Any business, regardless of industry, is only as good as the team that supports it. Here, three leaders in different sectors share their insights and expertise into how to build and maintain efficient and supportive teams. Our professionals for this round table include:
Mark Floersch, CEO, CATCH Intelligence, a technology firm focused on delivering World Class Business Intelligence (BI) systems that provide clients with the latest software, tools, analysis, resources, and insights necessary to identify, catch, and utilize data that provides the greatest value to their organizations. catchintelligence.com
Gina Pappas, owner and president, Pappas Marketing Communications, which utilizes earned, owned, shared, and paid media in a customizable, integrated way to provide solutions that achieve client objectives with services that include a complete suite of marketing communication strategies. pappasmarketing.com
Cyrus Jaffery, founder and CEO, Jaffery Insurance & Financial Services, an independent insurance agency dedicated to serving clients across Nebraska, Iowa, and beyond to help them achieve their financial goals and manage risk. jafferyinsurance.com
B2B: What makes a team successful in your opinion? What is the best way to build a great team?
MF: Trust is the foundation of all relationships and teamwork. We have to be able to trust each other and count on each other. We have to assume good intent. We have to really, truly care about each other. We have to trust that our teammate or sister department is going to do their job. We have to have each other’s backs. We have to be positive PR agents for each other. We create dynamic, high functioning teams all the time. In the consulting world, we need to dynamically create teams that function well together. First, we look for people who are flexible and adaptable. Second, we train people to be great listeners and to be flexible and adaptable. Third, we hire A-players who want to be top performers and expect everyone on their team to be accountable high performers. Fourth, we hire and train great leaders to lead teams. Fifth, we clearly define roles on the team so people know when they are the leader or when they are a follower. Sixth, we hold each other accountable to deliver world-class results. Seventh, we under promise and over deliver and deliver “plus ones” to ensure that we meet and exceed expectations. Eighth, we recognize, reward, and celebrate great results and accomplishments.
GP: A well-rounded team is a successful team. Bringing together people with a wide range of skills and empowering them to own their roles leads to a high level of personal satisfaction for your team members. Building a great team takes time. Leaders need to take a bird’s eye view of their organization and their goals in order to identify in what areas their team needs to be built. Think ahead to what you want to achieve, and ensure you have a team that possesses those skill sets. A thorough interview process can identify if a potential team member is a good cultural fit. Tapping into your industry peers to find top talent can be an effective means of identifying job candidates.
CJ: A successful team is made up of strong communication, work ethic, collaboration, and a shared purpose. We achieve this by building trust, setting clear goals, keeping people accountable to the goals, and encouraging open feedback. Effective communication is key to aligning everyone toward common goals. Our recruitment philosophy prioritizes work ethic and cultural compatibility with our organization. This allows us to keep the culture strong, which is a key component of a strong team. We don’t need a bunch of A-players; I would rather hire good culture fit B-players all day and build them into A-players, the Jaffery way. Collaboration allows team members to utilize their strengths and solve problems together for the good of the organization. A shared purpose motivates individuals to work towards a common vision and think about something a lot bigger than just themselves.
B2B: What is your strategy around employee engagement?
MF: Praise, praise, praise. In our busy worlds, we often do not take time to praise our people. This should be everyone’s job to recognize great accomplishments that happen every day. Every two weeks during our lunch and learns, we publicly praise our teammates for their great accomplishments. This might be recognizing someone for living our core values, achieving a certification, receiving high customer praise, a manager “thank you” for teamwork, or a peer thanking a peer for their help and support. Our people need to take time to share their gratitude with each other. This is part of all of our jobs. We all need to make time to think about whom we can thank and praise each day. It is easy if you just take the time to step back and reflect on the day or the week. Whom can I thank for their kindness today? For whom am I grateful today?
GP: We have been a remote organization for more than 20 years, and we’ve learned that connecting outside of the remote environment is important. Lunch or coffee are simple ways to connect that provide a change of scenery from the home office. Tools like Teams and Zoom, which have grown immensely since 2020, make connecting in a remote environment even easier. I also think simple check-ins go a long way. Understanding what’s going on in your employees’ lives outside of work, while maintaining professionalism, helps employees feel valued.
CJ: At Jaffery Insurance, employee engagement is a top priority. We promote a positive work culture through teamwork and camaraderie. Along with providing professional development opportunities, we prioritize work-life balance to support our employees in all aspects of their lives. Regular check-ins, team-building activities, and recognition programs keep our employees motivated and engaged. Employees are more engaged when they are in the right mindset and that starts with employees working on personal development. We have read one book a month for four years now as a team and that has helped the team work on themselves. We are trying to build great husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, sisters, community members, and humans in general instead of just great employees.
B2B: How do you motivate people to go the extra mile?
MF: Same: Praise, praise, praise. “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it all into words is all that is necessary.”—Margaret Cousins
GP: Be a positive and approachable leader. When giving feedback on a project, always lead with the good. Say “please” and “thank you” every time you request something from your team. Make your team members feel valued as people, not just employees who complete tasks. And be honest; if you aren’t getting the output you need, be clear about what needs to change. But, again, kick off that conversation with something positive.
CJ: To motivate our team to excel, we acknowledge their contributions and foster a sense of ownership and pride in their work. In addition to meaningful incentives and rewards for exceptional performance, we empower our team to take on new challenges and provide them with necessary resources and support. We create a supportive and inclusive work environment where every individual feels valued and heard. Our mission at Jaffery Insurance is to empower employees to become leaders. This takes shape in helping them make decisions for the office to feel included, which in turn translates into employees going the extra mile. When they know, they have skin in the game, it pushes them daily to be better. One of the best ways we have shown this is by doing vision boards every year. It is pretty awesome seeing employees check things off their vision boards.
https://www.omahamagazine.com/business/building-support-fostering-superb-teams/
This article originally appeared in the August/September 2024 issue of B2B Magazine.
