Please connect with Kevin and Magna Leadership Solutions through our website: www.magnaleadership.com, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/doctorkevin, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevingazzara, or our Facebook Fan Page at https://www.facebook.com/MagnaLeadership

I would be excited to speak with you about your current leadership challenges. Please click here to book any open time on my calendar: https://Magnaleadershipkevin.youcanbook.me

If you have any comments, suggestions or ideas, I encourage you to share your thoughts with us and our readers in the comments below.

Thank you, 
Dr. Kevin Gazzara
Magna Leadership Solutions LLC
Founder and Senior Partner

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