An organization becomes successful when its leadership understands the benefit of grouping its employees into teams. Through this, members contribute to achieving the goals, or objectives, by tapping into their expertise, and the collaboration helps realize the desired target. Currently, I work in a team of five, and as the group’s leader, I have learned that having a positive influence among team members has a critical role in how objectives are met and the project’s success. In the past six months, we came up with the idea to start a small business whose aim was to purchase used products and resell them to those who needed them. Within the first month, each team member was responsible for ensuring I knew the idea behind the business to the community. As the team leader, I brainstormed the idea of ways to reach the highest population in our area. I realized that allowing team members to contribute their thoughts about the best possible solution to a problem resulted in different ideas. From the viable options, we selected the most practical.
We advertised our business by printing leaflets that created awareness about the kind of business we are doing. By the end of the first month, we had already handled over one hundred electronics, bicycles, motorcycles, and the prospect of the business was growing. Communication played and continues to play a significant role in the daily routine of our business. Every week, every member reports to the team their responsibilities, the challenges encountered, and the best solution. Given that my role is to oversee the running of the business, every week, I receive information about what is happening and what we can do to improve service and product delivery to our consumers. So, with every concern raised, I ensure to factor in the opinions of the team members, raise a consensus about the most appropriate approach to the challenge faced, and decide on the best way forward.
In every successful business, team members perform best when they realize their positions and contributions are valued. As the leader, I have learned that giving members an opportunity and space to apply their expertise is critical to the members’ positive impact on the business’s success. Through the leader-member exchange, it has been possible to share valuable information that makes the business continue to thrive. For example, in our business, every member freely communicates their ideas, and the final decision, as already established, does not rely on the leader but the consensus of the members, the leader included. Five months down the line, the business was almost breaking even, which we had not anticipated by the start. Based on our projections, we expected the business to break even towards the end of the first year.
Treating team members as equals in the business has been a significant factor in the business’s success. Despite understanding their position in the team and looking up to their leader for guidance, every member realizes the value they contribute to the business and, therefore, carry out their respective activities as business equals. Planning every activity after the weekly meetings have been significant in the success of the business since it enables members to prepare, research issues, and follow through with its applicability. With six months of operation, we look forward to seeing what the future holds for the business through shared exchanges with team members.