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Fighting the Five Enemies of Unity
For Troy Meachum, owner of ACR Supply Company in Durham, North Carolina, the thought of vacation was anything but relaxing. It's not that he didn't love getting away, it's that he dreaded returning to a desk full of problems and team members who weren't getting along.
Troy knew something had to change, so he rolled up his sleeves and went to work to transform his company's culture. A major part of that was unifying his team. To accomplish this goal, Troy relied on the lessons he learned at EntreLeadership Master Series. And like Dave, he found out that if he kept the five enemies of unity away from his door, everyone became increasingly unified. You can do the same! The enemies include:
Failure to Communicate
Want a team that works together as one? Then talk it up and always let them know what's going on, whether good news or bad. As Dave says, "Most people assume the worst times 10 when leadership hasn't built trust with them by telling the whole truth." Be proactive with your communication.
Lack of Shared Purpose
A company without a common goal is like a car traveling to an unknown destination without a GPS. You don't have a clue where you're going, and you'll probably never get there. You can't have unity without a common goal, a common mission and a common vision, all flowing from a common dream. Create them and talk about them over and over again. And then talk about them some more.
Gossip
One thing you will never find at Dave's office is gossip. Everyone knows that if they have a problem, they need to take it to their leader and no one else. In fact, Dave hates gossiping so much, it's a fireable offense. "It has the power to divide and destroy everything you have built," Dave says.
Unresolved Disagreements
It's a fact as old of time. When you get a bunch of humans together, no matter their age, education or sense of humor, disputes are going to ensue. And as a leader, it's your job to act quickly and decisively when you become aware of them. If not, they will fester, and your team will grow apart.
Sanctioned Incompetence
Remember in school when you were assigned a group project, and there was always that one goof-off who never helped? You didn't feel like pitching in the next time, right? Well, the same holds true for your team. If you don't act when someone can't or won't do their job, it demotivates everyone else.
By fighting the five enemies of unity, you can create team members who love their job and are all working toward a common goal—winning the game. That's what Troy has done, and today he has no problem going on vacation. "We have a culture much like a family who cares for each other, communicates, and wants to help each other and unite," he says. "It's a place where people wake up and want to come to work."
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Happening on Twitter
@entreleadership: Can't get good people? Change your culture. |
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To learn more about business, team building and leadership, download our EntreLeadership podcasts, which include lessons from Dave, plus interviews with key business leaders from across the nation. |
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Brian Williams
Creative Director
As a leader, I’m only as effective as my team is unified. But team unity isn’t something that just happens; it’s created with two main ingredients.
First and foremost is trust. If there’s no trust between my team and me as the leader, and among team members, we’re dead in the water. It’s like those professional sports teams you hear about that are winning on the field but have problems in the locker room. Things may go well while you’re winning, but eventually stress will take over, and that’s when the cracks begin to show. The trust you’ve built within your team will hold you together during those times.
But how do you build trust?
With constant authentic communication. Your team must be able to be honest with you as their leader as well as with each other. Also, by staying in communication with your team, they are never left in the dark, feeling like they are on standby waiting to take orders. By being willing to have the tough conversations, you build trust. And that trust builds a unified team.
About Brian
Before joining Dave’s team six years ago, Brian was the Senior Art Director for a leading sports publishing company. As creative director, he manages all marketing and creative projects for the Broadcast division as well as leading the video team. |
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