Subtraction by addition , this is an interesting phrase . We sometimes think because we are fully staffed we ’ ve set ourselves up to serve of clients better . I ’ m here to tell you it ’ s not the size of your team that matters or that makes you more productive or better able to serve . We must better target the skill set needed of a position ( aim small miss small ) to accurately match the skill of the person and the desired results .

I ’ m not in the mind set that says anyone can be taught to perform any task . When it comes to serving and communicating with clients something ’ s just needs to be organic . Webster ( yes I know this gives away my age ) points out that listening , empathy , awareness ,

persuasion , conceptualization , foresight , stewardship , commitment to the excellence and building community are a few characteristics that best fits the skill set needed when dealing with clients . I ’ d also emphasize that this skill set is as common as you might think . Some are just not able to listen without formulating a rebuttal while the other person is still trying to make a point . This behavior is counter productive to really getting to the place where your organization exhibits true understanding of what your clients are trying to convey .

So if you start with the end result in mind , adding the right people for the right job can greatly improve client relationship . Thus making your team more productive and reducing

the need to add additional personnel .

One more thought , now that you ’ ve focused on getting the right person for the job , here are few tips on getting the best out of your team .

• Teamwork can be unproductive if you have team members whose personalities conflict instead of complimenting one another . In case of too many leaders , all want to lead in different directions .

• Teamwork can breakdown if the team loses sight of the goal , or if it was never clear to begin with .

• It can also breakdown if the team members do not trust each other to act in the best interest of the team .

• A lack of communication and

organization can negatively affect team productivity . If roles and responsibilities are not well defined and communicated , there may be overlap ( two or more people working on the same aspect of the work without knowing that they are all working on the same thing ) or gaps ( some aspects of the work may fall through the cracks because no one realizes that no one is working on them ).

Saying this to say this , the subcontractors you use have to consider themselves as a larger team in order to get the best results for the clients . They can ’ t simply focus on their task but must look to improve any area they touch .

“ Team Works Makes the Dream Work ”

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