{"id":2851,"date":"2019-02-06T10:18:09","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T10:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/?p=2851"},"modified":"2021-09-08T19:12:25","modified_gmt":"2021-09-08T19:12:25","slug":"overcome-team-challenges-in-your-small-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/overcome-team-challenges-in-your-small-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Overcome team challenges in your small business!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>\u201cStart small and dream big.\u201d \u2013 Rober T. Kiyosaki<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the mantra of many businesses nowadays. Just in Europe, <a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/eurostat\/documents\/3217494\/9309359\/KS-EI-18-001-EN-N.pdf\/0b8d8b94-541d-4d0c-b6a4-31a1f9939a75\"><strong>99% of all businesses<\/strong><\/a> are small to medium-sized businesses. In the United States, small businesses employ over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sba.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/advocacy\/2018-Small-Business-Profiles-US.pdf\"><strong>58 million people<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong> Even though small businesses are huge drivers of the global economy, the sad truth is that only around <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forbesfinancecouncil\/2018\/10\/25\/what-percentage-of-small-businesses-fail-and-how-can-you-avoid-being-one-of-them\/#43aa26c43b5f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">40% live to see the five-year mark.<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re a\nsmall business owner, you are facing the same\nchallenges as any other business: economic crises, finding customers, hiring\nand keeping the right people, adapting to new\ntechnology and so on. But on top of those, the size of the team alone\ncomes with a whole set of <strong>unique\nchallenges.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What are they and how can your small business tackle\nthem to reach the greatness of which you are dreaming?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Someone leaving can be a huge blow to the team<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When your team\nis only a few people, any absences can cause a real headache. Whether your\nco-worker is taking a sick day, is spending two weeks in Bali or has resigned, the\nlack of workforce can leave a big hole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"770\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-missing-employee-collaboration-1.jpg\" alt=\"Jenga.\" class=\"wp-image-2856\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-missing-employee-collaboration-1.jpg 770w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-missing-employee-collaboration-1-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-missing-employee-collaboration-1-768x479.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-missing-employee-collaboration-1-370x231.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-missing-employee-collaboration-1-270x168.jpg 270w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-missing-employee-collaboration-1-740x461.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><figcaption><em>An employee missing or leaving can shake the equilibrium of the team.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Small teams\nare more vulnerable to changes because\nthere\u2019s a greater chance that they function in <strong>one of the two modes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>everyone\nwears multiple hats and are spread a bit\nthinner, or<\/li><li>each\nmember is a specialized expert and therefore hard to replace.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In both\ncases, when an employee leaves, the team\nsuffers: either from the departure of a specific\nset of skills and knowledge or because of an\nincreased workload before you manage to replace the person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smaller teams also tend to be <strong>more close-knit,<\/strong> even more so in the case in family enterprises. Because of that, the emotional effects of someone resigning are just as important as the operational ones. <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.officevibe.com\/blog\/infographic-friends-at-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">70% of employees in a survey by Officevibe<\/a><\/strong> have said that friends at work are the most crucial element to a happy working life, so if those friends leave, this can affect workplace satisfaction and productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>How can you address this challenge?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Invest time in managing<\/strong> <strong>organizational knowledge.<\/strong> Organizational knowledge consists of <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.knowledge-management-tools.net\/introducing-organizational-knowledge.html\" target=\"_blank\">multiple components and types of knowledge<\/a>, <\/strong>and it\u2019s crucial to smooth transitions when you change team members. Knowledge management is a long-term process during which you can implement multiple strategies, some of which are very thoroughly described in <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@stangarfield\/10-types-of-knowledge-management-strategies-f947f28599a7\" target=\"_blank\">this article.<\/a><\/strong> <\/li><li><strong>Document processes. <\/strong>Writing the documentation will require some of your time, but it will pay off in the long run. There\u2019s no need to invent a whole new method \u2013 follow these <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickbase.com\/blog\/how-to-document-your-current-processes-in-10-easy-steps\" target=\"_blank\">ten steps to process documentation<\/a><\/strong> and use one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/creately.com\/diagram-community\/examples\/t\/flowchart?pg=1&amp;cat=flowchart&amp;utm_source=processdocumentation&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=diagusage\"><strong>diagram templates.<\/strong><\/a> <\/li><li><strong>Improve training and onboarding new team members.<\/strong> You can try assigning mentors, introducing job shadowing, or share the knowledge with the help of <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/\" target=\"_blank\">Loop Email<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 include them in <strong>team channels<\/strong> and provide them with all the information they need in one place. Many small businesses are already <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"loving (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/fitsmallbusiness.com\/loop-email-user-reviews-pricing\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>loving<\/strong><\/a> our collaboration hub.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Taking over tasks without communicating it spells disaster<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Who doesn\u2019t love a proactive team member? In small teams, where people are juggling multiple roles, stepping up and finishing the task is highly valued. The problem begins when everyone is having a go at everything <strong>without communicating<\/strong> and when there\u2019s <strong>no assigned responsibility<\/strong> for tasks.<br><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"770\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-dont-kill-productivity-1.jpg\" alt=\"Wooden dominoes falling, human hand stopping it.\" class=\"wp-image-2860\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-dont-kill-productivity-1.jpg 770w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-dont-kill-productivity-1-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-dont-kill-productivity-1-768x479.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-dont-kill-productivity-1-370x231.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-dont-kill-productivity-1-270x168.jpg 270w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-dont-kill-productivity-1-740x461.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><figcaption><em>Don\u2019t kill proactivity, rather channel it in the right ways!<\/em> <em>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Unmanaged\nproactivity can hurt your business in many\nways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>A drop in quality.<\/strong> The person taking on a task is not necessarily\nthe best (fastest, savviest, the best informed) person\nfor the job. <\/li><li><strong>Time-wasting.<\/strong> If two colleagues both decide to do\nthe same task and don\u2019t notify each other, the complete waste of time is\nobvious. <\/li><li><strong>Poorly informed decisions.<\/strong> The intentions might be good, but\nif employees make decisions while lacking the big picture, they can make the\nwrong ones and possibly waste time or (worse) hurt the business.<\/li><li><strong>Communication blunders. <\/strong>If your two sales reps send two\ndifferent emails to a single client without knowing what each is doing, your\ncompany can appear chaotic and incompetent. <\/li><li><strong>Nobody\u2019s jobs. <\/strong>It might seem counterintuitive, but\nunfinished projects and ignored tasks are common. \u201cI thought Sally was canceling the delivery!\u201d is not a surprise when\nthe team is running on assumptions.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>How can you deal with this challenge?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Use project management tools.<\/strong> Even small teams need a type of project management. However, it\u2019s not necessarily a software solution (although you can try out <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/financesonline.com\/top-5-project-management-software-small-business-2017\/\" target=\"_blank\">some good ones<\/a><\/strong> and see if they work for you). Something as simple as a whiteboard in the office or a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vertex42.com\/ExcelTemplates\/excel-project-management.html\"><strong>spreadsheet<\/strong><\/a> shared with all team members can do wonders for your organization. <\/li><li><strong>Create communication flows.<\/strong> Our suggestion: introduce chat messaging to your business. It\u2019s faster than exchanging emails (and we\u2019re all messaging these days), enabling them to check on their co-workers faster. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/teams\/\" target=\"_blank\">Loop Email<\/a><\/strong> offers a great solution: you can chat inside your email inbox easily while also including your teammates in conversations around emails. That way, everyone can see if someone has already taken on a task of replying that client. <\/li><li><\/li><li> <strong>Point them in the right direction.<\/strong> Direct proactivity by informing your team members about   <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Slow responses can hurt your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Gathering\nall the necessary information for the customer can take up a lot of your time.\nYour team has got limited resources and some days can be especially chaotic. While\nyour team is tending to a contract with the supplier, handling the launch of a\nnew service and trying to fit in that meeting with\nthe accountant, sometimes customers response times start to suffer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The uncomfortable truth is that customers, used to the digital space of 2019, expect <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/smallbiztrends.com\/2018\/07\/real-time-response-to-customers.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">speedy replies.<\/a><\/strong> In the increasingly competitive world, slow responses can hinder your success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"Source: https:\/\/smallbiztrends.com\/2018\/07\/real-time-response-to-customers.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"770\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-real-time-response-to-customers-1.jpg\" alt=\"A chart about the consumers temper and their level of expected response time.\" class=\"wp-image-2857\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-real-time-response-to-customers-1.jpg 770w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-real-time-response-to-customers-1-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-real-time-response-to-customers-1-768x479.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-real-time-response-to-customers-1-370x231.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-real-time-response-to-customers-1-270x168.jpg 270w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-real-time-response-to-customers-1-740x461.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/a><figcaption> <em>Don\u2019t kill proactivity, rather channel it in the right ways!<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Our tips for improving response times:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Let clients find the answer by themselves.<\/strong> As almost everyone has access to the internet in their pocket, many people prefer searching for an answer rather than making a call. If it makes sense for your line of business, you can make their search easier and <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.writemysite.co.uk\/how-to-write-a-cracking-faq-page\/2015\/05\/28\/\" target=\"_blank\">write an FAQ section<\/a><\/strong> for your website where you publish the answers to most common questions. <\/li><li><strong>Prepare canned responses.<\/strong> Your co-workers (whether they are in the customer service department or not) can have those handy and reply to any simple queries faster. <\/li><li><strong>Don\u2019t wait to get all the info to reply to a customer.<\/strong> Reply quickly, even if it\u2019s to say that you\u2019re still waiting for some info. Clients usually don\u2019t mind the wait if you assure them that someone is handling their request. <\/li><li>Consider implementing a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/fitsmallbusiness.com\/reviews\/customer-service-software-reviews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"customer service software.  (opens in a new tab)\">customer service software. <\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Loops-1024x640.jpg\" alt=\"The Loop Email feature - Loop. A side chat discussion.\" class=\"wp-image-2898\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Loops-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Loops-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Loops-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Loops-370x231.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Loops-270x169.jpg 270w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Loops-800x500.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Loops-740x463.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Loops.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Stay in the loop.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/loops\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Loop-in<\/a> your colleagues.<\/strong> You can include your entire team in a side-chat about the client\u2019s email, and people can jump in when you\u2019re not available to deal with the client request. It also makes gathering information faster \u2013 you don\u2019t have to write emails with long explanations. Simply add relevant people to your side-chat and let them provide you with the information.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Overcoming micromanagement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Scaling\nyour growing business nothing short of an art form.\nDuring this process, the roles often\noverlap, and project managers find themselves in\na tricky situation \u2013 they often have no one to delegate the workload to\nand have to do it themselves. This habit can stick to them even once the team\ngrows and some project managers find it difficult to let go of their\nresponsibilities. As a result, they fall into the trap of <strong>micromanaging<\/strong> when they should be focusing on their work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Project managers that find this transition especially hard are the people who founded the business. Even with an increased number of employees, business owners on average <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.score.org\/blog\/how-hard-small-business-owners-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">put in much twice as many hours than employees,<\/a> <\/strong>while they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.score.org\/blog\/small-business-owners-work-long-hours-get-little-done\"><strong>get less done.<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The dangers of micromanagement are real. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Micromanagement\ncan burn you out easily because it makes\nit easier to lose perspective and waste time on things that aren\u2019t the\npriority.<\/li><li>Hovering\nover your team members and correcting every single thing leads to a loss of\ntrust and can seriously hurt your relationship with them \u2013 even in ways that\ncan lead to resignations.<\/li><li>Your\nteam can start depending on you too much, rather than developing the confidence\nto perform on their own. They might start\nrequiring constant guidance.<\/li><li>If\none person (in this case the micromanager) makes all the decisions, it\u2019s almost\nimpossible to generate new ideas and improve the business. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"770\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-micromanagement-master-of-puppets-1.jpg\" alt=\"Hand holding the strings of a puppet.\" class=\"wp-image-2855\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-micromanagement-master-of-puppets-1.jpg 770w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-micromanagement-master-of-puppets-1-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-micromanagement-master-of-puppets-1-768x479.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-micromanagement-master-of-puppets-1-370x231.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-micromanagement-master-of-puppets-1-270x168.jpg 270w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-micromanagement-master-of-puppets-1-740x461.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><figcaption><em>Unsurprisingly, most employees don\u2019t enjoy being micromanaged.<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Our tips for letting go: <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Start with yourself. <\/strong>According to the <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2011\/11\/why-people-micromanage\" target=\"_blank\">Harvard Business Review<\/a><\/strong>, micromanaging can stem from feelings of disconnect, insecurity or the desire to stay in the familiar operational environment. Take a hard look in the mirror or ask an outsider for an opinion. Once you understand the cause of your behavior, make it a habit of asking yourself: \u201cWhat kind of excuses am I using for micromanaging?\u201d and \u201cWhat are the important reasons why I <em>should not <\/em>micromanag<em>e<\/em>?\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Focus your time on the tasks that only you can do. <\/strong>If you\u2019re finding it hard to decide which tasks you are comfortable letting go, try tracking them for a month. <a href=\"https:\/\/zapier.com\/blog\/best-time-tracking-apps\/\"><strong>Time tracking tools<\/strong><\/a> will help you understand how much time some tasks take out of your schedule and prioritize them. We bet you\u2019ll be surprised at the outcome!<\/li><li><strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebalancesmb.com\/top-tips-for-effective-delegation-2951528\" target=\"_blank\">Learn how to delegate.<\/a> <\/strong>Once you know which tasks you can delegate it\u2019s down to the question of how. It might be a learning curve for you<\/li><li><strong>Manage expectations, not tasks.<\/strong> Clearly and frequently articulate the outcomes the for which your company strives. Once your team is in sync, there will be little need for micromanaging.<\/li><li><strong>Create transparency in project management. <\/strong>Keep overview with the help of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Loops<\/a>,<\/strong> so you know what\u2019s up but try to stay uninvolved unless it\u2019s urgent. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Low motivation and negativity spread faster than in larger teams.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The emotions people bring to the team are as important as their skills \u2013 in fact, they are so important that experts coined the term <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.positiveintelligence.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">positive intelligence<\/a> <\/strong>to describe it. In teams and workplaces, emotions undoubtedly spread due to the phenomenon called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/the-empaths-survival-guide\/201807\/emotional-contagion-work\"><strong>emotional contagion.<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong>In small teams, the shifts in moods are even more noticeable, because people usually work closer together. Often, it\u2019s the leaders and bosses who dictate the mood, but emotions can travel in all directions. Because of that, small businesses are especially susceptible to the dangers the wildfires of negativity can bring: a drop in motivation and productivity, increased turnover of employees are all bad for the enterprise and the team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.positiveintelligence.com\/pq-score\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"770\" height=\"160\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/test-your-positive-intelligence-pq-score-1.jpg\" alt=\"Banner of a test study about positive intelligence.\" class=\"wp-image-2859\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/test-your-positive-intelligence-pq-score-1.jpg 770w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/test-your-positive-intelligence-pq-score-1-300x62.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/test-your-positive-intelligence-pq-score-1-768x160.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/test-your-positive-intelligence-pq-score-1-370x77.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/test-your-positive-intelligence-pq-score-1-270x56.jpg 270w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/test-your-positive-intelligence-pq-score-1-740x154.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>How can you encourage positivity in the workplace?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Lead by example.<\/strong> Keep your emotions in check in any given moment. You can\u2019t change something you\u2019re not aware of. Address your feelings and work on them.<\/li><li><strong>Don\u2019t fake it!<\/strong> Allow a healthy balance of positive and negative emotions \u2013 forcing everyone to don a fake smile <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.rescuetime.com\/dangers-forcing-employees-positive\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">will only cause more frowns and will hurt your team in the long run.<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Talk with that \u201cNegative Nancy.\u201d <\/strong>If you see that a certain person is constantly spreading negativity, discuss it with them. There\u2019s a chance they don\u2019t know how negatively they are perceived or of the effect they have on other people. <\/li><li><strong>Allow time for fun. <\/strong>Let people decide what they want to do during their breaks and encourage them by providing the necessary equipment or tools \u2013 yes, we\u2019re thinking a ping-pong table or a communal viewing of the big sports event.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These are just a few of the many business challenges teams in small businesses are facing daily. Are you wondering how other small businesses and teams have conquered them? We\u2019ve done the work for you! We prepared a FREE webinar <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/free-webinar-how-are-great-performing-teams-using-loop-email-in-their-everyday-life\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=webinar2\" target=\"_blank\">The secret of high performing teams<\/a> <\/strong>&#8211; watch it and learn from the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/zoom.us\/webinar\/register\/WN_8SIO9-mERCC6DVves5qhWw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"770\" height=\"160\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-free-webinar-secret-of-high-performing-teams-1.jpg\" alt=\"People driving towards a common goal.\" class=\"wp-image-2854\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-free-webinar-secret-of-high-performing-teams-1.jpg 770w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-free-webinar-secret-of-high-performing-teams-1-300x62.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-free-webinar-secret-of-high-performing-teams-1-768x160.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-free-webinar-secret-of-high-performing-teams-1-370x77.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-free-webinar-secret-of-high-performing-teams-1-270x56.jpg 270w, https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/loop-email-free-webinar-secret-of-high-performing-teams-1-740x154.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you eager to learn more about effective teamwork and some practical, hands-on solutions for improving the way your team operates? With the help of this article that covers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/effective-teamwork-hacks-loop-email\/\"><strong>24 hacks for effective teamwork<\/strong><\/a>,&nbsp;you&nbsp;can&nbsp;start&nbsp;implementing&nbsp;easy and&nbsp;proven&nbsp;improvements to your business&nbsp;today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Small businesses face unique challenges &#8211; along with those that trouble all enterprises. Here\u2019s our hands-on guide on how to prepare for them, conquer them and bring your small business to victory!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2858,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[46],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2851"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2851"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2851\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4745,"href":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2851\/revisions\/4745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intheloop.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}