The following are suggestions only. Before implementing any of the following suggestions please check with your company for approval.

Building teams while getting to know your employees.

Become a Team

The first thing a good manager should do is add Team to their vocabulary. Your employees are Your Team and should be referred to as such.

Remember your only as good as Your Team and it is your responsibility to develop Your Team and individual Team Mates.

Let your employees know that together you are a team, that it's not just about you, and each individual plays an important part in the success of the whole team. This alone will help your employees feel vested in what they are doing

Bringing Your Team and the Company Mission Together

Does your team know the company Mission Statement by heart? Probably not. Well then it's time they did and it's up to you to get them fired up.

Go over the mission statement with your team, explain and get their views on what it means. Clarify any misconceptions.

Prior to the meeting, have the mission statement printed on business card sized paper. Have it laminated and pass one to each of your team members. Let them know you would like them to memorize the mission statement and at meetings you will randomly pick someone to recite it. Have rewards ready for those who get it right (possibly a basket with assorted candies that they can take several pieces of).

When an employee understands the mission of their company then they have a clearly defined definition on where they are going and why. This adds meaning to their work instead just having a job.

Give Your Team Vision

Now it's time to plant the seed of vision within your team. The vision of the company is very important and needs to be explained in a way that your team can really visualize it.

This is definitely something that you as the manager will need to feel fully vested in. It can't just be words on paper, you need to believe it to convey the importance of it. You want them to taste it, see it, live it and breath it at work and to be proud of it always.

You can put the company vision on the flip side of the card with the company mission statement. This will help keep the employees focused on the ball.

Just as the mission statement, let the employees know you will randomly ask them at meetings to recite the company vision.

Create Enthusiasm Within the Team

Now that you have explained the team theory, they know the mission and vision of the company, it's time to take it up a notch.

Tell your Team you will need a name. Give them the responsibility to do this and ask them to consider the company mission and vision while they are brain storming. Step back, what really matters is that they own it and the name makes them happy. Now they will feel personally vested in it.

They can all give their idea for the name of the Team then the Team can vote on the one they feel best reflects them, the mission and the company vision. Once this is accomplished be sure to use the Team name in future memo's, meetings or any contact you have with the entire Team. This will continue to bolster their morale and enthusiasm.

This will also begin to lay the foundation that you respect your team. Way to go!

Adding Value to Your Team

Your Team has picked out their name and they are feeling pretty good about it. Now YOU need to reinforce the importance of it.

Most companies will let you request special funds to award their employees or they may have funds on hand. Pick out something everyone can use at work, examples; coffee mugs, thermal cups, ink pens with neck cords, mouse pads or polo shirts, then have your Team name placed on the items.

If special funds are not available pick out something you can afford out of pocket (tax write off). This may even make you feel more vested in your team.

Call a special meeting for your Team and let them know you think they are doing a great job (this is not the meeting to discuss concerns) and then hand out their pesonal Team items.

Not only will it be appreciated, it will set them apart from the other employees. Their co-workers will see that you appreciate your team and this will make your Team feel valuable.

Your Team and the Company Goals

Your team knows the company mission but are probably curious to know how the company plans on reaching their vision.

Go over the short and long term goals of the company with your team. This will give them a better picture of how the company plans on obtaining their vision. Explain how the goals are broke down into individual steps or action plans and what role your team plays. Now your team will see where they fit into the big picture and how vital each individual role is in the growth of their company.

Determining Where Your Employees Fit Within the Team

Not everyone on your team will want to have the same roles. Some will aspire to reach higher while some will be content to stay where they are at.

How do you determine this? From the employee of course. The best way to do this is to give your employees some things to think about. Possibly a company survey that asks thought provoking questions.

• What do you like best about your job?
• What do you like least about your job?
• Where do you want to be within the company?
• Where do you see yourself in the next year, 3 years and 5 years?
• Do you set goals for yourself at work? Explain:
• Would you like taking on more responsibility in your current position?
• Would you like taking on more responsibility outside your current position?
• Do you like working alone or with someone else?

This is just a sampling of questions you can ask. Thinking about your team and what they do may promote more questions.

By finding out about each individual on your team helps you to determine the best way to delegate the responsibilities toward meeting a goal. If you give someone a task that they absolutely despise you will have to expect less than quality work. If you give someone a task they love you will most likely receive high quality work.

If you push an employee to rise higher within the company and they have no desire and are perfectly content where they are at; then you have an unhappy employee. There is nothing wrong with an employee wishing to maintain their role. If we promoted everyone, who would be watching the front line? You should support an employee for wanting to remain where they are at, they will be a role model for new employees and possibly the trainer you have been looking for. They play a vital role in your team where they are at and you need to commend them for it.

An employee wishing to move up within the company will not stick around long if they feel they are trapped in their current position. Knowing their personal work goals will help you delegate appropriate responsiblity to them. This will keep them enthusiastic while learning. You will ultimately be helping them reach their goals as they help the team reach it's goals.

To sum it up, how you set up your team depends on the employee. Find out where they want to go and what they want to do.