- Identify what is needed to accomplish your goals and express them in terms of the daily activities necessary for achieving them.
- Identify individual and team priorities, put them in writing, and coach from them.
- Define what scoring and winning is for your team. When a team works together to accomplish a common goal, synergy is created and a winning tradition is more likely to take place.
- Make certain the best individual is in each position. Sometimes, the right people are on the team, but not necessarily in the right positions.
- Improve communication by keeping the appropriate people informed. Give early warning if a deadline is going to be missed or if a problem is occurring.
- Be on time.
- Be willing to be cross-trained and learn new jobs.
- Recognize opportunities where you can help, even if it is not in your job description.
- Look beyond your job and see the big picture.
- Offer input and ideas for improving processes and systems.
- Avoid unnecessary interruptions by making lists of what you need to discuss.
- Be willing to ask for and offer help.
- Have a positive attitude toward customers and team members.
- Clearly defined goals and expectations are essential for effective teamwork and optimum results. For goals and expectations to be meaningful, they need to be written, specific, and measurable. Specific goals and expectations deliver specific results. Unclear, vague goals and expectations typically produce no results. In order to assure acceptance of responsibility and consistency, people must understand what is expected of them.
- Stop listening to gossip, rumors, and complaints that you cannot do anything about. A commitment to stop listening to things you cannot do anything about can have several positive effects:
- People learn to stop “dumping” on you.
- Time is not wasted worrying about things you have no control over.
- Reputations are not destroyed.
When someone wants to engage in gossip, rumors, or complaints with you, suggest that they talk with someone who can do something about their concerns. By encouraging co-workers to be proactive about their concerns, you can reduce incidences of gossip, rumors, or complaints. As a result, you and your team members can enjoy greater productivity and a more positive work environment.