Do you have a Team or Employees?

 You Know you have a Team When

1.        At staff strategy meetings they do most of the talking

2.       When you walk in the room there is no sudden "hush"

3.       When a mistake is made, you are not the last to know

4.       Appreciation and thanks are common sentiments

5.       Projects seem to miraculously get done ahead of schedule sometimes

6.       Average time of employment overall is much higher than 6 months

7.       When everyone's "cog" is spectacular

8.       When you take one for the .....

9.       When the words "we" and "us" are way more common than "you" and "I"

10.   When extracurricular company functions are always well attended.

Bonus #11 -When no one ever feels like a scapegoat.

What is the general energy within your organization?  Can you add anything to these points above?  In team sports there is a common term used amongst them which is "unforced errors".  This means that an error took place that could really have been avoided.  One of the biggest unforced errors within companies today is employee turnover.  Multifamily companies that do not create a solid company culture in order to maintain their staff spend thousands of dollars each year in rehiring, training, and orientation.  This post could go on forever on how this affects every part of a company's process.  Yes the road to achieving that team spirit may be easier said than done.  I guess the appropriate question should be; do you see this as optional?  Your internal processes, training, career path goals, policies and procedures should all have a circular strategy to achieve a spirit that ultimately reaches every multifamily company's main goal. 

Even with clear documentation and policies on how your internal processes are carried out, they mean nothing if there is no leadership by example.  It all starts with us as individuals.  I posted this question last night on my Facebook account: If someone said to you, "I believe in you, I believe in what you can do, I believe in what you can bring to the table" how would that affect you?  Whether or not we actually say that to someone or just live it by our deeds, it should be our goal to empower and strengthen our team.

So can you add anything to the list above?  What are clear indicators to you that you have a team and not just employees?  FYI.. A couple of the points above came from our team at The Training Factor

Written by Jonathan Saar-The Training Factor