After three intense days of business presentations, peer-to-peer discussions, and networking with colleagues, the NSCA Business & Leadership Conference provided thought provoking topics and actionable takeaways. What resonated most with me was the importance of team, culture, and communication.
As was so appropriately expressed at the outset of the event by Chuck Wilson, Executive Director of NSCA, “it is important for business owners and executives to spend time away from their business and work on their business instead of in their business.” This statement couldn’t have been any better validated by the quality of the content that was presented and consumed at the BLC.
The Importance of Building and Valuing Your Team
As business leaders, our teams are not only our supporting cast, but also the foundation of our organizations. As the owner of a service business, this concept couldn’t be any more important to me. Our team is our product and we need to ensure that we respect and value it as such. Teams need to be quality built, groomed and nurtured, unified in their beliefs and actions, and recognized for their collective effort and their individual contributions. Having the right players on your team and putting them in the best positions to be effective is a critical step toward building a successful organization. It is essential that leadership understand the importance of that concept.
If all the members of an organization understand and live the core company values and feel they are a valued part of the organization, they will pass on that same level of commitment, energy, enthusiasm, and care to the relationships that they build and the clients and vendors with whom they work.
Clients typically work with the people and organizations that they trust, value, and genuinely like. The probability and frequency of this happening is greatly increased when a team is happier, more enthusiastic, valued, and, as a result, more likable.
When producing a product, significant consideration, care, planning, testing, and fine tuning are part of the process. Why not take the same approach to the team that represents your company and defines your brand?
Key Takeaway
It is not good enough to use compensation as a way to motivate, reward and acknowledge members of your team, especially for the newer generations of the workforce. Consistent feedback, recognition, nurturing, and insight into the bigger picture of the company make team members feel inspired and valued. This fuels the energy and enthusiasm that your team exudes to clients and others outside the company.
How did you feel the last time you received poor service? What do you do when you feel like you are not valued as a customer? Do you think that the company wanted you to have that type of experience or do you think that your poor experience was due to the specific individual or individuals with whom you were in contact?
Now think about whether or not those individuals felt valued by their organization. Chances are they don’t and they pass that on to you as the customer. Let this reminder lend perspective to the value of your team and how to treat your team as valuable.
I’ll share more on my takeaways from the BLC and ideas for better business leadership in an upcoming post that highlights the importance of a corporate culture.
