“Goooooo the Maaagnetsssssss” – a cheer roared daily by the members of my sales team, the Money Magnets. It’s one of the many ways of cementing the strong team bond we have. Coming from a sports background, particularly Rugby, I’ve had the chance to be a part of many teams and I think developing a powerful team bond is very important to keep members motivated, focused, dedicated and it ensures a fun team culture. As a consequence, my team has fun at work, which builds up the dynamic culture in the office.

What I love about Meltwater is the close teamwork we engage in with our colleagues on a daily basis. As a manager, I work on promoting a sense of camaraderie amongst the team, as I’ve always believed that great teams are characterized by their ability to work as one unified entity with a shared purpose. As a sales team, the Money Magnets are constantly working towards a common goal – CRUSHING TEAM TARGET.

In addition to a common goal, there is a certain work dynamic my team has that enables each member to take responsibility for the group’s success. As a team, we have a defined team target (quota). Once we break down each individual’s share of that target, we discuss any potential concerns we have individually and on a team level. Then as a group, we come up with strategies and solutions to overcome these. All team members contribute with suggestions and ideas. I then ask the specific team members to take responsibility for their individual suggestions and ensure that each person follows up with the recipient member. I think this is an essential tactic to foster ownership of the team for each member and to encourage a sense of responsibility towards the team on a group level.

I also think creating a strong team brand is essential to identifying with the success of a team. A strong sense of brand – “who we are” — instantly builds a bond between the members that is unique only to the team. The Money Magnets may have not reached household stardom yet, but at every opportunity, all members flaunt the team name. In all the banter emails sent around the office and Asia Pacific region during competitions, we make sure the Money Magnets make a big splash. A few months ago, for example, we took the team branding to the next level and had Polo shirts made with our logo on them. Each end-of-month “closing day” is dominated in true style with all members bearing the official team shirt.

Celebrating as a team whenever it’s deserved is another perfect way to build a strong bond and I’m a firm believer in celebrating all victories large and small. This cultivates a winning culture, constantly striving to succed, and also makes certain that all team members have their victories recognized.

Another key to the Magnets strong team bond is ocassionally spending time together outside of the office. We try to have some kind of event outside the office regularly, such as a happy hour, a gourmet dinner or a competitive game of pool, and I think this is essential in getting to know each other on a more personal level.

Getting to know a colleague outside of the office is essential to building a strong team. If you understand why a colleague might be having a bad day, you can better empathize with them and support them in the most effective way possible.

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Michael is a Meltwater News Sales Manager based in Singapore

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