Have you ever seen a basketball team playing in a finals match without a coach? I bet you haven’t. The truth is, behind all the best basketball teams is a coach who guides the players and suggests strategies to achieve their ultimate goal – to win the game and get the championship crown.

The same goes when you’re managing a business. The leader serves as a coach to the team members, so that each of them can successfully deliver their tasks and contribute to the overall growth of the business.  So what does it take to lead a winning team?  Aside from recognizing your team members’ strengths, weaknesses, skills, and character, here are five tips to manage your team:

1. Create a fun and learning environment
Team members can perform better when they are able to have a good time while doing their tasks at work. It allows people to enjoy work despite the challenges of their job roles. A relaxed atmosphere can give your team members a breather when things get tough.

2.  Inspire your team to achieve goals
What is the ultimate goal of your business? You should clearly define your goals and communicate it to your team so that you are on the same page and you can work together to accomplish the business vision. Leaders should have the ability to inspire team members to perform their best. When a team fully understands business goals, it will help them recognize their significant role in achieving it.

3. Invest in your people
Help your people grow as individuals.  A common reason why employees leave is that they feel stagnant or there is no longer any room for growth. Provide plenty of opportunities for your team to learn, invest in their training, send them for events and conferences that will help them grow. 

4. Develop new set of leaders
When you have a business trip abroad and a series of meetings outside the office, who’s going to fill your shoes? If there’s no one who can step into your role, it’s going to create a leadership void. The true measure of a worthy leader is their ability to nurture leaders within the team.  As a leader, your role is to create the next generation of leaders who can manage and lead the team without your help or with minimal supervision. 

5. Continue mentoring your team
No matter how proficient your team members are in their respective job roles, they still need someone who can guide them and help them sharpen their skills and strengths. Use your extensive experience to train your employees and give words of encouragement especially when work gets challenging. Provide feedback about their performance and recommend ways or strategies on how they can improve.

These five strategies will help you build an effective team. Be thorough in enabling your team members to soar higher and perform better as a team. Remember, without a great team, it’s impossible to achieve your goals and to succeed in business.