It’s normal to start small when setting up a business. With the right strategies, you can have your team expand at a steady pace while achieving your set goals and minimizing chaos. So how do you grow a small team?
To grow a small team, it’s important to hire with precision and set up a positive work environment. Establish clear goals and objectives, keep the staff members motivated, and encourage collaboration.
The right team members will support your company’s mission. Together, they implement and promote strategies to move your business forward; thus, it is imperative that you select the right team members. Read on for an in-depth guide on growing your small team.
How Can I Make My Team Grow Fast?
Starting with a small team is a great way to build your enterprise or business by laying solid foundations. Usually, building teams take years, but there are some ways you can speed up the process while maintaining control.
To grow a small team fast, you must hire people with diverse skill sets and involve team members in most processes to ensure you have a cohesive team. You must also be flexible in your approach toward task delegation while setting clear goals and responsibilities.
Let’s take a look at how to make your team grow faster.
1. Select Team Members With Diverse Skill Sets
When selecting potential team members, you may naturally gravitate towards candidates similar to you or other valuable employees. However, this is not necessarily the best choice. You do not want too many employees of the same background and mindset (link).
Further, as you select more team members, having more diverse backgrounds, skills, and personalities allows your team to have deeper insight collectively. Identify what may be missing in other team members as you try to round out your small team.
Identify what may be missing in other team members as you try to round out your small team.
Further, adding inherently dissimilar team members cultivates diversity in the workplace. Different perspectives spark both creativity and innovation. Diverse teams tend to have higher productivity and better performance.
Together, under your leadership, your small team will be able to serve your target audience better.
Just make sure you truly understand the concept of diversity before you start hiring; diversity is less about appearance and ethnicity than it is about being able to produce different ideas in a constructive and useful manner.
While your team should be diverse, they should have one prime commonality, a shared vision. Beyond that, the small team you create should have individuals with similar work ethics.
2. Get Others Involved in Candidate Selections
It can be a difficult and daunting task for a leader to pick the best candidates for a small team. When possible, get others involved in screening candidates, the interview process, and the candidate selection.
If you already have a few members of your small team, you may wish to have those team members sit in on the interviews, too. This allows you to see how the individuals may mesh together and provide their perspectives on the interviewee.
3. Offer Flexibility
The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the workplace, likely permanently. Many potential employees wish to work from home. Remote work is not a possibility for all workplaces and industries; however, if it is possible, it may be a point to consider when seeking individuals for your small team.
When looking for team members, consider offering flexibility in the work environment. If some or all the work can be completed remotely, you may want to provide the option to work from home.
Still, some people find that they are more productive in an office environment; keep this in mind so that you do not turn away some potential team members if you are offering a strict remote-only position.
Remember that you’ll be competing with other employers when recruiting for your small team. Other businesses have found that the work-from-home model is a feasible option as long as employees meet their goals.
Offering a remote option will also keep you competitive when compared to other employers.
4. Check References
Skipping the references may seem like the fast track to getting your small team together quickly, but it is a step that should not be skipped. While the candidate will likely provide references who will speak highly of them, they can still provide valuable insight about the candidate.
One important reason to check references is that you want to ensure that each team member can do the work that you are hiring them to do, and resumé fraud is, unfortunately, fairly common. When you speak with former employers, you can get an idea of the candidate’s capabilities.
Second, when growing a small team, you want the person to not only be able to perform the work but also work well with the rest of the team. Sometimes, checking references gives you further insight into the candidate’s personality and how they fit in a work environment.
Below are some questions you may want to ask the references provided to you.
- When did the candidate work for you?
- Would you rehire the candidate?
- Why did the candidate leave your company?
- What, if any, significant accomplishments did the candidate have while working at your company?
- What did you find to be the candidate’s greatest strengths?
- What did you identify as the candidate’s biggest weaknesses?
- Can you think of anyone else that I should speak to regarding the candidate?
5. Prioritize Onboarding
Onboarding is the process of introducing and integrating new employees into the organization. Onboarding should not be confused with orientation. Orientation is typically a one-time event where new hires complete forms and paperwork. Onboarding, on the other hand, is a strategic process.
Onboarding allows leaders to explain their company’s brand thoroughly.
Proper and thorough onboarding can lead to the overall success of your newest team members. Onboarding generally leads to higher employee engagement and employee retention by 70% and 82%, respectively (link).
Onboarding generally leads to higher employee engagement and employee retention by 70% and 82%, respectively
Onboarding may garner interest from other talents making your recruitment process easier later on. When you focus on sound new-hire integration, the word may spread about your employee satisfaction, drawing more high-quality talent to your company.
6. Set Ultra Specific Goals and Expectations for Your Team
The first months of building your team are critical, and you must be very open, transparent, and candid about the objectives and expectations of every member of your team.
Fortunately, this can and should be done during candidate selection to ensure you choose the right team members. It can also be reinforced during the onboarding process.
Overall, the purpose of setting objectives for your team is to outline and detail performance goals. You will likely see goals being met when you create the goals with the team members performing the work.
Setting goals will help keep your team focused. Writing down goals significantly increases the likelihood of achieving those goals. This works not only for individuals but teams as well.
It is essential to track the progress of the goals, as it keeps your team motivated throughout the process. It can also be very gratifying as you near your goal and ultimately complete it. As a leader, consider rewarding your team members when a goal is achieved.
Here you can read about 2 tangible ways to reward behavior you want to see more of.
Now that you understand why goal setting is relevant for your team, you may wonder how you should create the goals. One method to develop objectives for your small team is to use the SMART goal method. SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
The SMART method turned out not to be as effective as hoped for, so Micheal Hyatt improved on the model and created SMARTER, adding two small but significant features.
If you are a "goal setting nerd" just as me then your welcome to contact me here and ill get back to you with the spreadsheets and tools we use here at Sancus Leadership.
Your small team’s objectives should always align with the company’s priorities. While it may seem like a small thing to include or exclude, there are many benefits of setting clear objectives for your team:
- Helps team members understand how their work fits into the bigger picture for the organization
- Provides direction
- Gives a plan of action for your small team
- Cultivates professional growth
- Contributes to shared skills amongst team remembers
- Helps identify gaps in the work that needs to be done
- Holds the team as a whole and team members accountable
7. Create and Maintain a Positive Work Environment
One key aspect when growing a small team is the work environment itself. The work environment should be positive, which will make team members feel at ease while at work. A positive work environment can lead to increased profits, reduced sick leave, and increased creativity.
A positive work environment is when the employees feel confident and safe that If they make a mistake, they will be treated with respect and understanding.
A positive work environment is when the employees feel confident and safe that If they make a mistake., they will be treated with respect and understanding.
This creates an environment where people feel that they want to contribute with new ideas and, most of the time, leads to “Hockey stick growth” in employee engagement.
This is sometimes referred to as psychological safety at work (link).
8. Meet With Your Team Regularly
Communication is essential in any relationship, and a working relationship is no different. As a team leader, it is your responsibility to meet with your team to ensure that company initiatives are being met. You can also take this time to evaluate the progress of the goals, make any adjustments, and announce any changes or pivots that will happen.
Check-ins with your team are vital to their overall success. When you meet with your unit regularly, you can gauge their progress, identify any barriers, and make any necessary adjustments.
Check-ins with your team are vital to their overall success
The team’s progress should be transparent. If the team’s progress has been made faster than anticipated, you may use meeting time to move to the next phase or project. If progress is slower than expected, you can use meetings to determine ways to get back on track, like additional support or further employee development.
Nowadays face to face time comes at a premium; therefore, you should take every chance that you get to not only discuss business goals but create relationships and better understand your teammates.
The greatest benefit of running a small team is that you as the team leader can truly get to know your people. Don't miss this chance!
9. Encourage Collaboration
As you grow your small team, you do so in hopes of collaboration among team members.
Collaboration should begin as soon as possible. Once you have all the team members start creating scenarios and problems that need to be solved by working together.
But don't fall into the trap of spending time on team building activities thinking it will increase trust and performance on your team. Because it doesn't.
Here’s why team building fails to increase performance and what you should do instead!
Some things to keep in mind while fostering A culture of collaboration are:
- Creating goals
- Clarifying the responsibilities of each team member
- Implementing processes
- Resolving any barriers or problems
- Facilitating planning and decision making
- Proactively seeking opportunities with other departments.
10. Show Appreciation and Give Recognition
Employee appreciation is a key motivator for many and plays a significant role in employee retention. Time and again, it has been demonstrated that management’s lack of employee appreciation efforts drives down employee satisfaction.
This leads to unhappy employees that may eventually leave their employer Or “quietly quit”.
You do not want to lose good, valuable employees simply because you did not appreciate their efforts enough. Fortunately, you can show your employees that you appreciate them in several meaningful ways, and rewards do not always have to be monetary.
You do not want to lose good, valuable employees simply because you did not appreciate their efforts enough.
Consider the following options as well when managing your small team:
- Offer encouragement; make sure it is specific so that your team understands what they did correctly and what behavior you want them to continue with.
- Show care, especially if the employee is going through a difficult time outside of work.
- Offer opportunities for growth; The key is to offer things that the employee wants, not just what the company needs.
11. Lead by Example
One way to grow your small team is through leading by example. Your behavior as a manager serves as a template for your employees. This leadership style is referred to as servant leadership.
Your small team will be able to provide some of the best results when you lead by example. This practice cultivates an environment of high productivity and an overall commitment to the business.
Leading by example is one of the central aspects of military leadership; if you want someone to do something, you better be prepared to do it yourself, showing that it is possible. Showing rather than telling gives you, as a leader, instant legitimacy
if you want someone to do something you better be prepared to do it yourself, showing that it is possible
Leading by example is more than what you say and what you do. You must come to work energized every day. Managers who lead by example figuratively roll their sleeves up and work alongside their team.
There’s an old and wise saying in the military leadership books that goes something like this;
“You must share the struggles of your soldiers”
There must be mutual trust in the team supported by listening to your employees and following the same rules that team members must abide by.
Another way to lead by example is to continue to grow. Everyone should continue to grow throughout their careers, including management.
When was the last time you structurally practiced and got constructive feedback on your leadership?
Attending workshops, training, and conferences are all prime examples of leading by example. Not only does it show your commitment to furthering your skills or learning new skills, but it may also inspire others to do the same.
4 Mistakes To Avoid When Looking to Grow A Small Team
To build a good small team, you want to follow the tips above. Team building is imperative, but just as there are some routes you want to take, there are others you will want to avoid.
Below is a list of things you do not want to do when managing a small team.
- Failing to set specific goals: As discussed earlier, setting clear goals and expectations is a must for a team of all sizes. Failing to develop and communicate the goals leaves the team directionless. Projects cannot be completed effectively without a clear path to follow.
- Allowing unhealthy competition: Some competitions can be healthy and drive performance. Sometimes, the competition can take an unhealthy turn. As a leader, it is your responsibility to redirect the team back on the right path. It is essential to continue to maintain a positive workplace environment.
- Ignoring Accomplishments: When your team meets milestones, especially when they accomplish significant goals, you should reward them. The last thing you want to do is discourage a performing team by failing to celebrate their accomplishments.
- Not listening to your team: Communication with your team is necessary. Not only should communication flow down from you to them, but it should also flow up to you from your team. You do not want to distance yourself from your team by closing off communication. Your team members may have issues or concerns to address with you; they could also offer feedback to help improve your leadership.
Wrapping Up
When looking to grow a small team, it’s important to improve your managing skills as a leader. Besides working on yourself, you also want to hire the right people with diverse skills.
Maintaining a healthy work environment and setting actionable goals is a great way of leading your team to progress. Communication is also key, as is appreciating even the smallest of achievements made by the team.
