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Behind every great business is a great team.  Your team is like your backbone; supportive and without them the business could not stand.  It’s important to always strengthen your “backbone” aka “your team.”  An effective and cohesive team is vital to every business; big or small.  But...it is extremely important for small businesses!

In small businesses, team members rely and work with each other even more closely; one function could not function without its counterpart.  Your team should be motivating, supporting, positive, uplifting and effective communicators.  But how can one achieve this “all-star team” or perhaps strengthen it?

Here are some great ideas to bring “your team” to its greatest potential!

• Create an open dialogue

Make everyone feel as if their voice matters just as much as any other employee.  Hold group meetings and individual meetings (weekly or monthly) and make sure everyone has an opportunity to state their voice.  As the small business owner, it’s your duty to make sure that everyone feels comfortable and valuable expressing their feelings and don’t feel “shy” or “less important” based off of their position.  Also, play some games and have ice-breakers, let employees learn more about each other than just their work life! Creating an open dialogue will not only create a more cohesive team, but will also enable employees to communicate more effectively to avoid potential problems.

• Foster a fun workplace environment

Friday happy hour, holiday pot-luck, host a game day or a Halloween costume party!  Give your employees something to look forward to!  Simple day-to-day ideas like playing light music throughout the office or bringing in special treats will help create a more positive work environment.    Your employees will be grateful and it will add some excitement to their daily routines!

• Recognize and reward

Everyone loves being recognized for their hard work, am I right?! We all sure do!  Recognize big and small achievements of all employees (as a team and individually) and make it known!  Additionally, offer rewards and incentives. Rewards can be as simple as a free coffee or a more flexible work schedule.  Want to go bigger? Offer a team reward, such as a special luncheon, spa day or any outing!  This will incentivize employees to work harder and put more pride into their work!

• Offer training and education

It’s important that your team shares the same goals and visions of where the business will go in the future.  By offering training and education, it will bring more individual success, yielding more team success!  Help them understand that training and learning is ongoing and it’s vital to always want to improve.  Also, make training and education fun!  (Don’t forget to always get feedback after training, it will help you see what your team finds valuable and effective.)

After all, your small business would not be where it is today without the help of your team!  Keep your team motivated and engaged by following some of these great tips--the results will be amazing!