How to Build a Passionate Team

Have you ever thought to yourself, “This isn’t working for me.”?

Sure, that’s a pretty blanket statement and could mean a multitude of things: The “It’s not you, it’s me” end to a relationship, the wait at your local coffee shop as you longingly sniff the air to try to infuse caffeine into your system…heck, it could even mean that your skinny jeans are feeling the one (ahem…two) brownie sundaes you just had to have last night.

But here’s what it should never be: An end-all in the workplace. Here’s how this line of thinking should go instead: “This isn’t working for me. How about…” or “What about…” or “Have you considered…”.

At Cleveland web and graphic design firm Go Media, we believe that as a leader, your  #1 job is to encourage this kind of out-of-the-box, creative, can-do thinking. But how in the world do you do that?

Here are ten tips that can help, straight from the most passionate team in the universe:

1. Share your vision. No one can jump on your bandwagon if you don’t know where you are going. In order to build a passionate team, you must live and breathe your vision. Recruit a team that is enthusiastic about your vision and has the talent to help you execute it. Your team must drink your kool-aid!

2. Modify your vision. Just because you have a kiss-a@@ vision doesn’t mean it has to stay stagnant. Perhaps your amazing team has challenged your vision. That’s a good thing. We repeat: A challenge to your vision is a good thing. It means that your team is thinking, really thinking about their work and the future of their company. Your team most likely is smarter than you (at least if you’ve recruited well). Listen to them.

3. Cultivate your culture. Be encouraging. Sometimes, projects or deadlines and some aspect of your work may falter or even fail. Acknowledge the difficulties that are around the bend, and then figure out a solution together. This leads us to our next point:

4. Celebrate. A happy team is a successful team. Celebrate milestones in your team’s life. Celebrate milestones in your company’s life. Celebrate bounce-backs after defeat. Work may be called “work” for a reason; however, having fun will help your team support your vision and work hard.

5. Encourage risk taking. Trust your team with new responsibilities. If your colleagues are doing the same thing over and over again, they’re going to get bored…perhaps even resentful. Providing a calculated risk is a way to keep minds fresh.

6. Care about your team. Whether you’re showing interest in a project, a hobby, or learning the names of your colleagues’ pets, it’s important to know what makes your team tick. You’re all people; as people, you will work together as a team. Plus, we’re going to go ahead and state the obvious here: Employees who have vested interest in their company and are excited about their projects may actually work harder!

7. Commit. Keep your promises to your team. Keep your promises to your clients. Your team needs to believe in your integrity and trust your word. Your clients will become repeat clients when they can trust you and your work.

8. Reward your employees. We’re not necessarily talking about bonuses or raises, although we’re certainly not discouraging them either :) Thank your team for a job well done or give credit where credit’s due–since your know your employees, you’ll know what kind of reward is meaningful for them. Promote a culture of gratitude and encourage this mentality for your team.

9. Lead, don’t micromanage. Being a smart leader means that you have a vision and have assembled an incredible team to help you execute it. Help prioritize, then delegate the tasks. Ownership goes a huge way in your employees feeling as though they have a meaningful stake in your vision.

10. Be spontaneous. We’re big believers of work-life balance. Surprise workers with a half-day off, bring lunch into the office, organize a happy hour on a Tuesday…keep the vibe in you office enthusiastic and FUN. At Go Media, we’re big believers that FUN helps rejuvenate workers and keeps them passionate about who you are and what you do.

There you have it! These are our top ten tips to build a passionate team. Want to join ours? Head to our jobs page and check out the Cleveland job openings we currently have available.