I’m super excited to have Tess Blankenship, an expert in creating virtual teams, guest posting today. I think you’ll love what she has to say about bringing more joy to your (work) life by building a happy, virtual team.
It used to be just you and your trusty computer. Now it’s you and your happy team (your most brilliant move ever!). Hiring virtual receptionist services, content writers, and accountants lightened your load of to-do’s and business is a lot more fun.
Why?
You know the 5 secrets to build a happy team.
Your team might include the website designer who’s creating your best online self. The customer care VA who’s making your clients feel warmly welcomed. Or your super-efficient video editor who delivers polished YouTube videos twice a month.
The size of your team doesn’t matter and as they say, it is the heart that goes into the work. If the heart of your team is in the right place, your business will flourish.
You become the ‘favorite client’ and they’re more engaged. Your business feels easier and with more brilliant minds for bouncing ideas.
When you build a happy team, you’re connecting with the people and not just the service being delivered.
You get their best self, the one with passion and spark. Who wouldn’t want to know and work with passionate, sparkly people?! Who better to deliver the best for your business.
So how do you build a happy team you’ve never meet in person? How do you bring a better team experience to your business?
5 Secrets to Build a Happy Team:
Get to Know the Person.
Seems obvious and too easy, but it often doesn’t happen. Ask a personal question (of the non-creepy kind). Find out what happens when they aren’t tied to their computer and be genuinely interested in the answer. Favorite getaways, recent movies or what they’ll be looking forward to on the weekend.
Introduce Your Team.
Introduce them to your audience in your newsletter, blog post or even in your social media group. Give your team member the big welcome, share what they’ll be doing in the business, their background and a fun bit like favorite ice cream, cocktail, or superhero. Arrange for ice breaker questions for your team, so that your new team member can know your existing team better. If your team member regularly work with clients, add them to the About page. This is a great way to highlight the dazzling minds that are part of your business like Scoop Industries and Your Hot Copy.
You may also want to introduce your team to your business objectives. That way, you can make them aware of the priorities and targets you want them to pursue. This could improve their bonding with you and other teammates and, as a result, increase their productivity. This is why the first step as a business owner you might need to take is setting business goals for your company, and the second step is to involve your teammates in the decisions you make to achieve those goals.
[bctt tweet=”Building a #happy #team makes everyone’s work better. @thetessblank” username=”jumpstartjoy”]
Say Thanks Often.
Yes an email is good, but how about a handwritten note snail mailed (because who doesn’t like to get a pretty looking envelope in the mailbox!). After that amazing juggling houdini act your team pulled out to launch your new site, service or package, consider a thank you gift. Something as simple as a Starbucks eCard works wonders. Not sure what card to give, check out the virtual egiftcard shopping mall which even gives you the choice for a custom VISA giftcard. Something handmade, connect with an online Etsy seller for special teas, jewelry or printed items.
Make a Team Production.
Get your team involved in producing something for your audience. It’s not a product to sell, but gives value and gives visibility to your team members. These could be fun videos, instagrams or posts on topics such as:
Bring your pet to work day (we know you alway have your pet at work/home)
Favorite way to relax
Favorite lifestyle shortcut/tool/ service
Behind the scenes
Interview Your Team.
Have your team share golden nuggets of knowledge to solve a problem your audience may be facing. It gives your team members a chance to be visible as their own entrepreneur too. A couple great examples from Pat Flynn with his managing editor , and Claire Pelletreau’s interview with her virtual assistant.
Building a happy team makes everyone’s work better, because you’re making connections with real people. Plus, it’s good for business too. A happy team will go the extra mile when there’s a challenge, easier to work with and has your back. They also aren’t shy about sharing improvements for business to make you better at yours.
Tess Blankenship helps entrepreneurs streamline their business and build better virtual teams to reach their revenue goals. Knowing what to hire out, how to work and measuring performance that matters to create brilliant teams. An MBA and spending over a decade focused exclusively on virtual teams across the globe means she’s giving entrepreneurs the inside scoop. To keep her business running strong requires a big mug of coffee, a good pastry and a dose of the outdoors. You can find her site at www.tessblankenship.com