There are so many ways to gain a competitive advantage for you and your team.
I am sure each one is a valuable and helpful suggestion…
Whether it is in a book, or on a video, or in a presentation – I assure you that they all have their roots in one of three important areas.
Providing a better experience, different options, higher quality, lower cost, customization, quality branding, valuable partnerships, greater convenience, or more meaningful social impact are all symptoms of the same three areas of competitive advantage for you and your team.
So, if you truly want a competitive advantage for your team, focus more on these 3 things:
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Improve faster
Better teams are ALWAYS a result of better leaders and better teammates.
If you want to be a better leader or teammate, the first step is to acknowledge areas where you can improve the impact you are having. Often that means focusing on doing more of what you do WELL.
It may mean adding capabilities and skills and knowledge that you presently lack – suc as taking a team culture online course or reading a book about the traits of Winning Teammates.
But learning your role and improving your contributions and influence begin with your willingness to stay coachable.
The team that responds to challenges the best will have the most success. Being the FIRST to take initiative toward personal improvement is the best way to face any challenge.
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Empathize more
Caring about teammates begins with getting to know more about your teammates.
Where is Susan from? Why was she out two days last week?
Who does Anthony live with and have to care for?
What is causing Ethan to look so stressed at the meeting today?
The more you know about the people around you, the more you can appreciate the challenges that they are working through – both at the office and outside it.
Empathy is understanding the issues and feelings that people important to you are experiencing – even if you haven’t been there yourself.
And when you can DEMONSTRATE (through your questions and actions) that you care aboutyou’re your clients are doing – and that you understanding their challenges – they are far more likely to be agreeable and positive in their interactions with you.
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Communicate better
Having a high-performing team and creating a competitive advantage in your team culture begins with having clarity about WHY you are there.
What is the compelling common goal that ALL team members can agree on and find purpose in contributing to? How often do you remind them of the impact their efforts have on accomplishing that?
The more you remind people of the mission they are fighting for, and the more you connect them with each other by strengthening the relationships, the more they will collaborate well.
Communication begins with clarity, but repetition is the key to learning.
Repetition is the key to learning.
(see what I did there?)
It is through the CONSISTENCY of your message – and through your intentional desire to put your message in the right envelope based upon the personality styles of your team members – that you will accomplish an awareness of and commitment to organizational goals.
Defining HOW your team will communicate digitally is another helpful conversation that will make your people more effective.
A lack of communication is often the downfall of teams. You can keep your organization healthy by communicating more clearly and setting expectations for how they can do the same.
Ultimately, the greatest competitive advantage you can have is the QUALITY OF YOUR INTERNAL TEAM CULTURE.
And CULTURE is a symptom of LEADERSHIP.
So, the surest way to get your TEAM to be better, is for YOU to be a better leader.
If you are looking for ways to grow yourself as a leader, to connect more with your people, and to communicate more effectively, consider the impact that a 12-week team leadership masterclass would have on the results your team is producing.
And if you want an entertaining and fun catalyst to energize your team and improve accountability and trust, a customized team building event may be exactly what they need!
Any competitive advantage will be the result of you choosing to improve faster, empathize more, or communicate better…
If ever I can be a resource to help you lead your team, just send me a note.
