Notably Green: Teamwork

Happy New Year! Yes, October 1st starts a new year for BNI Chapters. The new Leadership Teams are set to start their new term as of October 1st. For BNI Chapters to be successful as a whole and for chapter members to be successful, it takes everyone in the chapter working together and doing their part. It takes Teamwork.

So what is Teamwork? I like this definition - 'A cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team in the interests of a common cause.'

Here are the ingredients that I believe make a good recipe for a successful Team and for a successful BNI Chapter.

Goals - Every BNI member becomes a part of a BNI Chapter to receive referrals in order to make money. But in order for the individuals to reach their goals, the chapter has to have a set of goals and a plan to be successful, which in turn will help each individual member reach their goals and see the value in their membership. What are your chapter's goals?

Everyone doing their fair share - I believe that every member in a chapter needs to have a role/responsibility. As the description says, 'everyone working together as a team.' Like a football team, the water boy's role is essential to the quarterback staying hydrated in order to make a touchdown. Every role and responsibility contributes to the success of the team. What role/responsibility do you have in your chapter? What skills do you have that would benefit your chapter?

Communication/Feedback - BNI chapters are made up of a diverse group of people with different backgrounds and different styles of communication. When issues are raised, it's not necessarily a complaint, but an awareness that needs attention. Perhaps it is a lack of understanding of the process or the procedure. How does your chapter handle feedback? The Chapter Success Meeting provides a great place for sharing information, providing feedback and working out issues. Does your chapter have a monthly Chapter Success Meeting that is open to all members? Do your members know the process for handling issues?

Growth - Just like every business wants to grow to make more money, BNI chapters need to grow in order for their members to have more opportunities for referrals. What is your chapter's plan to have more visitors and to grow the membership?

Accountability - This is a hard one for some chapters. In BNI, members get to be friends and it is sometimes hard to tell your friend they are not doing their fair share. But in high functioning teams, it is a necessity to provide feedback and hold members accountable. Think about if you were part of a rowing team and one member was not doing their fair share of rowing or not rowing in the right direction, what would happen? You would be going in circles, staying in one place, or going backwards. In order to be part of a high functioning team and reap the rewards, you have to be willing to work at the level expected of a high functioning team and give and accept feedback on ways to improve. What are the expectations for the members of your chapter?

Continuous Improvement - I like Maya Angelou's quote, 'Do better until you know better and then do better.' In order for teams to be successful, they have to have goals and a plan and they need to review their progress continuously to see how they are doing. By reviewing, analyzing, making adjustments, etc. they can keep the chapter on course to reach and exceed their goals. What goals and mechanisms does your chapter have in place for making improvements?

Fun and Recognition - Lastly and one of the most important parts of a successful recipe of successful teams is to have fun and celebrate success. Celebrating individual as well as group achievements gives a team a since of accomplishment. With every accomplishment it gives encouragement to work for more. How does your chapter have fun, celebrate, and recognize success?

Your Support Team is here to help you, i.e. Your Director Consultant, Area Director, Senior Director, and Executive Directors. If you or your chapter needs help or have questions, reach out.

Here are some additional resources:

Creating a Great Culture

Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast

Good to Great

5 Dysfunctions of a Team

Behaviors and Credibility

For previous articles refer to my Notably Green Blog.

And join the Facebook Group - Notably Green

I encourage you to access the podcasts via BNI University so that you show up on the Leader board for your Chapter and your area. To make it easier, you can also download the app to your smart device. It's available from ITunes and Google. Also, be sure and report your CEUs, 1 hour = 1 CEU.