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People Matter. People matter in your business. You can have the best products and systems in your business, but your people are the ones who run the systems, create the products, and service the clients. It is the people that deliver your promises. We’ve all heard that “happy employees make happy customers”, and I believe this is 100% true.

However, having happy employees and generating profits are not always synonymous. To build an enduring business, you have to have both.

In this blog post, I am going to share with you something that has really made a difference in my own business. It’s something I’ve shared on a few podcasts, but I have not written about it yet. So I am excited to share this with you now. You may even want to adopt this idea for your business.

The Powerful Culture at My Own Company

At Phillips Home Improvements, teamwork is key. We are a family-owned, local business, and we believe that teamwork really does make the dream work. That’s why we’ve adopted the word “TEAMily” to describe our company culture. This word combines the best of both team and family, two things that are important to us. We believe in working together as a team to achieve our goals, and we also believe in taking care of our family members both inside and outside of work.

TEAMily is not something that can be dictated, and it’s actually difficult to quantify. That’s because TEAMily is our culture. It’s invisible, but it is powerful. Culture is the invisible force that’s either building your business or eroding it.

Our TEAMily culture has helped us become one of the top home improvement companies in the country!

I could not have accomplished any of this on my own. In fact, “I” did not accomplish any of these. Each of these recognitions are truly team-wins… the combined result of a group of people working well together to serve one another and the beloved homeowner clients in our community.

Let’s take a moment to break TEAMily back down into its basic components and discuss the characteristics of what a thriving team and a thriving family look like individually.

Characteristics of a Thriving Team

  • Thriving teams play to one another’s strengths.
  • Each person plays a specific role.
  • They pass the ball rather than hog it.
  • They celebrate wins, big and small
  • They scrimmage, aka role-play.
  • They all rush to recover the fumble, no matter whose fault it was.
  • When someone is not fulling their weight, they get benched for the good of the team.
  • Teammates don’t wait for the coach to tell someone to pick up the pace, refocus, or quit slacking off.
  • It’s a team sport, and if one person loses, they all lose. If one wins, they all win.

Characteristics of a Thriving Family

  • A thriving family is a close-knit unit that supports and loves one another unconditionally.
  • A thriving family is one where members are encouraged to be themselves and express their emotions freely.
  • A thriving family has healthy communication and listens to each other well.
  • A thriving family resolves conflicts respectfully and in a timely manner.
  • A thriving family celebrates its successes together and also mourns its losses together.
  • A thriving family is a safe place for members to grow.
  • Members of a thriving family go the extra mile to help when someone is down.

Putting Team and Family Back Together

The two concepts might seem mutually exclusive, but they don’t have to be. In fact, the best teams are usually built on a foundation of love and support.

At the risk of oversimplifying, I suggest that:

  • Teams are about improvement, results, and winning.
  • Family is about love and support.
  • And both require people to work together.

When you put your team and family back together, you create a unit that is stronger than the sum of its parts. You tap into the power of love and use it to achieve amazing things.

The five best players don’t necessarily make the best team. Of course, I’d prefer to have my five most talented student-athletes starting a game, but to become a starter, the player needed to combine talent with teamwork. Talent alone would not get you on the starting team. (John Wooden)

Making TEAMily Work in Your Company

So how do you put your team and family together in your company?

1) Reframe Your Own Mindset. As the leader, you must lead by example. Remember that your company depends on people. People first, profits later. If you want people to care about YOUR numbers, you can’t treat them like THEY are numbers.

2) Incorporate TEAMily into your Company Vision. Write it down, specifically how it applies to your own company.

3) Communicate TEAMily Clearly and Regularly. Both teams and families work better with clear and open communication. It starts with communicating a vision. Celebrate people and actions that promote TEAMily. Share specific examples at your team meetings. As a leader, it is up to you to champion TEAMily. Teach your people what it means to be TEAMily.

4) Manage by TEAMily Values. Correct violations, and fire people if you have to. Your company culture is important. It’s worth building and guarding your culture.

In Summary

Putting team and family together is one of the best things you can do for your company. Not only will you create a unit that is stronger than the sum of its parts, but you will also tap into the power of love to achieve amazing things. To make TEAMily work in your own company, start by reframing your mindset, communicating clearly and regularly, and managing by values. Celebrate people and actions that promote teamwork and family values in your company culture.

If you decide to adopt TEAMily, let me know. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, and always remember that you are in the people-business, not the widget-business or service-business.