By Tom Ottaiano
As a former elite athlete, I was positively influenced by the coaches who guided me through my athletic career. I always admired how the best coaches were able to bring people together and form a team who had each other’s backs and all worked together to accomplish one goal, without anyone losing their individuality.
From athlete to CEO, I carried my knowledge of good leadership that I saw from my coaches into the organization I founded. One of the most effective leadership styles for fostering a teamwork-oriented environment is to implement effective coaching techniques. Here are my top strategies for motivating, growing and building trust with your team.
Understand Your Employees
Just like a coach understands their players, a leader needs to know their employees. What are their goals? What motivates them? The best head coaches are able to see where each player fits on the field according to their strengths. This is also true for a workplace environment.
You need to have an understanding of where each individual is coming from and what experience they bring to the table. Understanding their skills will help you to put your employees in a position that will lend itself to the success of your business, as well as their individual growth. When everyone fits into the puzzle, goals get accomplished quicker.
Encourage Collaboration
The best ideas come from collaboration. No one on the team should be on their own creative island. Encouraging collaboration within an organization fosters a sense of teamwork that leads to better results.
Every month, we set up a full team meeting where we provide education, as well as hands-on experiences to bring people together. This makes collaboration effortless when it comes to working on client projects.
Set Clear Goals
Every single person under the roof of any company should be striving for a goal. In order for them to be aligned with these goals, it’s important to reinforce them. Often something as simple as writing it down or saying it out loud will put more weight behind the goal and make it more meaningful when it’s accomplished.
Everyone’s individual goals should be fitting into the larger business goals of the organization.
Keep the Line of Communication Open.
Open communication builds trust and trust fosters happy, productive employees. Consistently communicate openly with employees to keep them in the loop. Accepting feedback from employees is also an important part of success as a team. Good coaches listen, and so do good bosses.
Recognize and Celebrate Success
Celebrating wins is extremely beneficial for your team. It boosts morale and reinforces the importance of accomplishing goals.
There’s no point in playing the game if everyone can’t fully experience a well-deserved victory.