Building a friendly and productive team at the same time is something not many people are able to do without prior experience or knowledge about the process. Indeed, trying to be friendly can lead to being unprofessional which will, in turn, lead to lower levels of productivity. Luckily, there are ways to create a team like you want it to be, so here’s how to build a friendly and at the same time productive team around you.

#1 Set Realistic Goals and Objectives

First of all, you need to set realistic goals and objectives both for yourself and for your teammates. Doing this will help you focus on the job at hand and will also make you have realistic expectations about what your team can do as well as what you can achieve as a part of this team.

#2 Expect Proper Communication from Your Team

Next, you need to expect proper communication from your team. Of course, there will be instances when you have misunderstandings. But to prevent them as much as possible, you should have a set of rules about the way you communicate such as the tools you use and when you inform each other about certain information.

#3 Let Them Have Creative Freedom

Creative freedom is something many people don’t really have because they are constantly told what to do and how to do it. But if you want to make your team members happy with their jobs, you need to let them have creative freedom which will also let them become more productive and innovative.

#4 Make the Schedule as Flexible as Possible

Another thing to think about is your working schedule. It’s important to make the schedule as flexible as possible so that you and your colleagues don’t feel too stressed by it. Allow regular breaks and let people take a day off if they are ill. Moreover, if you are working with a remote team, having a flexible schedule will be essential rather than optional.

#5 Evaluate Everyone’s Strengths and Weaknesses

When accepting new people into your team, you should always evaluate their strengths and weaknesses to understand how well they will work in your team and how the team will function once they join. Everyone has their weaknesses, but these weaknesses might not be an issue if there is someone else in your team compensating for them.

#6 Grow A Friendly and Welcoming Work Culture

Growing a friendly and welcoming work culture doesn’t happen immediately, but it’s definitely something you need to think about in the long-term. Having an accepting culture at work will allow your team members (as well as yourself) to feel included and appreciated by the people you work with.

#7 Praise Achievements When It’s Appropriate

When there is an achievement from a certain team member or as a result of a team effort, it’s worth praising this achievement rather than ignoring it. Praising achievements shows that you genuinely care about the success of your team.

#8 Offer Appropriate Working Conditions

Last but not least, you should offer appropriate working conditions to your colleagues. Otherwise, they will be unsatisfied with their jobs and you might even develop high turnover rates. Proper working conditions will keep your team members happy while also increasing their productivity significantly.

Final Thoughts

To sum up, creating a team around you that is both friendly and productive is possible by offering the right opportunities to your team members, ensuring a culture of acceptance, and letting your team members have creative freedom. Use the tips from this article to create your own team the way you want it to be.