6 Secrets of a Successful Team (even in lockdown)

Building a team sounds pretty easy on the surface, doesn’t it?

However, rounding up a great crew involves a lot of effort and dedication, especially in 2020, where remote working has become the reality for many businesses. Luckily, we’ve figured out a few helpful tips during MahiFX’s lifetime that can be applied to any organisation. Here are our top six secrets to build your team from square one to success.

1. Hiring 

Technical proficiencies are unquestionably an important box to tick in any candidate you’re considering hiring. However, assessing a candidate beyond their hard skills shouldn’t be overlooked - what sort of personality do they have? Are they a good fit within the rest of the team? How do they handle certain situations? Asking character-led questions focuses on the candidate’s behaviours and how they have demonstrated certain skills and knowledge in the past, giving you a clear idea of their actual level of experience.  

2. Culture

Establishing your company’s culture is no small feat, but it’s probably one of the most essential things you can do. Setting the right tone includes everything from organisational expectations to simply having fun. To help strike that balance, think about what’s most important to your business and your people; how can you create a workplace that people want to be (and stay) in? For MahiFX, we have a few ways to ensure a comfortable environment for our team. We have zero tolerance for politics, operate under a horizontal organisational structure, and we prioritise regular events - whether in person or virtually. These involve a lot of planning and personalisation, as adding small details shows our team that they’re valued and that we’re putting in the same level of time and effort that they give back to us on a daily basis. Since the conception of our company, we’ve rejected conventional office ‘rules’, such as the standard 9-5 work day. Trust and honesty are a huge part of our culture, and we recognise that our people exactly that - people. If they have an emergency or a family member who needs their attention, work shouldn’t have to come first. As long as things get done, regular hours are not a priority.

3. Define goals

If you want an energetic, high-achieving team, define your goals clearly and identify how each person’s actions will contribute towards them. One easy way to do this is by sticking to the Objectives & Key Results (OKR) framework. Objectives should be qualitative, broad, and inspiring for your team, whilst Key Results are your measurable indicators of success of an objective and should adhere to the SMART structure - Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Time bound. Having a mission and a clear strategy to achieve it not only gives purpose, it sets expectations and offers a guide with which your team can measure each task they set out to do. 

4. Communication

Whether we’re in the office or working remotely, communication is one of our top priorities. When we went into lockdown in March, we had graduates about to join our team and knew these new circumstances meant we’d need to make an effort to help them feel as welcome as possible. We invested in an intranet, started a newsfeed with regular company updates, and kept conversations going (both professional and social) to help normalise this new remote set-up. Taking a team ‘pulse’ is also a really great way of checking in with your colleagues. By issuing a survey, you can find out how everyone is feeling, including any concerns they might have.

5. Push Proactivity

Foster an environment that your team wants to be in. Employees need to feel confident in speaking their minds, asking questions, and putting ideas forward. At MahiFX, we don’t like hierarchy - we create dialogue over monologue, and this freedom encourages everyone to proactively create the job they want to do, boosting productivity as a result. In addition to this, it’s important that you have the right people in the right positions. Make sure you know each individual on your team - discuss strengths, development areas, and blind spots so you know exactly who to delegate assignments to. Not only will this ensure that tasks are completed to the highest possible standard, your staff will be happier and more productive as a result.

6. Celebrate successes

Every win, big or small, should be celebrated. Acknowledging your team’s unique talents and values boosts morale, encourages interaction between staff members, and showcases their abilities. We have two staff awards for each quarter; one from our leadership team that recognises outstanding work and another voted for by the whole team. But in addition to this, we shout out the small wins too. Take the time to mention highlights in meetings, give praise and ensure everyone receives equal recognition.