7 Essential Teamwork Strategies for Small Business Success

“Teamwork is an individual skill.” – Avery, 2001

When team is effective, emotions of enjoyment overwhelm us leading to everyone in the team feeling satisfied. As productiveness increases, trust grows stronger and satisfaction enhances success and efficiency. The result is a productive team which easily reaches goals.

The question is how productive can teamwork be in a business setting? The answer can be quite simple: since we are egoistic beings and find content in success, if we commit ourselves to our team to that extent to be egoistic about it, our actions will be oriented toward the team succeeding.

Where lies the success of a team? It lies in an achieved common goal.

Does the same apply in the modern world to distant/virtual working? Of course it does. It has become obvious that the number of virtual businesses, virtual departments and virtual teams is on the increase. Cisco reports in their study from 2009 that virtual teams perform better. What was once an obstacle (such as working in an office), is now overcome (with the help of the internet and cloud platforms). Availability and no space constraints are the new reality. In addition, when talking about success, it is crucial to note that teams perform better when they are composed out of men and women, rather than homogenous groups.

A virtual platform, such as Tally Fox, can guarantee ease and safety of communication, increase in productivity and quality of performance through implementing the following teamwork strategies:
Commitment. There is not a single person in this world who has not learned from everyday experience that if we commit ourselves to something, we are already half way to succeeding. In fact, Canadian Olympic Gold medalist Adam Kreek lists commitment as the thing that determines whether a team will be made or broken. He believes that in order for a team to be effective, team members must let go of their ego, the need to control and in some cases their own ideas which have not been accepted by others.

It is, indeed, difficult to change attitudes, standards, routines and even work ethics. Committing to the team means embracing their attitudes, ideals and routines, growing closer to them and to the common goal.

Business Solutions that Provide Strategic Advantage to Small Business

Running a small business sometimes feels like navigating a ship in the middle of a storm in the ocean while you are still building the hull. There are hundreds of items on your mind at any given time and dozens of people vying for your attention. At the same time, you cannot afford to take your eye off the primary responsibility, which to manage and grow this business. Amidst this “chaos” your best bet is to look for solutions that make your life easier by offloading some of the tasks from your plate letting you focus on strategic aspects of the business. Here are some solutions that can do just that.

Perfect your payroll

Back in the bad old days – when the best technology we had was an abacus and some pen and paper – sorting out your payroll was more difficult than astrophysics. Now, however, you barely even need to concern your HR department with payment systems. Top-notch payroll solutions can automate your pay with minimal effort, leaving your HR department to get on with other tasks.

With this tech in place, you’ll save a lot of busywork for your staff – and increase the efficiency of your company.

3 Ways to Make Your Business Energy Efficient

Carbon footprint is one of the most talked about topics in the business community lately. Humans have made significant impact to the environment in the last 50 years in the name of industrial progress. For individuals and business owners alike, it behooves to pay attention to the carbon footprint they generate and find ways to reduce it to at least stem the deterioration of earth’s atmosphere, if not reverse the adverse impact from global warming. What can small business owners do to play their part in this effort? Here are 3 simple ways you can help by becoming more energy efficient:

• Educate Your Employees

The first step to improving your energy consumption habits is education. While many of us are getting better at it, there are still times when we are unaware that are actions are having detrimental effects. Perhaps the biggest example of wasted resources in the workplace is failing to power down your computer at the end of the day. A simple post-it-note left as a reminder may prove to solve the problem, though this may turn out to be only a temporary solution. More creative companies have turned to rewarding their employees with small treats for a long-term fix