5 Tricks to Building a Solid & Effective Team

Steve Jobs once said that “a small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players.” I firmly believe this and as such, only use small, well-trained teams in my work.  It is easier to manage, cheaper in the long run, and we produce a better result. However, if you look at all the resumes and marketing hype out there, it seems like everyone is an A+ player.  Obviously, that cannot be true. And there is nothing worse than making a bad hire. It can be expensive and damaging to your team morale, as well as your company’s reputation. So how does one sort out the wheat from the chaff?  I have learned a few tricks over the years. Below are my top five methods to identify, build, and maintain a top-performing team.

Remember that people are not 2D

Resumes and portfolios are great, but they only provide a snapshot of a person’s work ethic, capabilities, and personality.  If you are only using artificial intelligence keywords to locate the next best candidate, good luck to you. I never touch the stuff myself. Why would I let a computer program make the most important decision at my company? Just as an example, keywords might be phrased slightly differently than what is in your algorithm, and as a result, you might miss a great candidate. Instead, skip the keyword search and look at a candidate’s paperwork holistically. You will be surprised how quickly you can scan a resume and narrow down a shortlist. Do they offer a unique background that your organization can draw and build upon?  Is their resume easy to read? This can provide insight into their preparation and attention to detail. If a candidate shortchanges this important first step, what are they likely to do when the project schedule is slipping, and the customer is breathing down their neck? Some corners should not be cut.

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Use a variety of interview options

Similarly, remember that a candidate’s personality is complex, and it takes time to evaluate. For this reason, I use a variety of touchpoints over multiple days when evaluating my candidates, which include; a quick video call; two or more shorter interviews, and an interactive onboarding process.

Video calls are a great screening tool. Are candidates well-dressed, articulate, and good communicators? Does the candidate understand how to behave? If you cannot put them in front of a customer, they probably are not the right candidate for you. 

Using short, multiple interviews are great for candidates and interviewers alike as it allows you to get more comfortable with each other.  Furthermore, if a candidate is working another job, they can meet over lunch, rather than taking the day off and using precious vacation time. You will learn whether a candidate is having a bad day, or if it is a trend. Evaluate them for culture fit. Test their abilities to perform tasks and think outside the box. 

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Once you have hired a candidate, it is vital that you keep engaged during the onboarding process and beyond. Ensure they are getting the training they need and have a way to provide feedback to the organization. Close the loop to ensure you can improve the process over time.

Focus on training

Onboarding is never over. Markets change. Technology evolves. It is vital that your team is constantly learning and keeping up with the latest industry trends. Complacency will kill you. Some would argue that training is expensive, but I disagree. It is expensive not to do so. If cost is a problem, there are various free but high-quality resources, opportunities, and volunteers that businesses of all types can use to train their personnel. Take a few minutes to do a Google search. I promise it will be worth it.

We look at training on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. The adage that you should be learning something every day is very true. Both you and your employees should be growing and evolving every day. 

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On a weekly basis, we use what we call sandbox time to pursue more personal, but work-related projects that build out our body of knowledge. Want to build a PLC-controlled Terminator arm?  Sounds good. It keeps employees engaged and teaches them new skills that can be applied to company projects. 

Month to month, we hold brown bag seminars where employees can learn about a wide variety of topics. The presenter may be an employee or a volunteer outside our group covering topics from knife making to playing a Tuba professionally (both were employees). As a design organization, you never know where your next great idea may come from, so learning about completely different industries can often solve that nagging problem your team has had for weeks. 

Each year, I focus more on company processes and standard operating procedures. It is not very exciting, but we only have to do it once or twice a year. 

Create moments

It is no surprise that top teams need to work well together.  Furthermore, the teams that are close tend to work the best.  However, team members do not become close because they were forced to attend a picnic or sing happy birthday each month. They bond over those little moments where you let your guard down just a bit and experience being human together.  They bond over those times that make you laugh or cry and give you something to fondly remember one day. Throughout a project or an employee’s career, be sure to stop and smell the roses. Create those little moments that matter. Work isn’t everything. 

Reward the team on performance

Promotions, and in my opinion, titles, are bad. I realize this makes many people mad. However, promotions and titles reward a single person on the team, thereby implying that the rest of the team does not matter as much. Some people take this better than others, too. Whenever possible, reward the entire team.  It is never just one person that made that product launch happen. Not everybody can be Vice President, so you need to develop a system that takes the entire team into account. Trophies are great, but research shows that monetary compensation is better. Increased responsibility and a sense of control over your own destiny has been shown to be a stronger motivator still, leading to reduced employee turnover and higher levels of happiness on the job. Can your team pick their next project? Maybe they can help provide more insight into company strategy. Every situation is unique, so the reward should be similarly unique. The point is to think “we” and not “he or she.”

Conclusion

Building a great team is not easy. It takes time and the summation of carefully guided baby steps to form a strong, coherent team capable of setting the world on fire. Identify the best clay with a careful interview process, shape that clay over time with frequent training opportunities, and fire it by using thoughtful moments that bond your team. Building a great team isn’t easy, but it is worth it.