10 Feb Lots of love for your team – How to ensure a good team spirit

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but instead of a romantic visit to a restaurant, most people are staying at home this year. So why not focus on other relationships? For example, those at work. The day of the lovers serves again as a good reminder to appreciate also your work colleagues, coworkers and employees. After all, if you have a good working atmosphere, it’s easier to switch off after work and enjoy time with your loved ones to the fullest. So promote your team spirit, strengthen the relationship with each other and ensure a good basic mood in the team. We’ll show you how to do it.

Define clear goals

Before a team and the team spirit can develop, it must first be clear what is expected from this cooperation. Because while a group only carries out a common activity, a team defines itself by the same goal that is to be achieved. These can be large ones, such as the corporate goal, but also small milestones, such as a certain daily workload. Achieving these not only boosts motivation, but also strengthens the sense of community. Because when everyone is pulling in the same direction, the general goal becomes personal.

This requires good employees and colleagues who all have individual skills. You can use these and should also highlight them on occasion. People who feel valued are happier and more productive. So communicate successes and achievements to the team and show that the work done is noticed and what it has brought to the common vision.

Teams must be able to develop

Those who share this vision often already feel part of the team. But that is not always the case. Therefore, it must be possible for the team to still develop and change. This means not only recruiting new and capable team members, but also saying goodbye to those who do not (or no longer) share the team spirit. This can lead to uncomfortable situations, but it is essential for the success of the team. Therefore, have feedback conversations and stay alert to needs and mood. This way, you can find solutions together, even if it means the team will change as a result.

Where the team loses members, however, it can also grow. When looking for new team members, it is not only their skills that are important. Just like in any other relationship, the chemistry has to be right. A successful team doesn’t have to be homogeneous in appearance, but it should share the same attitude and be at about the same level. So as important as a candidate’s skills are, the overall appearance should be the focus here. People who feel comfortable and a part of the team learn faster, work more effectively, and round out the team better.

Ensure a clear distribution of roles, but do not act as an autocrat

„Genius rules over chaos“ said Albert Einstein – but the question is: at what price? Chaos in the team causes frustration and bad mood. Rather distribute clear work areas, provide clear structures and set rules to prevent a big mess. If everyone knows what to do, there will be fewer misunderstandings and efficiency will increase. At the same time, you are allowed to hand over work. Working in a team means sharing responsibilities and not frantically trying to be involved everywhere. It is about trusting your teammates.

To establish this trust, you should communicate openly from the beginning. Involve your teammates in important processes and decisions and don’t ignore anyone. Open communication regarding all-encompassing matters is important for team spirit, and even the smallest link in the chain should be included. Influence and participation are, after all, basic human needs. Make sure that everyone is involved to a sufficient degree.

However, don’t get too micro-managed; it’s possible to over-inform. So while everyone needs to be informed of successes and setbacks, information meant for only one area of work takes up unnecessary capacity of others. Therefore, determine at the outset who needs to be involved in which communications. If necessary, consult with team members to enable them to make decisions. After all, being a team means creating together.

Rituals, humor, community spirit

Shared memories and positive events create a good team feeling and strengthen the bond between each other. A big meal together, the Friday night after-work beer or team-building events can be rituals in this respect. These create a „we“ feeling, but also ensure that the team feels connected outside of work and that topics and friendships develop elsewhere.

The type of communication is just as important: Humor must not be missing for a good team feeling at the workplace. Laughing together connects people and helps reduce tensions in the team. Therefore, this facet should not be disregarded from everyday teamwork.

Conclusion

As in romantic relationships, the team’s relationship is also significantly related to proper communication. A team can only function if people talk to each other. This applies to both the professional and the private level. If you communicate well, openly in all directions, but also provide a clear structure with rules, you will get a satisfied and efficient team in return. Unpleasant situations have to be faced together, but fun and extra-business can also come to the fore. Finding the right balance between all of this is the challenge that needs to be mastered. But if you work together as a team and involve your colleagues in the decision-making processes, you’re heading in the right direction. After all, a team is characterized by working together.