How To Build A Productive Team In Nigeria

Being a team leader entails working with people, and that’s not an easy task. Therefore, understanding how to build a productive team is a very vital skill to develop as a team leader.

Working with an experienced and well-trained team has always played a major role in building successful businesses and enterprises worldwide.

In Nigeria today, we have many startups, establishments, and companies that are in dire need of individuals who have quality leadership skills, adequate knowledge of how to build a productive workplace, and also a good understanding of how to manage a team.

The amazing thing about learning how to build a productive team is that it will equip you with the necessary information to work with employees, staff, or teammates to achieve a common goal.

One of the core responsibilities of every team leader is to inspire and motivate team members to have a unity of purpose.

In this article, you will be learning the important keys that will guide you on how to build a productive team.

Table of Contents

Seven (7) Important Keys That Will Guide You on How to Build a Productive Team

Clearly outline your goals and vision to your team members

Every team is expected to have a common goal and vision. Without a common goal and vision, team members will find themselves shadow boxing into the air. Having a common goal and vision will help you give your teammates a well-defined direction and focus.

Ensure you outline your goals and vision to your teammates as a team leader because it is easier for teammates to drive a vision when they fully understand the vision. Clarity enhances speed when your fellow teammates can understand your vision and goals. That in itself will accelerate the speed with which the common goal will be achieved swiftly.

Establish rules and regulations that every team member must accept and respect

Establishing rules and regulations is one of the essentials to note down when learning how to build a productive team. Rules and Regulations are enacted to help keep team members in check. As the team leader, you must ensure every team member accepts and respects the rules and regulations.

One of the important things to note here is; that as the team leader, you must lead by example. Don’t expect your team members to obey the rules and regulations when you are openly disregarding the rules yourself. The rules and regulations must be accessible to every member of the team. Any violation of the team’s rules and regulations should attract a corrective measure according to the level of offense perpetrated.

Read also: Best Remedies To managing Productivity Guilt

Carefully study your team members to understand their strengths and weaknesses

In learning how to build a productive team, it is advisable to carefully study your team members to help you ascertain their areas of strength and weaknesses. For example, some persons can be very good in planning but poor in implementation, while others are good in implementation but poor in planning.

It is, therefore, your responsibility as the team leader to be able to know and understand the diverse abilities of your team members, which will help you to create a unique job description that suits each of their abilities and will, in turn, improve the synergy amongst your team members.

Assign realistic and achievable tasks to your team members

This is a very important key in knowing how to build a productive team. Don’t just ask anybody to carry out any task without knowing if he/she can deliver. Assigning a task you know is impossible to achieve is unacceptable. Every task should be feasible, realistic, and achievable.

Whenever you assign a task, ensure you take into cognizance the job description and capability of the individuals in question. For instance, it will be unprofessional to ask your “Accountant” to do the work of the HR (Human Resource), because they were specifically trained to carry out different duties. You will increase the productivity of your team members when you entrust them with a reasonable task.

Avoid castigating your team members in front of others

It is almost impossible to have a team without fracas. Sometimes you may have to deal with disagreement and disappointment from team members. How you handle such situations will reveal your level of professionalism as a team leader. Now, whether you like it or not, some team members may default, or maybe a conflict may sprout up; when this happens, you must avoid the temptation to castigate your fellow team members in public or in front of others.

Castigating someone has the potential to make them suffer inferiority complex or have to deal with low self-esteem, which may affect their mental health; Instead of castigating such a member, create a system of discipline that will curb the problem and also prevent it from happening again. If a team member continues to default despite several corrections, then the person in question can be dismissed from the team if the offense is grievous or made to go through a disciplinary process which might involve suspension or a severe penalty.

Read also: 8 Signs You’re In A Toxic Workplace

Always resolve grievances among team members in a diplomatic manner

This is very crucial in knowing how to build a productive team. Anytime you notice resentment among your teammates, do not be surprised, sometimes it happens. They are humans, and offenses will surely come, but as a team leader, you must make yourself available to resolve conflicts or grievances among your team members.

One of the proven ways to resolve conflicts is to listen attentively to the two or more parties involved. As a leader, you do not want to flinch to a conclusion without hearing from both parties. After listening carefully to the parties involved, pacify them to apologize to each other and make sure you don’t show favoritism or partiality in your judgment.

Reward competence and productivity

As a good team leader, giving commendable remarks after completing a task to your team members is expedient. People tend to do more when they are appreciated and applauded. Learn to encourage your team members. Giving encouragement has a way of motivating people to improve their level of productivity. Create a system of reward and recognition for outstanding team members.

Conclusion

In conclusion, mastering how to build a productive team does not happen overnight. As the team leader, you must give yourself to continuous learning and improvement. Your team members will look up to you for inspiration, so you must consistently see to it that you are growing and increasing in value each passing day. Always remember that you must train and equip your team members to build a robust and excellent team. Finally, schedule some downtime with your team members and watch them perform at their best.

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About Author

Daniel Yakubu

I am Daniel Yakubu, a professional freelance SEO content writer. I'm passionate about creating excellent and engaging SEO content.
I have worked with several brands and organizations to write informative articles that attract quality traffic to their websites.
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