Team Spirit

Painter Modellheimer is a model company, as it exists country-wide in many variations. The boss, Martin Modellheimer, practically grew up in the company. His father Matthias and the founder, grandfather Max, already managed the business. No wonder that Martin Modellheimer knows all customers, all processes and all technical tricks.

Chef Martin is the central hub: he negotiates with the clients, plans projects, assigns all the work to all employees and also does his own work on the construction site. And when his twelve employees have a problem, they come to him and he solves it. Sure, Modellheimer has a 70-hour week - but he enjoys his work and the company is doing well. Until that Sunday in March, when Martin Modellheimer pursues one of his few hobbies, skiing, and falls unhappily on an icy slope: With the collarbone and pelvis fracture that he suffers, he falls out completely for six weeks - and that shortly before Start in the facade business. The workforce is literally headless and acts that way. Because nobody has an overview, appointments are sweaty. The boss is also missing at the construction site at the back and front. The number of dissatisfied customers is increasing. And when a housing association then withdraws a large order that it believed was due to the bad experiences of the past few weeks, the company faces a real crisis. What to do? In the best case, Martin Modellheimer draws consequences for the future. With an operational structure that relieves him and sometimes makes him unnecessary. Which shortens his weekly working hours in the long term. And with which the company is more flexible and customer-oriented. What to do? In the best case, Martin Modellheimer draws consequences for the future. With an operational structure that relieves him and sometimes makes him unnecessary. Which shortens his weekly working hours in the long term. And with which the company is more flexible and customer-oriented. What to do? In the best case, Martin Modellheimer draws consequences for the future. With an operational structure that relieves him and sometimes makes him unnecessary. Which shortens his weekly working hours in the long term. And with which the company is more flexible and customer-oriented.

Admittedly, our example is constructed. It doesn't always have to be an accident that shows a company the dilemma of lone fighting. Sometimes the owner's wish for more free time is enough or one annoyance too much about employees who behave dependent and helplessly at the customer. Then the question arises: How do you get everyone on the same boat and on a new course where everyone has a lot of everything in view? Answer: You form a real team. New German is called "team building" and is treated as an essential success factor in all areas of the economy.

For teams within a company, it is like any other group: You need common standards by which the individual can orientate and the community can grow. A hiking club, for example, has previously determined where the next mountain tour should go, in what time you want to have climbed the climb in order to be in the hut in time for dinner. Obviously, this is how you spur each other on the track. The same applies to the team in the small business or the various construction site teams for larger businesses. As a manager, you set the goals - precisely, measurably and comprehensibly. And they range from basic things, who in the team has to perform exactly which task, to project goals. Here, general guidelines on the quality standards you want are to be included and it must be determinedwhen and in what way an object has to be completed. Important: Formulate the respective standards precisely - and schedule when the respective goal should be achieved. Only then can the team members measure themselves against it. Even more important: Share your goals clearly and understandably. Which brings us to point two of team building:

Admirable when a boss or team leader has all the details of an assignment in mind. Lamentable if the employees have no idea. Because then they make mistakes due to a lack of background information or are so unsettled that they assume no responsibility - for fear of mistakes. The targeted exchange of information in both directions is the be-all and end-all in a functioning team. This includes that the manager passes on all important aspects of an upcoming task. The other way around, this also means that the manager's employees report their new findings on how the construction site is developing. But do not be afraid of widespread discussions - that is not the point. Employees should not evaluate or even question the boss's decisions. With a streamlined conversation, you keep the team meetings short and focused on the essentials. And create a crucial prerequisite for the third facet of team building:

No question - given the tempting personal time savings, every boss is happy when he can delegate tasks. However, this does not primarily mean simply pushing tasks forward. It also means handing over responsibility to each employee and allowing them to work independently. Delegating to teams has the clear advantage that a task can be divided over several shoulders according to the strengths of the group members. Each individual who is responsible then has an interest in ensuring that his / her co-worker also does his or her part well and on time. The task of the manager to monitor the completion of the sub-goals remains unchanged. Overall, this is a challenging taskwhich is best practiced on smaller projects - after all, you have to train which coordination and organization work best here. It is certain from the outset that the majority of the team members experience more recognition of their work through more responsibility - and that motivates them. An important aspect, as the fourth building block shows, which should not be missing in team building: motivate with incentives. If you do your thing well, you will do it better the next time you are rewarded. Don't immediately think of bonuses and the like. First of all, pay attention to the extraordinary effects of good old praise. A well-founded “Great job - thanks for your dedication!” Has been earned by those who meet targets with good performance on time. Of course, you can also offer other incentive systems for the whole team. When used correctly, it motivates the others to do more. So - all peace, joy, pancakes? As in life, things don't always go smoothly in a team. Which brings us to station five:

One of the greatest successes of a team is that you motivate each other and achieve an overall improvement in performance. But the fact is also: in almost every group there are individuals who cannot or do not want to maintain the level of performance. The manager is particularly challenged here. Four-eye discussions are indicated here at an early stage. Is there a conflict in the team that this employee is suffering from? Or does the employee need more precise instructions than the others? This should be found out in the employee appraisal interview and appropriate measures should be agreed. Whether this team member is making the desired progress should of course be checked fairly and at agreed intervals. After all, the following applies:

Employees you can rely on, a working atmosphere in which work is fun, more time for real executive tasks - and customers who are enthusiastic about a company in which the young journeyman is also a competent contact: A team like this promises a pleasant and successful future. Of course, a team is not formed in a single day - and above all the driving force behind it, the company owner, the boss, requires the knowledge for team leadership.