When you are part of an organization that is working towards goals, you are part of a team. A team moving toward hitting milestones can sometimes need to generate excitement and motivation while inching toward the goal line. This is why we have acronyms like TEAM.

An acronym like TEAM can be used by team leaders to give the members of the organization a way to remember the key concepts behind staying motivated and excited as a unit working towards hitting benchmarks.

Overview: What is TEAM?

TEAM is an acronym that can mean either Together Everyone Achieves More or Totally Efficiently Achieving Milestones. It is a motivator for groups to work as a unit towards the achievement of goals.

6 benefits of TEAM

There are some major benefits to being part of a workgroup that uses TEAM:

1. Fostering creativity

Working together as a team fosters creativity and the free exchange of ideas toward coming up with the most effective methods for achieving milestones.

2. Sharing the workload

Working as a team towards achieving milestones allows each team member to focus on the things they are good at. There are also other people to lean on when the individual workload is too much.

3. New perspectives

Everyone is different, and working to achieve goals through a team allows individuals to hear perspectives in a way that they would not otherwise get to hear, which can foster new ways of solving problems.

4. Makes work more enjoyable

Working together makes work more fun and can build lasting relationships.

5. Customer service

Working as a team is better for your customers, as each member of the team is able to put their best foot forward in regard to their individual strengths, adding up to a wholly satisfying customer service experience.

6. Productivity

With a group working together towards a goal, you are likely to see much greater productivity.

Why is TEAM important to understand?

TEAM is important to understand for the following reasons:

1. The benefits of working as a group

Understanding TEAM is important so that you internalize all the benefits of working with a group toward achieving goals.

2. Positive workplace

Having a solid understanding of how to utilize teamwork in the workplace helps create a positive workplace environment.

3. You can change the workplace dynamic

If you understand TEAM, you can help create lasting change in the workplace dynamic.

An industry example of TEAM

Every morning, a sales team for a company that manufactures lighting has a group meeting. As one part of each meeting, they focus on group tasks that center around TEAM as well as JUICE (Join Us in Creating Excitement). These serve to make all the members of the team feel like part of a unit and that they are working towards the same goals. It also serves to get the members excited about the milestones they are working towards that day.

3 best practices when thinking about TEAM

Here are some good practices to think about when it comes to TEAM:

1. Find the successes

Whenever you are going over the work with the members of your team, always find the successes and champion them, no matter how small they may be. Successes build on one another, so whenever there are any, it is important to get the group excited about them. This is part of being an effective team leader.

2. Do not bring negativity

As part of your TEAM motivational activities, it is vital that you do not show negativity. Negativity can spread throughout the group and undermine what the team is working towards.

3. Make all the individuals a part of the whole

Be sure to focus on what each person brings to the table to make the unit stronger. Everyone has something to offer that will make it easier for your team to achieve its goals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about TEAM

Why do we use acronyms like TEAM?

Acronyms have been proven to be a tool for more easily remembering important concepts.

What is another helpful and related acronym?

For goal-setting, another helpful acronym is SMART, which stands for keeping your goals Specific, Measurable, Meaningful, Relevant, and Time-bound.

What if there is a person on the team that seems not as motivated as everyone else?

Often, a team member may feel under-motivated or lack excitement because they do not truly feel part of the group or the goals does not resonate with them. This can be addressed by speaking to the member individually and finding out what it is they are passionate about and how that can be funneled into the strength of the team. It can also be important to show them how the success of the group relates to their own individual desires. Once this is done, bringing them into group activities that show their strengths will help them feel aligned with the team.

Keep the excitement going with TEAM

Using TEAM as a way to keep your workers excited and focused on the goals of the organization is smart business. Individually, we can achieve, but as a group, we can achieve so much more.
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