Energize Your Team!

While you celebrate for success, do not forget to plan for the future.

Next year will be upon you faster than you know it and like each year there will be challenges. You’ve got growth targets to meet, customers to connect with, relationships that must be created, sustained and improved upon.

All of this happens when you have an able and willing workforce. Your team should own the projects, targets and initiatives as much as you do. Without taking ownership, all your plans will fall flat. Without the drive of the team, you will not be able to forge ahead.

The first and foremost thing that should be done is that you must share the vision for the future. Each year will have its own unique set of opportunities and challenges which will be due to both internal and external factors. You need to outline to your team the challenges and opportunities you see and how you will overcome them or leverage them in order to achieve your goals.

Take ownership of the goals yourself. You must believe that you can achieve what you set out to do. If you do not believe the vision and growth projections yourself, you will never be able to transfer the ownership to your team. Be authentic on the challenges and the efforts required.

Show confidence in your team. If the leader exhibits confidence in their team, the team takes charge of their tasks and assignments. If the leader displays doubts about the team’s ability, the team, despite their ability will not be able to perform. Make sure to keep a positive outlook.

Assign roles and responsibilities to key team members. This will help nurture your team members to take responsibilities of tasks and team members. This will also ensure that your team members work for you rather than you requiring constant follow up with them for completion of tasks.

Assign timelines. People work better when they know they have a specific schedule to follow. It helps organize and distribute their efforts. It also ensures that you can keep track of your team’s progress and assign resources as required if they are falling behind or charging ahead of schedule.

Offer support. Your team will come upon challenges in completing their tasks. Make sure the team knows that you are there for them and will provide any support that they may require. Having a strong leader to rely upon in case of adversity helps boost the morale of your team.

Ensuring that your team is excited about the next year ensures that you will hit the ground running as soon as the year starts.