Team Building Techniques – Cultivating Employee Excellence

All successful projects have a singular common theme. A project team can be well organized and effective in planning for project success, but without the right team to execute this work, project success will not come easy. Each of us has likely been on a project where there was perhaps one, or in some cases, multiple underperforming team members at key positions. It is also likely that this team struggled or even failed to perform at a high level.  

The professionals at GovGig understand the challenges that can come with an unskilled or even an unmotivated workforce. In this competitive landscape, it is more important than ever to maximize the potential of your workforce as you aim to boost productivity and engagement. Consider the following team-building techniques as you work towards building a collaborative team where workers will perform at their highest level:  

1. Set Clear Expectations and Goals:  We cannot stress enough the importance of setting clear expectations and collaborative goals from the project onset. Without clear expectations for performance, employees will likely feel directionless, and disengaged, and may struggle to prioritize tasks, leading to decreased productivity and overall dissatisfaction in the workplace. This ultimately will result in a substantial impact on project performance. Be clear in your expectations and hold your employees accountable when these expectations and goals are not met.  
2. Empower Employees with Autonomy: Empowering your team members in their individual roles is essential. Granting employees the freedom to take responsibility for their work can boost motivation and productivity, as they develop a personal stake in the success of their tasks. Please encourage them to be proactive and back up their decision-making abilities. Trust them to make wise choices and offer support when needed. Keep in mind that empowerment doesn't imply letting them fail; instead, provides consistent support throughout the decision-making process and equips them with the necessary tools to achieve success. 
3. Provide Regular Feedback and Recognition: Providing constructive feedback to your workforce regularly will allow them (and you) to continuously assess their performance. As deficiencies are identified, corrective action can be established to steer them in the right direction. Along these same lines, providing encouragement to your team and recognizing their positive contributions throughout this process is essential. Employees want to know how they are performing and providing this valuable information will help them to stay engaged and motivated.  
4. Foster a Positive Work Environment: A healthy and positive work environment will foster employee engagement and will help drive productivity. Remember, a supportive, inclusive environment where the tools and resources needed for personal success are readily available will drive employee satisfaction. A toxic work environment will do none of these and will not only lead to decreased production, but to poor employee morale, increased stress and burnout, and conflict and tension. Promote a healthy work culture and promote open communication. Remember, a positive environment drives excellence.  
5. Build the right team:  Project success begins by ensuring that the teams in which we build have the right skill set for their respective positions. We can set expectations, empower our team members, foster a positive work environment, and even provide feedback on performance, but without a skilled workforce to execute the project goals, even the very best managers will struggle to grow and lead a dynamic team.  Ultimately, high-performing teams are not typically built from an unskilled workforce. In this competitive market, the idea of recruiting can not only be challenging, but time-consuming and expensive. Consider utilizing our unique find-talent tool as you narrow your focus toward ensuring only qualified candidates are considered for your mission-critical needs.   

Building the right team and leading this team can be a challenging endeavor. Consider teaming with the professionals at GovGig to help you meet this important need as you look towards fulfilling your contractual goals on your next Federal Construction project.  

Cory J. Grimmer, CSP, CHST