What is a “team” in your convenience store? It’s not just another word for “staff.” A team is a group of people – in your case, your employees – who work together to achieve a common goal. Effective teamwork increases productivity, boosts morale, and enhances customer service. Take a look at the different ways you can improve teamwork in your convenience store:
- Clarify roles and goals. If employees don’t know who is responsible for what, they can’t be expected to work together effectively. Similarly, if they don’t know what they’re working toward, they can’t be expected to move together in the right direction.
- Set teams up for success. Teamwork is hard work that requires specialized training not just on policies, procedures, and tasks, but also on soft skills like communication and problem-solving. You can’t promote teamwork without providing training.
- Practice pro-active conflict management. Conflict is a natural part of teamwork. When managed correctly, it can create opportunity rather than division.
- Reward team excellence. Every team has a star player, and every star player will burn out without team support. Make sure your rewards and incentives programs focus on team successes.
- Maintain an open door policy. Your team members need to know they can depend on you, no matter what the issue. If you are available for them, they’ll go the extra mile for you.
- Understand that feedback goes both ways. Your team needs to hear from you, both when they do well and when they can do better. As much as you should give feedback, you also need to be willing to listen to it. Ask questions, and listen to the answers your team members give.
- Provide opportunities for individual career development. While there’s no “I” in “team,” employees will be better teammates when they are confident in their own abilities. Custom training paths help employees develop skills that they can apply toward the overall success of the team.
- Lead by example. If you want teamwork to be important to your employees, you need to show them that it’s important to you, too. Be mindful of the workplace culture you create and always treat team members with respect.
- Hire with the team in mind. With the labor crisis hitting convenience stores particularly hard, you may be tempted to hire just about anyone who can pass your background check. For your team’s sake, slow down. Take the time to hire for long-term success based on how candidates are likely to work within the team you already have.
- Celebrate differences. Effective teams have diverse memberships. This includes age, backgrounds, work methods, learning styles, and personalities. Where one team member struggles, another soars – that’s what makes a team work.
And remember, teams need coaches. That’s you! Being a coach is different than being a boss. Coaches promote teamwork by bringing people together; bosses encourage apathy by working only toward their own self-serving goals.
Promote Teamwork with Convenience Manager Training
Promoting teamwork starts with a well-trained management staff. Our online convenience store training for managers delivers valuable training topics tailored specifically to your assistant managers, store managers, and district managers. Click here for more details.
