There’s this Helen Keller quote that goes “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Teamwork is usually borne out of the necessity of needing other people to help you achieve a shared objective. No one goes through life without needing help from someone else. Hey, even Batman had to team up with the Justice League!

Maybe you need specialized skills, more ideas, motivation, or even manpower. Jobs get done more quickly with a top notch team to back you up. Now if we were all to believe that, a team of high potential superstars at your disposal will almost always get the job done. The challenge is how to pick them and make sure they will perform. Here are some pointers on how to build a top performing team:

Leadership and Direction:

It is integral that a team has leadership and direction. Without it, a team crumbles. Maybe because of power struggles, lack of direction, communication problems, or a host of other complications. There has to be a visionary who will show the way. Assign someone who will provide guidance, boost morale, encourage creativity, and provide recognition – someone to let the others know that they are part of a whole and that their work impacts others.

Skills:

Anyone who has ever played NBA2k, Fantasy Football, or World of Warcraft would know the complicated dynamics of having to create the best team you can based on skills while having limited resources. We don’t match people to jobs based on availability, we match them because of proficiency and how well we think they can execute a task.

If we had unlimited funds, we’d all get the experts in the field. However, resources mean time and money, and since those have constraints, we learn to work with what we have. And what we have to do is to make sure we pick people who have the proficiency to get the job done while remaining flexible enough to welcome suggestions and ideas.

Shared Goals and Aligned Values:

A team is defined as a group of people who work towards a common goal. These goals need to be clear and defined before embarking on any task. The team that is most successful in achieving its goals is one wherein its members are clear on what they want to achieve and have  a set of values that complement each others. That builds a feeling of camaraderie. It makes individuals feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves and will happily work with each other towards creating something they can be proud of.

The most valued team members are those who have the ability to see things from a different perspective, who are able to adjust their approach, and who will help re-align theirs and their teammates goals towards their ultimate target.

Motivation and Recognition:

If you ask volunteers why they’re volunteering, you’ll find that they are volunteering because they want something in return. Not in a selfish kind of way but in a reciprocal kind of way. It may be satisfaction, a free meal, recognition, a promotion, experience, or a simple thank you. Scrap Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we all want appreciation for a job well done – and chocolate, don’t forget chocolate.

We all have expectations on what we think a top performing team should be. Expect too much and your superstars will leave, expect too little and never see them rise to the challenge. The trick is to strike a balance and find the sweet spot between those expectations and reality.

 Written by Jaie T.-  The Help

Tragedy comes when least expected. Sorrow is a daily presence suddenly. There was no threat to speak of. Germanwings Flight 9525, the recent disaster of immense proportions, was not in danger of mechanical malfunction. What do we do in the face of disaster? Are we ever ready or prepared?

Thirty-eight years ago I lost a sister. What did I do then? I can’t remember my reaction to another sibling’s succumbing to heart failure; one that was quickly followed by another’s passing, three weeks later. I do know the following:

I cried copious tears for months. I gave in to grief, to feeling helpless. Months later I thought I was over the pain. Then I would see a bouquet of red roses and baby’s breath, I’d be in tears again. I’ve lived with grief a long time so there’s never getting over it, really. It’s different for everyone, there are highs and lows in grieving, much like the tide that ebbs and flows.

Many will offer words of support, generous prayers. It will be a time to receive graciously, of appreciation for the many friends and strangers who stand ready to help.

It is crucial to remember the happy moments spent with those who are suddenly gone from us. Recalling the memories created with them; perhaps while at a summer picnic at the beach, at dinner after a long day at work, or the quiet moments of conversation where words of wisdom were exchanged, can sustain and recharge friends and relatives.

Communing with family and friends is important. There is truth in the saying pain is eased when shared. The living is left to deal with the loss and the accompanying emptiness that invariably settles in the soul. In remembering our departed with prayers, we remember Germanwings 9525 and its 150 passengers.

Written by Yoli P. – The Help

Once upon a time, people grouped themselves into clubs depending on the subject – books, baseball, and movie stars’ are some examples. The common interest also became a jumping point for the club members’ to utilize and recommend their preferred service providers for home maintenance, restaurants, and vacation destinations.

With the industrial revolution, collaboration became a tool in reaching people, particularly those outside of recognized clubs and organizations. Political ties developed and information became accessible, which helped the growth of business networks. Networking expanded by leaps and bounds with the Internet’s bursting on center stage in recent times.

Networking has always been in the professional world, in the face-to-face manner, through colleagues’ office visits and going out for coffee or lunch together. Theme fairs and conferences were, and still are, bridges to meeting new people and learning about developing industry trends.

And the virtual assistance industry is no exception; it is invested in networking because of its very nature. A company whose main product is implementing tasks in an ethereal world needs a strong presence in the Internet.

Because both workforce and clients are in various locations around the world, communication is key in making the business cohesive. This network is connected by technology but more than that they are linked by the same goals in expanding and growing a business. Each one has their individual circle of professional and personal relations in end users, buyers, and suppliers connected to one another and at the same time to the world. Like a pebble thrown in a pond, the ripple effect goes outward in concentric circles but it begins in the center.

Here are some suggestions for networking to be useful to the virtual assistance business:

• Create a presence in Facebook and Twitter, two of the most popular social media platforms. Make a certain to post interesting articles regularly.
• From there, update the company e-mailing list of current and possible clients.
• Participate and join online professional groups such as LinkedIn or a virtual assistants organization. 

Much like planning a garden, networking requires tending and organization. The roses will bloom because of constant care and networking will only bear fruit in proportion to the attention it gets.

Written by Yoli P. – The Help

Over the years, with the increased personal and business use of email, social media gained ground and have since entrenched itself in everyone’s life via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Businesses reap huge benefits from social media as their products become more visible to clients. They can quickly respond to trends as well as cut costs on traditional advertising. Clients’ access to customer services for various concerns via websites improves the bottom line. Social media makes information sharing more efficient, generates discussion and directs people to interesting sites.

On the personal side, social media facilitates staying in touch with family and friends on a global scale. If family members are abroad, a message sent just a few minutes ago could receive instantaneous reply. Social media is also helpful in client referrals and job searches. It helps professionals conduct research via LinkedIn, for example.

While there are positives to social media, there are a number of negatives as well. Friends on the social media plane can be into the hundreds. How are meaningful connections differentiated from casual acquaintances? With the amount of networking involved in social media, there is a marked decrease in attention span in some end users. Anything that has more than three paragraphs becomes too long to read. Along with a shorter attention span, productivity at work or even at home may suffer. There is less human interaction because everyone is continually on one or two social networking site following and contributing to interesting topics. The gradual loss of privacy is the biggest effect of social media on society. To some extent information normally kept confidential is given up easily which may have contributed to the increase of identity theft crimes.

Much like the telephone, social media has had a huge impact on society. Communication is vastly improved, jobs are generated, and everyone is in touch with family, friends, and the workplace. Craig Hodges said, “A fixation with connecting with ‘friends’ online comes with the risk of disconnection with friends waiting for you to be present in the offline world,” a reminder to remain connected in the physical world.

Written by Yoli P. – The Help

Among family, friends, and colleagues, compliments and criticism are parts of daily life – one is an expression of admiration while the other is the act of evaluating or judging the qualities, abilities, and faults of something or somebody. While praise is easy to the ears and the psyche, criticism, on the other hand, produces a negative reaction. Some go into a defensive mode of thinking (during a performance evaluation conversation), others lash back thru a cutting remark.

Constructive criticism, however, is meant to create space for growth. Companies hire independent consultants to assess management skills and styles of its middle level managers. In much the same way, supervisors evaluate personnel to assess career tracks that may be available to them.

For recipients of criticism, keep in mind that it is impossible to see a fleck in one’s eye without the use of a mirror. Equipped with this image, here are four steps to ease acceptance of constructive criticism.

1. Evaluate. In constructive criticism, managers cite areas for improvement. At the same time, suggestions are made to achieve the goal of improving work performance. Adopting a mindset of someone who is positive in most situations, this can be an opportunity for career advancement.
2. Source. While evaluating the criticism itself, consider the source as well. If it doesn’t come from a manager, teacher, or a coach, think about the motivation. People can be jealous, envious, or simply without tact.
3. Thank and acknowledge the feedback provider. Even if the discussion was strained, thank the manager. An attitude of appreciation for constructive criticism often surprises the critic. It shows one is ready to take on the work of improving and learning from the criticism provided.
4. Make the areas cited for improvement a priority. For example, if the feedback is that of missed deadlines for projects, examine where the bottleneck is and find a solution. If the criticism focuses on the manner of answering the phone, read up on telephone answering skills or even better, sign up for training.

Changes will not happen overnight but the learning can start immediately. It begins with the mindset that an employee’s excellent performance inside the company shows in the improved business/client relationships.

Written by Yoli P. – The Help