Discussions about teamwork in the workplace often revolve around a few central topics: effective communication, sharing a common goal, and solving problems. While each of these are absolutely essential in strong teams, one key often seems to be missing – Leadership.

We think of teams as highly democratic entities where everyone contributes equally to complete a project. However, just like the Presidents and Prime Ministers that guide the world’s great democracies, a leader is essential to team success. In fact, the team at Eagle’s Flight considers leadership one of the seven cornerstones of teamwork. Without a clearly defined leader, the whole team foundation will crumble. Here’s why teamwork in the workplace must start with strong leadership:

1. Team Leaders Keep the Team Accountable

It’s far too easy to dodge responsibility in a team setting, since you can “hide” among your sea of colleagues. That’s where a leader comes in. In a team setting, a true team leader takes full responsibility for the team’s final results. Since a leader has so much on the line, he or she is extremely motivated to keep team members accountable for the work.

2. Team Leaders Empower Team Members

Being a leader on a team isn’t about concentrating power — it’s about giving away power. Yes, team leaders are responsible for assigning tasks to the team. Even more importantly, leaders must trust the skills and expertise of other team members. Through trust, leaders empower teams to carry out assigned tasks in the way that they see fit.

Why is trust so important? When other team members see that the leader has put his or her trust in a colleague, they won’t try to undermine or question that colleague. Plus, studies show that employee engagement is closely tied to the level of freedom and ownership that individuals are given. If you want team members to be engaged and excited about the project, leaders must empower members by easing up the reins.

3. Team Leaders Simplify and Streamline the Decision-making Process

Teams can avoid the power struggles commonly found in “equitable” teams with leaders in place. In these “equitable” or “leaderless” teams, members actually compete to gain authority and assert dominance.
Team leaders also make the decision-making process far more streamlined, since they have the final say. Leaderless teams may get stuck on making tough calls when members can’t come to a consensus and there’s no “tie-breaker” to turn to. In the meantime, the entire project — and even teamwork in the workplace overall — stalls. Having a clear-headed colleague who’s clearly in charge simply makes teams simpler.

4. Team Leaders Keep Projects Moving Forward

It’s hard to keep a group of people focused, so having someone make it their mission to do so is crucial to team success. A designated leader will move past any hiccups by initiating conversations about potential problems and steering the team back on track during meetings that start to go off the rails.

How do leaders keep projects moving forward? They will:

• Ensure all team members understand the project goal
• Establish clear deadlines
• Clearly define roles within the team
• Describe how each role contributes to the project goal
• Remind the team of the shared goal to keep the project on task

When members understand that the part they play on the team is critical to achieving the goal, they’re more motivated and engaged.

Team leaders are typically individuals who know the most about the project — which means they might not have extensive experience with leading. They might not even be the person with the most “senior” rank in the room. That’s why building in leadership skills exercises into your training on teamwork in the workplace is so important.

You might have heard the adage, “teamwork is less me and more we” before, and for good reason: this simple sentiment gets right to the root of teamwork. Yet, as simple as it is, for too many organizations, employees lack the skills they need to pull it together and “get the job done.” A lack of team-building skills among team members can kill productivity, negatively impact morale, and hurt bottom line results.

It’s no secret that employee engagement is a key concern for organizations; studies show that an engaged workforce supports growth through a range of benefits, including higher productivity and profitability, lower turnover, and more satisfied customers. However, despite the value of an engaged workforce, only one in three US employees is engaged, according to Gallup surveys.

Organizations that focus on learning and development (L&D) can make important strides in supporting both higher employee engagement and company growth. Providing employees with key learning and development opportunities not only builds capable, confident employees, but research shows that learning and development is a key driver of engagement. For example, In one study, 80 percent of surveyed employees said that learning and development opportunities would help them feel more engaged at work. Here are four reasons why learning and development drive employee engagement and growth.

L&D Improves Employee Retention

Investing in employee learning and development shows employees they are valued. When people feel valued, they are less likely to leave the organization. According to the LinkedIn 2018 Workplace Learning Report, 94 percent of employees said that they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development. As a company invests in the growth of its people, employees see that they can accomplish their personal growth goals within the organization, and they subsequently grow in their commitment to the company and its goals. Some examples of learning and development initiatives that support employee retention include:

• Training opportunities at various stages along specific career paths
• Skill development courses that appeal to a range of employee interests and learning styles
• Promotional opportunities that are linked to mastery of key competencies

L&D Ensures a Strong Leadership Pipeline

For an organization to grow and achieve its succession planning goals, there must be a strong pipeline of leaders ready to fill key positions. Learning and development ensures that new and existing leaders possess the knowledge and skills required to lead others. Training and development opportunities that build leadership competency include:

• Leadership development that teaches individuals how to lead themselves and lead others
• Training in soft skills such as critical thinking, communication, and teamwork
• Stretch assignments and rotational opportunities that expose individuals to new processes and people

L&D Helps Prepare an Organization for Change

Change is inevitable for any organization, but having employees who are equipped to navigate the waters of change increases the likelihood of success. By providing employees with learning experiences that help them embrace shifts in strategy or revised work processes, the organization won’t be crippled by change, but will instead be able to effectively leverage change in order to grow. In addition, learning and development programs give leaders the tools to prepare their team for change and help all employees approach change with confidence and a positive attitude.

L&D Supports Better Teamwork and Collaboration

When people come together as a team, there’s no guarantee they will communicate, share information and resources, or remain committed to team goals. However, learning and development initiatives increase the likelihood of effective team functioning. These initiatives teach individuals how to communicate, resolve conflicts, and support one another, helping them contribute more effectively to organizational growth. Moreover, when team relationships are more positive, employees are also more engaged. In a SHRM report, 77 percent of surveyed employees named relationships with coworkers as an important driver of their engagement. With the knowledge and skills to be productive members of a team, individuals can better support the success of the organization as a whole.

By investing in the growth of employees, you fuel company growth. Learning and development opportunities provide employees with the experiences and skills necessary to support organizational goals. By improving employee retention, engagement, and the effectiveness of leaders, learning and development programs ensure a workforce that is capable of supporting the organization into the future.

Teamwork and collaboration positively impact individual and overall company performance. One study found that companies that promote collaborative work activities are five times as likely to be high-performing as those that don’t. Collaboration within and between teams ensures that information, time, and other resources are shared for the benefit of everyone involved. When individuals collaborate, each person has an opportunity to contribute their best ideas and efforts, ultimately making each team more productive. Here are five strategies to increase teamwork and collaboration in your organization.

Promote Frequent Communication

For any team to function properly and work productively with other teams, frequent communication is a necessity. Frequent communication helps to answer individual questions, overcome obstacles, and resolve conflicts. It also reduces the potential for confusion and duplicated efforts. Some of the ways you can ensure frequent communication in support of collaboration and teamwork include:

• Establishing different forums for employees to communicate and share ideas, including in-person meetings, brainstorming sessions, and email or other virtual communication means
• Providing interpersonal communication skills training to help employees at all levels learn how to achieve complete and accurate understanding when communicating with others
• Offering training that helps leaders solidify their ability to manage internal communications within departments and teams and build skills that will help them develop their leadership presence

Ensure Leadership Support

To achieve any kind of change in the workforce, company leaders must be enthusiastic champions of the effort to do so. Company leaders set the tone for teamwork and collaboration through their own example and by delivering clear expectations and feedback to the individuals on their team. When leaders reach across functional lines to share information and resources and recognize those on their team who also collaborate well with others, other members of the team will be more likely to engage in activities that support positive team functioning.

Leverage Collaboration Technology

Many digital solutions facilitate easier and more streamlined collaboration between individuals, no matter where they’re based. As new platforms and solutions become available, employees increasingly rely on collaboration technology to make progress on projects, get input on next steps, and share ideas to boost creativity. In fact, an Alfresco survey found that 83 percent of professionals depend on technology to collaborate, and 82 percent said they would be impacted by the loss of it. Examples of collaboration technology include:

• Internal social networks that improve communication and information-sharing among the workforce
• Project management software that includes file-sharing and chat capability.
• Virtual whiteboard platforms

Develop Collaboration and Teamwork Skills

Collaboration doesn’t always come naturally to everyone. Therefore, the best way to increase collaborative behavior in the workplace is to teach employees what successful teamwork looks like and what actions they can take to support it. When people understand all the benefits of effective teamwork, they’re more likely to develop a collaborative mindset and engage in desired behaviors. Teamwork and collaboration training teaches employees how to:

• Productively share resources, assign tasks, and maintain quality standards
• Communicate effectively and frequently with team members
• Build team focus on objectives and their outcomes

Reinforce Collaborative Behavior

Any behavior you’re trying to establish in the workplace will require regular reinforcement over time so that individuals don’t revert to old ways of doing things. When you reinforce collaborative behavior, there is less opportunity for silos to form, and the organization is able to develop a culture of openness and transparency. Some of the key ways you can reinforce collaborative behavior include:

• Tying promotion and developmental opportunities to collaborative behavior
• Leveraging training reinforcement tools, such as assessments, quizzes, and mobile boost learning, to help employees retain newly learned collaboration knowledge and behaviors
• Recognizing and rewarding individuals who practice and promote collaboration

Conclusion: Implement These Strategies to Improve Teamwork and Collaboration

Teamwork and collaboration in the workplace don’t happen on their own; they must be cultivated. When individuals have support from leaders and understand how they can work collaboratively, silos break down and teams become more productive. You can make it easier for leaders to cultivate teamwork and collaboration at work through corporate culture, training and development, coaching, and so on.

Even with the right strategy, the necessary budget, and the most efficient systems in place, achieving the desired results comes down to a company’s most important resource: people. Keeping a team engaged and excited about their work can be a challenge for leadership at every level, which is why having a motivation strategy is so important.

Even when people are passionate about their work, it’s easy to get bogged down in the daily grind and lose motivation. Understanding why individuals lose motivation and how to overcome those hurdles will help you develop a motivation strategy that keeps employees enthusiastic and engaged. Use these six strategies to inspire your team to go the extra mile.

1. Communicate the “why”

Understanding what is required to complete a certain task or project is just part of the equation. In order for employees to stay motivated, they must also understand why they are doing it. When leaders clearly communicate the overall vision and keep it at the forefront through consistent communication, employees will have a deeper appreciation for the work they are being asked to do. Even the most mundane task can take on new importance when the reasons behind it are understood and embraced.

2. Create a culture of collaboration

People are much more motivated to complete a task or project if they feel that they have some ownership of it. One way to accomplish this is by inviting participation through a culture of collaboration. When employees know that their ideas and opinions are welcome, expected, and heard, they will become more engaged. Individuals who are able to provide input in the earlier stages of development and throughout the course of a project are more likely to be motivated to see it through to the end and do their best work because they have a sense of ownership and pride in the outcomes.

3. Show your appreciation

Although rewards and incentives can be great motivators, sometimes a few words of gratitude can have a much deeper and longer-lasting impact. Individuals want to know that their efforts are appreciated. When leadership acknowledges their accomplishments, both publicly and privately, this genuine praise can go a long way. Don’t wait until a project is finished to show your gratitude and give credit. Acknowledge the late nights, clever ideas, and other positive moments as they happen.

4. Set challenging but realistic goals

Give teams a challenge that will help them grow as individuals and as a team, offering people an opportunity to do work that extends beyond what they have always done. The occasional special project or urgent push to meet a deadline can help recharge a team that feels stuck in the daily routine. They might find different ways to work together, discover a new sense of camaraderie, or develop new skills that they can use to improve other projects. Make sure the goal is realistic and achievable so that the experience is motivating and not discouraging.

5. Provide development opportunities

People get excited when they learn something new, especially when it helps them do their jobs better. Provide ongoing training and development opportunities for both teams and individuals that enable people to continually improve and hone their skill sets. When teams learn something new together, it helps them bond and build new connections. When individuals bring new skills back to the team environment, it can lift everybody up.

6. Create a positive working environment

No matter what motivation strategy you execute, if the daily working environment is unpleasant, it’s difficult for people to get excited about going to work. Think about how each employee spends their day. Do they have the opportunity to take a break in a comfortable, welcoming space? How do coworkers treat each other? It’s up to leadership to create the type of working environment that sparks inspiration and keeps people motivated. This means that leadership has to create an inviting workspace and model the types of behaviors that contribute to this type of culture.

Conclusion

These are just a few examples of the many ways you can motivate and inspire your team. Think about strategies that will be most effective for your teams and make a plan for executing them. Some approaches, such as expressing appreciation and gratitude, can be implemented immediately and become part of the culture. Others, such as implementing a training and development program, will take more time to fully execute. Remember that people are your organization’s most valuable resource and that investing in them can provide invaluable returns.

When planning corporate events and meetings, you will quickly find a world of possibilities for almost every aspect of your event – venue, decorations, food, activities, and more. Having so many possibilities can easily cause information overload and make it difficult to make decisions. To help ensure that every decision you make during the event planning process is going to help create a cohesive meeting for attendees, having a theme can be a life saver. Establishing an event theme early on and sticking to it throughout the process has a number of benefits, including:

1. Supports Your Event Message

A theme can be a surprisingly effective way to drive home the message of the event and achieve your stakeholders’ objectives. For example, say that the event is focused on kicking off a long term objective, and the event goal is to inspire employees to look forward to the future so they are making decisions today that support success tomorrow. In this case, a future-themed event would be ideal to highlight the message in a way that is fun for attendees. The elements you weave throughout the day can showcase the long term objective that the organization is striving for, while highlighting the importance of keeping the future state top-of-mind.

2. Creates a Cohesive Attendee Experience

From pre-event communication, to event day, to post-event follow up, a theme will help establish a unique and identifiable brand for your event. The human brain processes information by organizing it into categories, so by using a theme, you provide a cohesive experience that ties everything together for your attendees.

Every element that you choose that supports the theme helps unify the event. Choose an experiential activity that supports the theme, select food that fits with it, even pick transportation that is connected to it somehow. For example: you are hosting a company meeting with an established goal of improving productivity and morale among many departments. You have selected an aquatic theme. To create that cohesion:

• The venue is on the ocean or large body of water
• You have ocean-inspired drinks and dishes
• Your color scheme is a mix of blues that are used throughout pre-event communications, the event website, brochures, and event-day materials
• You have a boat scheduled to bring attendees from the airport to the venue
• The experiential activity you selected to drive the message home shares the aquatic theme and supports the goals you wish to achieve

Because a theme was established, all of these components could be selected throughout the planning process to contribute to a cohesive experience for attendees. Whether the theme you choose is whimsical or serious, it ties everything together and makes the event memorable.

3. Contributes to Engagement and Excitement

The event theme is a great way to generate excitement leading up to the event, and keep them engaged while they are there. You can progressively provide hints for attendees about what the theme is using pre-event communication, getting them excited about what’s in store. Then, they will spend the day looking out for those elements and little details that relate back to the theme, making it an engaging and share-worthy experience.

Gamification is not just a way to make your corporate event agenda more fun – it can be a unique way to bring home the key messages, and build useful skills among your attendees. When it’s done effectively, gamification helps attendees to feel fully immersed in the event experience, while passing on tired tactics that attendees expect, like speakers, icebreakers, magicians, or comedians. If you are thinking about adding gamification to an upcoming corporate event, take the time to consider the components in this article so you can make a plan to effectively and successfully gamify your event.

Conclusion

Coming up with just the right theme that ties into event objectives can be a lot of fun – and once you’ve made that initial decision, it’s a lot easier to decide on all kinds of components of your event. Having a solid theme that ties into the event goals not only makes your life easier, it also results in an event that is fun and engaging for attendees while effectively achieving stakeholder objectives.