2 major reasons why your teamwork sucks

Have you ever experienced forgetting about your responsibility on a project because you simply forgot to write it down? Have you ever witnessed a chain reaction of 4 teams not knowing what they were doing on a project because one of your colleagues failed to mention important work information?

In order to avoid these situations, there is a solution that involves just two words: organization and communication.

Usually, when addressing these two, people think they know what they are talking about. But what if there is more to it? Most of the biggest issues in a company are caused by the bad organization or no organization at all, including communication gaps or simply not sharing info one might consider unimportant. 

Let us start with the consequences disorganization and miscommunication bring.

Meet the 2 ugly step-sisters: Disorganization and Miscommunication

It takes just one team member to get “lazy” about the work, and the whole team is blocked. 

This reaction functions like playing dominos; if you push one, all the dominos in the row fall. In a team, it's possible to have six perfectly organized employees and one who lags behind. Consequently, the project falls apart. That can also lead to a very stressed team that harbors anger towards their “prodigal” colleague.  

Miscommunication might be even worse.

If you share incorrect information or info with half-truths in it, you will create confusion, not in just one team, but in all of the teams in the game. Miscommunication can not only slow the project down and affect the deadlines, but it can create hostility between working colleagues as well.

Advice is very simple; don’t hang out with the two mentioned step-sisters, for they will surely do you harm. 

So how do we ditch them?

The infamous O and C skills

In relation to organizational skills, they signify the ability to stay focused on different tasks and have the capability to use one's time, energy, strength, mental capacity, etc., in an efficient way to achieve the desired outcome.

Organizing “stuff” may take time and energy, but it’s worth it. The first step in becoming functionally organized is to decide whether you want it. When you pass that step, the rest is easy. All you need is determination and persistence. Results are what matter, making an effort. 

Communication skills are defined as the capacity to communicate information that is correctly and completely received and comprehended by the intended audience. This phrase correctly describes the ability to communicate effectively with another person or group, either verbally or in writing.

Communication is a bit trickier to master because it includes at least one additional person in the process. In brief, you have to develop a sort of streak for resourcefulness in order to succeed in conveying your idea so your colleague gets it. To have great communication skills, you need to merge a few ingredients into your own recipe: patience, persistence, empathy, tolerance, and understanding. Getting past mutual differences, maintaining mental clarity, and moving forward are guaranteed results.

Masterplan for functional communication in your collective

How to communicate with your bosses?

The question of the century.

 The truth is, there is no unique or exact formula for doing so, but the only way is to experiment and not give up on your goals. 

Before googling any tips and tricks on how to speak to them effectively, you need to figure out what works best with your boss. In order to do that, observe their body language and how other people converse with them. Also, do a little research. You essentially need to figure out a bit about your boss's character in order to “blow their cover”. Also, when it comes to bosses, offering and asking for help is a plus - which brings us to feedback. Be ready to accept one and if they ask, give one to them too. Another useful tip is always to have a suggestion of a solution to the problem you are addressing.  But remember, whatever you do, always be assertive and diplomatic. 

How to communicate with your colleagues? 

Even though it seems like a funny question, it is harder than you might think. Communication with colleagues is a key factor in the project being carried out. If you know how to communicate what you want and are clear and precise in your demands, it is easier to accomplish the goals. So, don’t withhold information you might consider irrelevant, and if you have doubts, always ask. It might be a “stupid” question, but it is better than wandering in the dark. Compromise, because when in teamwork, it can’t all go your way. 

Another thing that is very important for any communication is the art of active listening. Don’t wait for someone to finish their story just to say your line. Listen to what they have to say, and open yourself up to the possibility you might be wrong.

A few tricks for mastering your organizational skills

1. Maintain your calendar 

There are amazing online calendar tools to suit your needs, and their power is to keep you up to date with your responsibilities and tasks. For example, you won’t be late for a meeting if your calendar reminds you about it about 10 to 15 minutes before. If you always keep your calendar in an open tab or anywhere you can see it, you will find it much easier to handle your future and upcoming assignments.

2. Plan a schedule

Buying a notebook to write down what you might forget will for sure change your work organization for the better. If you have many tasks and duties, you might forget certain tasks you have to do and miss a deadline. That’s why keeping a daily schedule does the trick for better organization. 

3. Start using labels

Suppose you have a lot of working materials and don’t know where you keep what, including papers, pens, post-its notes, or any other tools; you definitely need to freshen up your organizational methods. If you start using labels and naming what is what, your life will get much easier, and you will have time to do more work: or will be faster in managing your current tasks.

4. Sort your emails

A sea of emails overflows your inbox on a daily basis, but there must be a way to keep it “clean”. Get rid of all unnecessary emails, empty your spam box, and sort your inbox according to your needs.

5. Clean your desk

Keeping your environment clean makes your life easier and also helps you work in a more “structured” ambiance. And if your ambiance looks clean and structured, your organization skills will also move to the next level. 

6. Set priorities when it comes to tasks

Not every task is a priority. 

Yes, read that sentence as many times as it sinks in.

Many of your colleagues think their task is the most important and needs to be done immediately. 

But that is not true. 

If you are drowning in work, you simply have to learn to use the word “no” and refuse tasks that are not so urgent.

Make your life easier. 

So, what now?

You might think that you’ve already seen or simply know about the info we shared with you. But ask yourself the following question: Can you make it work according to these tips? If the answer is - “Yes, I made it work”, congratulations! You’ve mastered the organizational and communication skills to benefit your working culture. But your answer will probably be: “This is harder than I thought.” 

No worries, Rome wasn’t built in a day. 

Making your company culture both functional and cozy, not to mention joyful and exciting to work at, will surely take time. Don’t feel discouraged, and stay persistent. Our simple tips will lead you to your goal, and if you think you are very close to it, maybe you are ready for the next level!

Will leads to strength, strength leads to action - and action leads to success.

And we wish you good luck with your endeavor!

Hey, you! What do you think?

They say knowledge has power only if you pass it on - we hope our blog post gave you valuable insight.

If you want to share your opinion or learn more about organization and communication in your working environment, feel free to contact us. 

We'd love to hear what you have to say!