Core Value #2 Work As a Team
At Turnkey , our core values are at the center of everything we do. A core value is short and memorable, a timeless belief that exemplifies a characteristic that is important to you. It not only lets people in your organization know what you believe is important, but it also lets the world know what you stand for every day you interact with them.
We have seven core values that we strive for every day at Turnkey . Here’s a quick refresher of what these are:
Provide Remarkable Service
Work as a Team
Always be Learning
Find a Way to Win
Take Ownership
Leave Your Egos at the Door
Have Fun!
It’s not only these core values that we believe are important. At Turnkey , we combine these values with our unique spirit to work towards Remarkablism ™. You’ll hear us talk about Remarkablism ™ quite a bit at Turnkey . This movement, as coined by a founder, focuses on being the best person you can be. It is the never-ending cycle of self-discovery and purposeful growth. We share our core values with this spirit of Remarkablism ™ with everyone we come in contact with. Each core value is significant and important to reaching our goals.
If you’ve been following our blog series, you know that we are concentrating on each core value so that you can have a better understanding of who we are and what we stand for in our practices. Let’s turn our attention to core value #2: Work as a Team.
Core Value #2: Work as a Team
At Turnkey , we say, “together we go far”. These four words exemplify our second core value. Unity, collaboration, and care amplify collective success. No one does it alone. To be successful, you need to recognize that working as a team makes all the difference. Working as a team spins off of our first core value, provide remarkable service. We can’t do this alone. We have to work as a team to accomplish this goal and truly offer remarkable service to our clients.
How do we do this? We employ each of the tactics below to learn how to work as a team effectively.
It’s Everyone’s Job
When you work as a team, you don’t pass the blame on to someone else and say it’s not your job. If you want to succeed, everyone must work together and recognize problems and solutions. You may have to do something that may not be in your job description to help the team. You win as a team and you lose as a team. Having this mindset is a pillar of success.
Communicate Problems Rapidly
What do you do when you see someone make a mistake or you make a mistake yourself? Don’t assume that someone else is always taking care of the problem. When you do this, the problem will never get solved. Also, don’t go it alone. Work together to solve problems and you’ll see results. When you see a problem, communicate about it quickly so it can be solved. Don’t try to sweep it under the rug. It will never get solved. Take action and solve it together.
Use Your Voice
This is a critical step in both your personal and professional life. These days, many of us rely on technology to communicate…texts, snaps, emails, etc. While this can be efficient and can serve as a great tool, we are not communicating or using our voices. When you don’t use your voice, things get lost in translation. The way you write something and intend for the message to get across may not be the way it is received.
Picking up the phone or having a face-to-face conversation is beneficial because you can communicate faster than typing your thoughts. Also, it opens up the path for a two-way conversation and an exchange of ideas. This is more efficient because you don’t have to wait for a typed response. You can verbally get the answers you need right away. People also may not like to always read messages. They simply don’t want to spend the time to do it. They may skim the message, but not the entire message. When this happens, your message does not get across, and you have not communicated effectively.
Share Information Generously
If you want to learn and grow, you need to share information generously. This way, you can share what you know with others and take in new information they have to offer. Everyone brings something different to the table and makes new discoveries along the way. By sharing this information, everyone can benefit as they work as a team. Think about what you learn every day and how you can share this information and with whom.
Be Clear on Expectations
This is the foundation of creating accountability in the workplace. You can’t hold someone accountable if they have not accepted the responsibility and understand what they need to do. How do we hold people accountable? When you ask people for help or give them a task, be clear about what you want them to do and how long you envision it taking. By creating a task and timeline, you can be clear on expectations. When you do this, you need to have a firm commitment. Make sure you are receiving a yes or no answer that the person will get it done, not a maybe.
Make sure the person agreeing to the task is asking questions and is clear on their intent. They need to be honest about whether they can achieve the expectation you’ve set. If they can’t, you can decide if there is room for negotiation or if you need to ask someone else to complete it.
If you are clear on the expectation and the person on the other end is clear on the acceptance, you have a greater chance of succeeding.
Get the Facts First
Don’t jump to conclusions. It can ruin relationships both in and out of the workplace. Stop and ask questions so you can clearly understand the situation. Once you have all the facts, you can use this information to determine what to do next. When you don’t get the facts first, you may make impulsive decisions that will hurt you in the long run.
Contribute to Process Improvement
Process improvement is a collective responsibility. It’s everyone’s job to contribute. Sometimes we need to slow down to speed up. We need to slow down to determine how to solve problems, especially ones that are recurring. When we try to race to the finish line, we don’t work as a team because we’re not taking time to contribute to the task at hand and work together.
Do Uncomfortable Work
It’s easy to do the tasks that are comfortable for us. When we have to do the uncomfortable work, things can get dicey. For example, if someone is not doing a good job, you shouldn’t just pat them on the back and tell them they’ve done well. While it may be difficult, sit down with them and explain that while you appreciate the work they’ve done, there are some areas for improvement. This lets them know that you value their work, but they need to change some things for it to be correct. You are not being condescending, simply honest about what needs to be done.
When we try to just “be nice”, it’s not helping anyone. This is not to say you need to be rude in your discussions. It just means to keep it real, while offering constructive criticism. This helps everyone to grow and work as a team.
Play the Position the Team Needs
There are times when we need to do something that we may not like, but that the team needs us to do. We all have jobs that we like to do, and there are also jobs that we need to do. Understanding that you may have to carry out a task that needs to be done, but one that you don’t necessarily enjoy, is part of working as a team. This mindset helps people to succeed together.
Work-Life Balance is Reciprocated
If an employee’s expectations do not match an employer’s expectations, the job may not be for you. For example, if you work for a restaurant, the expectation is that you’ll have to work nights and weekends. If you’re unwilling to do this, there are going to be problems. Understanding the expectations of a job helps to establish work-life balance. Some companies ask for flexibility but will give flexibility to employees in return. For example, if they are asked to work out of “9-5” hours, an employer may be flexible when an emergency arises and the employee needs to leave early. This is how work-life balance is reciprocated. This is how businesses can work as a team.
Do You Want to Learn More About How to Work as a Team? Turnkey is Here to Help
At Turnkey , we strive to work as a team and help others to do the same. Learning to work as a team is part of our core values and helps us to work towards achieving Remarkablism ™. To find out more about how we can help you on this journey, contact Turnkey today.
