27 Jan
Confidence Culture, Entrepreneurship

Millennials in Business

Millennials are famous for their mix of creativity, passion, and intelligence, This mix makes them suitable to innovate and challenge the status quo. A constant hunt for more comfortable ways of doing things is very popular among millennials. We sometimes perceive their high affinity for ingenuity and smart working style as laziness.

Millennials Work Ethic

However, this is far from the truth. Millennials are among the most hardworking groups in today’s society, exhibiting a willingness to go the extra mile to make their dreams a reality.

They usually have a peculiar way of doing things, just like their thinking is out of the box. We see this unique working culture as weird, informal, and lackadaisical.

Millennials Work Environment

A lack of understanding of the millennial’s values and working style is highly responsible for the numerous wrong conclusions.

Millennials typically work best in a flexible and relaxed environment, where company goals and visions are communicated. They like being part of a team and put in their best effort when they are in the inner circle.

Millennials' in business

Contrary to the corporate world’s traditional work culture, millennials prefer to work in a fluid environment with little pressure. Therefore, most millennials prefer to work from home and willing to take slightly lower pay for this convenience.

A flexible work schedule is a yet another incentive millennials hold dear. A subgroup of millennials identifies as night owls. Members of this subgroup aren’t morning people and do their best work at night.

Firms with a workforce with a significant proportion of millennials usually invest in creating a relaxed working environment and flexible working system. The efficiency and productivity of millennials are clear to see.

Millennials are responsible for a lot of groundbreaking startups. Businesses with a predominantly millennial workforce are famous for their innovations, skill, and high-quality productivity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the drive and willingness to try new ways of doing things makes them more likely to take risks. These characteristics, in the long run, help them to do things faster and better. The results are precise.

As a result Millennial-led businesses rise fast and quickly become forces to be reckoned with in whatever field they find themselves; Sometimes kicking out their competition.

Once focused, millennials are very energetic and efficient. These values also apply to their businesses and work ethics.

25 Jan
Productivity, Team Management

How To Manage Your Team Remotely?

Right now, “working from home” or remote working has become more of a necessity than a trend. It is an emerging necessity for most companies across the globe. Due to this, several team leaders or managers have to manage a complete team remotely.

This work setup could be turn out to be a slightly challenging task –especially if you are not preparing for the same.

Allison Todd, Operations & Digital Growth Strategist and Founder of SiMar OR Allison Todd and Team SiMar – explains the importance of working from home and how business organizations can manage the respective teams remotely effectively. 

Managing Your Team Remotely.

If you wish to run your business seamlessly while being on the “work from home” mark, here are some useful tips by the experts:

Ensure Daily Check-in

Whenever it is possible, you should organize the face-to-face, one-on-one video conferencing with the respective teammates. You should see your entire team.

The good news is that the advent of high-end video conferencing tools has made it relatively easy to ensure checking in daily with your teammates. This strategy’s primary purpose is to set the daily plan while providing the necessary resources or feedback required by your team members.

Ensure Maximum Communication

There is no denying that whether you are working in-house or remotely, ensuring ongoing communication with the team members is of utmost importance.

One of the most challenging aspects of working from home –especially if you are immensely used to working in a typical office environment, is the feeling of loneliness or isolation that might creep in.

To add it all, it increases your woes in modern times when individuals out there are practicing social distancing. In this situation, continuous communication with the team members would help them feel connected and motivated.

Make Maximum Use of Technology

When you are the team manager or leader, it is your responsibility to ensure that the entire team is well connected. Several high-end communication tools serve to be a simple way of ensuring that everyone in your team is engaged.

While messages and emails might appear to be a short-term solution. Advanced tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack for improved collaboration and communication. To top it all, most of these interactive collaboration tools are available for free now.

Emphasize Outcomes, Not Activities

When working with a remote team, it is impossible to manage each aspect of the work completed. Moreover, you should not control every part of your remote team –especially when the team is spread across multiple locations.

As such, rather than focusing on the hour’s works or activities completed, you should aim at focusing on the outcomes while measuring your team accordingly.

Conclusion

Ensure that you are working efficiently while managing a remote team. Remote working has become the essence of the hour. Therefore, you should make the most of it.

20- Minute Discovery Call

The discovery call is the most important call in our relationship. It sets the tone for our connection and allows us to better understand one another. Plus, you get a business challenge addressed with actionable steps toward solutions. The phone call is making a comeback! Let’s connect?

How To Manage Your Team Remotely?

22 Jan
Team Management

What Does it Cost When You Don’t Onboard Your Team Properly

Many make this misnomer that proper onboarding means a detailed orientation; instead, it focuses on employees’ success and productivity. As a business owner, the continuous review and development of your team is a prerequisite for success. But what does it cost when you don’t onboard your team correctly?

Team Development

Team development is crucial in ensuring the efficiency and improved productivity of your team. If your team isn’t well developed, you will find your workforce operating far below its full potential.

It is one thing to know the benefits of team development and identifies it as a necessity. However, knowing how to go about developing your team is even more critical. Without proper knowledge of organizing and implementing your team’s development, you might end up wasting your team’s time rather than improving cooperation and attaining synergy.

Stages of Team Development

The first thing to note about team development is that there are stages. Identifying the stage your team currently occupies, and the next step in your team’s progress would give the process of your team’s development focus and direction. As an entrepreneur, you are the captain of your team. Therefore, knowing your team’s roadmap and destination is necessary for taking your team to greater heights.

Team development is known as the effective process of learning to work together. According to Bruce Tuckman, an educational psychologist, there are five stages of team development, namely:

Forming

Forming is the first stage in team development. Here team members are just getting to know each other; This is when the team members find out their roles and other team members’ roles. During the stage, your team’s basic structure is developed; This is crucial in your team’s development. It would be best if you orientate your team regarding their duties and how they fit in with the responsibilities of other team members.

This is also your first time of proving yourself as a competent leader. This stage requires you to convince every team member that you have a plan and their careers are in good hands. If you are working with an old team, then a structure would have been established. In a situation whereby your team’s structure isn’t optimum for productivity, you might have to go back to this stage and make some necessary reforms.

Storming

Storming is the second stage of team development. In this stage, your conflict resolution skills as a leader would be put to the test. This stage is filled with conflict and competition. The initial politeness fades, and your team members reveal their real personalities. This stage is quite problematic, and in most cases, production is greatly affected negatively. It is your job to ensure that no conflict or clash goes unresolved or unaddressed. Seeds of discord that lead to long term damage in the team are sown at this stage. Failure to address disagreements at this stage would stunt the growth and development of your team. Most business owners find it challenging to handle this stage of team development. However, once you cross this stage, your team would develop at a fast pace.

Norming

This stage involves your teammates adjusting to their roles. Unity and cohesion begin to emerge as team members find it easy to corporate. They are familiar with their roles as well as the personalities of their team members. However, this isn’t a guarantee of peace and progress. The norming stage is a stage of fragile peace and unity. Now and then, little spats might spring up, and old conflicts might reemerge. It is important to note that the norming stage is not a guarantee that a team cannot fall back to the storming stage. The norming stage marks the beginning of synergy. However, this fragile stage must be protected and guided with care and intention.

Performing

At this stage, you have finally developed your team into the dream team. Production is at its peak, and cooperation is smooth and seamless. Few issues might arise, but at this stage, your team has developed simple conflict resolution strategies. All efforts of your team members are geared towards the success of the firm. Productivity and efficiency are rarely affected by distractions and conflict.

Adjourning

This isn’t a stage in the usual sense of the word. We can tag the adjourning stage as the review stage. There should be a scheduled meeting in which the team’s progress is evaluated; This usually entails acknowledging the team’s progress and awarding praises to team members that had performed exceptionally well. This is also the perfect time to discuss ways to move the team forward and new strategies for further development. The Adjourning stage is necessary to keep your team performing at optimum. Neglecting this stage could lead to your team slipping back into a state of chaos and storm.

New Hire Onboarding Digital Tool

New Hire Onboarding

Conclusion

Team development is a continuous process that requires constant and intentional effort. Properly developing your team ensures that your team members work at optimum capacity while enjoying happiness and fulfillment in their careers.

scaling your business
18 Jan
Grow Your Expertise, Team Management

How to Be an Excellent Leader of an Excellent Team

There are numerous aspects to building and developing a team. However, the success or failure of your team is heavily reliant on your leadership skills. It is not enough to get the most skilled people in various fields. Without proper leadership and human resource management skills, you might end up wasting your team’s talent.

The team should be greater than the sum of all its members. There are many benefits in synergy, division of labor, specialization, and good old teamwork. However, these benefits would be unattainable if you are a terrible leader.

As an entrepreneur leading your team is part of the job; However, the fact that you are the de facto manager and boss doesn’t mean you should take the job for granted. As a leader, you must make serious efforts to manage the talents and skills of every member of your team.

How to be an excellent leader

How to Be an Excellent Leader of an Excellent Team

Here are a few tips on how to be a good team leader.

1.     Be a good listener

A true leader is someone that listens to more and talks less. He is garnering information from the great minds he has gathered around himself. Therefore a good leader makes informed decisions at all times. He isn’t harmful or argumentative but positive and patient. Teammates find it easy to make their opinions and suggestions known to a good leader. A good leader understands the value and importance of every member of the team. You don’t know everything, therefore do not hesitate to learn from the views and perspectives of your team.

2. Generals aren’t the best soldiers, but the best leaders

A good leader surrounds himself with people smarter and more skilled. A general doesn’t recruit weak soldiers to stroke his ego. A good leader employs talented people who would perform their given roles excellently. It is best to hire people who are better at doing one aspect of your business than every other team member. Synergy is achieved when you employ a wide range of talents that fit and work well together.

3. Be a source of inspiration

Another tip on being a good leader is to be a source of inspiration. Sometimes it is not all about money and benefits. As a team leader, you must paint a vivid picture of your business’s future and how your employees fit in. The best employees are those who have seen their goals and objectives and are focused on achieving it. Inspired employees are the best and most driven teammates.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a team must be made up of the right parts that fit together and an excellent leader. The combination of skill, synergy, and leadership is what would make your team productive and your business successful.