5 Team Building Mistakes to Avoid

If you’re serious about building a successful business or company, you need to make sure that you build a cohesive, functional team of employees. Unfortunately, this isn’t always as easy as it sounds, which means that you might need to implement some team building strategies.

However, according to Team Works Development, team building can go seriously wrong if you’re not careful. In our experience, there are a few common mistakes that a lot of team leaders make, and they should be avoided at all costs. The five most common include:

  1. Assuming Everyone Is Equal

Although we shouldn’t have to say this, your employees are not equal. Everyone is different, with unique skills, emotions and learning abilities. If you assume that everyone is equal, you won’t be taking advantage of their unique traits.

Additionally, this assumption can be dangerous because it can lead to some members of your team under performing and not performing to the best of their ability. Ultimately, assuming every member of your team is equal is a sure fire way to not achieve the results you want.

  1. Showing a Preference for Some Team Members

On top of this, showing that you prefer some team members over others is a terrible idea. Doing this will create a divide within your team, and can lead to all sorts of long term problems.

Instead, try to treat everyone the same way, even if you do have favourites. Doing this will encourage less capable members to try and improve, and should result in long-term results within your team.

  1. Doing too Much Yourself

Ultimately, your team will want to feel like they are valued and important. Attempting to do too much by yourself can be extremely counterproductive, and will lead to a less efficient, less cohesive team.

In reality, your job as a business owner or manager is to delegate work throughout your team. Make sure you consider everyone’s individual ability when you’re doing this, and do your best to make every member of your team feel valued.

  1. Not Trusting Your Team

Similarly, it’s extremely important to show your team members that you trust them to undertake difficult or sensitive tasks. Doing this will hinder performance and result in a much less productive workplace.

Even if you’re not a naturally trusting person, you should try and delegate tasks where possible. Trust junior team members with difficult jobs and monitor their performance – you might be surprised!

  1. Having Irregular Meetings

One of the keys to successful team building is creating a regular routine. This extends to team meetings and ongoing management processes. We often see businesses attempting to build a cohesive team without consistent meetings and honestly, this just doesn’t work.

Conclusion

In the end, it’s quite easy to make mistakes when it comes to team building. We’ve outlined a few of our top problems to avoid, but make sure that you do your own research.

On top of this, it’s worth putting together a clear team building plan to make sure that you’re performing the most effective actions for your business.