How to Build a Winning Team

When it comes to creating the perfect team, there are many approaches and managers will often disagree on the "right way" that it should be done. As you know, the team is a make-or-break factor in a startup; you must find the right people - and the right combination of people. 

Don’t just take our advice on how to build a winning team! We have searched the internet for expert advice and included five articles in this piece that will help you determine your own strategy for building your team. 

Start off strong.

Creating a well-performing team starts with adopting a successful hiring strategy that will help you recruit the best people for your startup. Start by defining your business culture. Then create a formal hiring process, stick to it and you'll find talented individuals that fit in. In the article Secrets of Building A Winning Team For Your Startup, it is recommended that you post about your company culture on your website to attract like-minded candidates. You would not want to waste your time, or theirs, on an interview if the candidate could have avoided applying if they knew from the beginning that it wouldn’t be a good fit. 

Additionally, it is often recommended that you continue to keep a pool of candidates for future openings even after you have hired for a specific job posting. You never know what may happen within your team and it is great to have a list to pull from when you start hiring again. 

Be efficient and quick, but do not rush into hiring or firing someone; it takes time to create the perfect team. Give the candidate a chance to get to know the team before making any decisions about hiring or firing. If you put time and effort into them, trust them and give them the opportunity to prove themselves, you will most likely have a successful member of the team. If it’s not going to happen though, don’t force it or feel bad letting someone go. There is no point in keeping someone around if they aren’t bringing value to your team. 

It is important that the chemistry is right. As the great Kenny Roger’s once said, “you gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them.” 

Teamwork makes the dream work. 

Collaboration by all team members will create better work, as the saying goes "two heads are better than one." Using an approach that emphasizes open communication and networking will enhance company culture and if you promote that, as previously mentioned, it could even attract good workers and help build your winning team! 

Using teamwork is particularly important for startup companies. When you are trying to get your company going, hearing all opinions and working as a unit is vital. As suggested by the title of this article, How You Work Together Is How You Win Together. 

Some companies take a step by step approach as seen in the piece How to Create a Winning Team at Work. The three steps mentioned in this piece include: harnessing the skills of every employee, challenging them and offering them new opportunities, and training and evaluating your employees. 

Goals & Roles. 

Everybody within the team should have the same goal. No matter what part of the team you are on (Marketing, HR, Accounting, etc.), everyone should be working towards the greater good of the company; in the article, 7 Keys to Building a Winning Startup Team, the author says the goal should always be to “win," whatever that may mean for your team. 

Once you have your goals, it is important to prioritize them. In the piece, 10 Tips to Build a Winning Team, these are the first two steps in creating your team. Consider making an exhaustive list of everything that needs to be accomplished and then sort them in order of importance then delegate based on your team roles.

Defining the roles in a team is super important as well. As mentioned above, a collaborative environment is essential, but each member should also know what their contribution to the team in order to meet expectations and reduce any confusion. 

With the dividing of tasks comes the need for trust, and trusting each other can be hard! Sometimes you may feel like you can do the job better on your own and you may be nervous delegating tasks. Trust that you are working with these people for a reason: they are talented, just like you. If everyone trusts each other and avoids micromanaging, the team will be much more efficient and successful.  

A winning team cannot be built in one day. 

Have patience and follow our advice, along with that found in these articles, and your team will be a well-oiled machine in no time. 

Of course, a winning team deserves a brag-worthy office. Be sure to check out OneCoWork’s beautiful offices that inspire you to work. Book a tour today to see what could be your future home away from home! 

Looking for more ways to build a winning team? Try these Team Building Activites For Work, get advice on How To Create A Positive Work Culture, and prepare your company for The Workplace Revolution. 

Bre Gajewski is a Marketing Intern for OneCoWork and will be in Barcelona until April. She just graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama in the United States with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. She majored in Public Relations with a minor in French and took particular interest in International Business and Entrepreneurship classes. Bre loves writing, traveling and helping people and teams achieve their goals. 

Powered by Froala Editor