Forget the A-Team --Here Comes the Bee Team

Dear Worker Bee,” a mid-level manager writes in, “I’m a mid-level... Oh, you already said that. Anyway, I’m in charge of a small number of dedicated, hard-working employees who aside from not being able to remember my name on occasion, show me the utmost respect and inspire me with confidence. (My name is Marty — is that so hard to remember?) However, I can never seem to get them to work together as a team on inter-departmental projects. Do you have any advice on team-building?”

Well, Arnie — it was Arnie, right? — I’m glad you asked. Team management is a particularly popular issue right now. Not as popular as the swimsuit issue, but you know what I mean. Whether you work for a large corporation or run your own small business, chances are you have certain projects that require more than one person’s attention. (You have no idea what goes into making honey and pollinating every allergy season, bee-lieve me.) Here are some tips on coaching a team without having to waste money on expensive uniforms and cheerleaders.

Bee a Goalie

The first thing your team needs is a porpoise. First of all, you’re going to need some seawater, and plenty of fresh fish. Then, get on the phone to SeaWorld, and ... Oh, hold on. I was thinking of my next article on building a workplace aquarium. What I meant to say is, your team needs a purpose. Provide your employees with motivation by presenting them with a clear, simply-defined goal, like developing a marketing plan or picking up your dry cleaning. Even if your long-term ambition for your team is something incredibly complex (like picking up your wife’s dry cleaning), starting out small enables them to easily define their roles and divide up responsibilities. (Like remembering to tell them not to put too much starch in your ascot.)

Keep Their Eyes on the Honey

In most cases, the individual members of your team are still going to have their own independent job responsibilities unrelated to whatever project the team is working on. This means it’s important for you to provide the team with incentives to work hard, and make sure they see how they will be rewarded for the accomplishment of their group task. If you’re not their only supervisor, make sure to schedule a meeting with their other boss and discuss how to reward them and divide up their time. If you are their only supervisor, make sure you close the door during this meeting, so no one will see you talking to yourself.

Bee a Pepper

Ensure that your team stays focused by holding short, regular meetings, during which everyone can announce what they’ve been doing, and share new ideas they may have had (like making you pick up your own damn dry cleaning). Make sure your presence at the meetings is positive and supportive, though it needn’t require pom-poms and choreography. You might even call them “pep rallies” rather than meetings, although the Worker Bee is more into ascots than mascots, in general. Just be sure to keep it upbeat ... and if they want to make fun of you for wearing an ascot, keep in mind that with their minds so attuned to their project, they can’t be as on top of high fashion as you are.

Bee in Touch

Got a work-related question for the Worker Bee? E-mail it to me at mybuddybrett @yahoo.com.