Do you lead a sales team? Are you doing everything in your power to ensure your team is successful? 

Success doesn’t come easy, especially in the 21st century and some of the challenges it brought. Probably even more so if your business relies on sales—whether direct to the consumer or wholesale. 

As a leader, you need to help your team remain relevant in all aspects of their jobs. And more than that, you need to be sure they hold onto the grit and drive that helps them outperform their peers. 

Not an easy task!

If sales and productivity drop, that’s going to be readily apparent. But you need to know why. And it takes an observant leader to understand the reasons and then make necessary changes. Because there will be reasons. 

So spend time with your team. Ask questions. Find out what’s hindering them—what has caused them to lose their drive. And then take action. 

Improve Team Spirt and Work Relationships 

What is team spirit? It’s a group of people with a common goal. One all of them have an investment in. One that every member will support each other to obtain. 

Great teams don’t happen by accident. If you’re a team leader and you’ve already done the first thing necessary, which is to hire great people, what else can you do? 

Socialize Together 

This doesn’t mean the team has to spend their weekends together. But finding opportunities to spend time together as a team when you’re not working can strengthen team bonds. 

This could be something as simple as organizing team lunches or larger events. But remember, especially when talking about lunches that may be held on premises, these aren’t working lunches. They’re an opportunity for your team to destress and form stronger relationships. 

As far as larger events, something like Escape Rooms are a great idea for teams. Because to get out of the room the team needs to work toward a common goal in a set amount of time. 

Whatever scale you and your team socialize together, it can help build team spirit and solidify relationships. 

Improve Your Environment

Realize that asking your team to work in a less than optimal environment isn’t fair. And your chances of getting their best work will drop—likely in tandem with the drop in workplace essentials. 

So what can you do to ensure the best possible work environment? 

The Physical Environment 

Depending on your business—and the type of place your business is conducted—all the following won’t be possible. But assuming your place of business isn’t something like a garage, try for some of the following. 

• Quality lighting 
• Noise reduction where possible 
• Clean surroundings 
• Free coffee and tea
• Tasteful decorating 

Work-Life Balance

A pre-pandemic survey pointed out that the majority of employees valued work-life balance. And as companies began to request their employees return to the office after the worst of the pandemic, in many cases they were greeted with pushback. Employees felt they had proved it was possible for them to effectively do their jobs remotely. 

Many employees quit their jobs rather than return to long commutes and a loss of time with their families. 

To the extent possible in your company, encourage and allow your team to balance their lives and work. They will appreciate it. And likely perform even better.

Provide the Necessary Tools and Software 

Trying to do any job with the wrong or inferior tools can be a disaster. 

Provide your team with the tools and software that will simplify processes and increase productivity. 

Every industry will have specific software needs. For example, small businesses and practices could use the following. 

• Healthcare clinics looking to manage their schedules and treatment notes in the most effective manner could use something like Cliniko. 
• Hotels would use property management and booking software such as innRoad. 
• A logistics company might use something like Track-POD. 
• Wholesalers looking for full-featured inventory management software would wisely choose Flowsmith. 

Being a great team leader isn’t an easy job but implementing the tips above will move you several steps closer to being the type of leader employees want to work for. 

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