Value Added Service Is a Team Sport

by Tom Reilly     ©Copyright 2000

Value added peak competitors believe that serving customers is a team sport. Some teams succeed and others fail. Successful teams offer value added solutions that satisfy customer’s needs while contributing to their company’s profitability. These results-oriented work groups offer team members the opportunity to feel like they are an important part of something bigger than themselves.

One problem that plagues companies is the silo effect. One department operates independently of another. In fact, they are so independent that it appears they work for entirely different companies. When the parts department views itself as unrelated to the service department and the service department views itself as unrelated to the parts department and both of them fail to see how they are connected to the sales effort, they are suffering from the silo effect. The first indicator is when everyone starts using us versus them in daily conversations.

Teams fail when selfishness or personal interests overshadow the team’s efforts. Hoarding vital information weakens the team spirit and its effectiveness. When one department hoards information to the detriment of another, it’s difficult to serve customers effectively. It sabotages the organization’s efforts. Selfishness is also a problem when one team member is more focused on creating a job for himself than cooperating with the team to serve customers better.

Teams fail when there’s active or passive sabotaging of their efforts. Passive sabotaging is letting others fail when you could step in to help. This sin of omission hurts the team spirit and efforts. Active sabotaging is creating barriers that prevent someone from doing the best job they can do. Spreading gossip and rumors that hurt team members ultimately hurt the saboteur. Others lose trust in this person.

Teams fail when team members sharp-shoot or discount another’s ideas. It’s easy to criticize another person’s idea. It’s an act of teamwork to support it. You’re either building up your teammates or breaking them down.

Attributing motives to another person’s behavior is another reason teams fail. It’s difficult to know what’s in another’s heart—why someone does something. Second-guessing a team member’s motivation is a waste of your energy and it hurts the team dynamic. It’s a more positive use of energy to think well of teammates and assign benign motives to their efforts.

Another reason that teams fail is mission creep. Mission creep is losing sight of the mission. Why are we really doing this? When you find your team wandering aimlessly trying to get back on track, you are experiencing mission creep. You’ve lost your focus. The primary mission of most businesses is to make a difference for the customers, not just a deal. When you lose sight of the mission to bring maximum value to the customer, mission creep has set in. When employees get so bogged down in the details of their day-to-day experiences that they forget why they are in business, to serve customers, mission creep has set it.

Teams also fail because of infrastructure problems. If you lack the resources, the systems, or the time to perform your job the way it should be done, your team will fail.

Even successful teams struggle at times. How they deal with struggles, obstacles, and temporary detours determines whether or not they will be successful in their efforts.

With all the competition your company faces on the street, you do not need competition within your walls. You and your peers are on the same team. You are not the enemy.

When one team member fails, the team is weakened. You are only as strong as your weakest teammate. How you support each other defines the character of your team.

l What are you doing today to add value to your team?

l  How are you building up your teammates?

l  How do you help maintain your team’s focus on your mission?

On a more positive note, teams succeed under these conditions. First, there must be mission clarity. Everyone on the team must understand the mission, know what’s expected of them, and be committed to that mission. It is management’s responsibility to clearly articulate to employees their mission.

When employees embrace the mission, it becomes a unifying goal for the entire team. When everyone knows what’s expected and is committed to that mission, teams function well. Teams function best when the team members remain focused on their mission and do not allow themselves to be distracted along the way. They lock in on the mission and lock out the distractions. 

Teams work when there’s balanced participation by everyone on the team. The failure of one person on the team to pull his load means that others must pick up the slack. On the other hand, all team members pulling together is a powerful source of energy. 

When everyone shares in the decision process, they are contributing their ideas to the team. They are an important part of the process. It may not result in a committee decision, but everyone has input on that decision. This builds commitment to the ultimate decision.

Teams work well when there are clearly defined roles utilizing everyone’s strengths. The collective, unique strengths of the team members is what makes the team concept so powerful. We is greater than me.

Every team must have a leader. This is someone who can make the tough calls. Typically, it’s a team member that everyone respects. The team leader influences the actions of the team. Colin Powell said this about leadership, “It’s the art of accomplishing what the science of management says is possible.” Team leaders help others see what’s possible.

There must be a team attitude or a team environment. This means that individual team members must be willing to subordinate their egos for the greater good of serving their customers. After all, that is the mission.

Teams work well when there’s a mutual trust and respect for other team members. Trust is the currency of all great relationships. Respecting fellow team members builds this trust. When people trust each other, like each other, and want to work together, they figure out the rest.

Frank, open communication among team members is critical for the team’s success. Team members must feel that they can speak openly to other team members. If there’s a problem, they must discuss it. The team leader sets the tone for this openness.

Part of the team attitude is a problem-solving environment. This is where you’re focused on fixing the problem, not the blame. The most important thing to accomplish is resolution of a problem, not finger-pointing at each other. Stay mission-focused.

These ground rules help teams work effectively:

Rule number one: everyone on this team has value. No team member is more valuable than another. Everyone brings a unique source of information, attitude, and skill level. Everyone on this team has value and you must value each other. No one member is above or greater than the team.

Rule number two: attack problems, not people. If there’s a problem to fix, go after that problem not the people involved. Fix the problem, not the blame. Team members are more likely to participate when they realize blame is not on the agenda. Blame is a negative use of the team’s energy. If the problem involves customers, they do not want to know which team member is at fault. They want the problem fixed.

Rule number three: listen fully to another’s ideas without prejudging them or allowing personal biases to influence you. Other people’s ideas have merit. Give others the opportunity to express themselves fully. Give them the open-mindedness you expect. No one has a monopoly on great ideas. You may find in a team member’s thoughts the seed of a greater idea and build on it with your own. That’s the essence of teamwork—building on each other’s strengths, and working on a common goal.

Rule number four: never second-guess another person’s motivation. This is one of the most common reasons teams fail. One team member believes that another member has a hidden agenda. Assume positive motives by fellow team members. Give them the benefit of the doubt.

Teams work well when management provides clear access to information. Everyone involved must share information with peers. There’s no holding back. Share openly. It’s the synergy of one team member working selflessly with another team member toward a common goal that captures the spirit of teamwork. 

Strong teams are made up of strong team members led by a strong leader. The collective strength of the team is a powerful force. This strength comes from a clarity and commitment to mission; mutual respect and support; and a balanced participation built around a simple principle—everyone has value. This results in a powerful and profound dynamic force: we is greater than me. Teams succeed or fail on the backs of team members. As a value added team member, your efforts influence the success of your team.

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Tom Reilly is president of Tom Reilly Training, a St. Louis-based firm specializing in training salespeople and sales managers. This is an excerpt from his book, The Value Added Organization. He is also the author of the books, Simple Psychology, Customer Service Is More Than a Department, Coaching for Sales Success, Value Added Selling, Selling Smart, Crush Price Objections, How to Sell and Manage in Tough Times and Tough Markets, and Get Out of the Wagon and Help Me Pull This Thing. For more information contact: Tom Reilly Training, 171 Chesterfield Industrial Boulevard, Chesterfield, MO 63005    (636) 537-3360   www.tomreillytraining.com