Tom joined RWA in 2006 and was part of the executive team that helped grow the company into one of the leading general insurance FCA compliance consultancies in the UK. He is now Head of Commercial for UKGI Group's consultancy division, and has been working closely on the harmonisation of RWA into UKGI. Tom also leads the Searchlight Insurance Training team, part of UKGI Learning Solutions.
Communication: Is your team built of bricks or straw?
I am very fortunate to work with a great team across Searchlight and the wider UKGI Group. We are all very different, yet we know that working effectively and efficiently together is central to our success. A strong team that works together is essential within any business, and the positivity is contagious, spreading to our customer and business relationships.
The benefits are far-reaching and help with:
- Open communication
- Providing support to each other
- Knowing each other’s accountabilities, strengths and weaknesses
- Producing new ideas
- Developing new skill sets
- Achieving business goals through the sharing and allocation of activities
- Maintaining high levels of morale
However, in the post-pandemic world it doesn’t always prove as easy to build a team ethos by getting everyone together in the same room as we might have been able to in the past. The hybrid model of working has shown us that physical togetherness is not always necessary.
Tools such as Teams, video and text chat, Zoom and even that old friend, the telephone, allow team members to keep in touch and communicate in new ways. Regular team calls, meetings and department and business updates on our internal communication channels are all designed to strengthen the team, build our collective understanding, and continually engage staff and keep them up to date. Workloads can be shared and discussed, no task is considered too menial, irrespective of position.
So why am I telling you all of this? It’s obvious, right?
To a lot of firms and business leaders, it probably is. However, we regularly receive feedback and witness firms that find communication difficult. That might be because of technological constraints, it could be due to poor management and leadership, and it can also be down to something simple like a lack of understanding of the communication skills amongst the workforce, particularly with new entrants.
In my professional career I have worked in poor teams and some even in toxic environments. Having seen both sides of the teamwork dynamic, I know which ones can transform organisations and deliver results. Great teams really do win.
If your team is built of straw due to poor communication, structure and engagement, then it won’t take much to blow it over. Although each member of staff in a poorly built team may be individually capable, the quality of the work and its relevance to the business will be greatly diminished if conducted in isolation. Job satisfaction may suffer due to a lack of engagement and feedback, team disaccord may become apparent, and the slightest curve ball could bring any collective sense of team tumbling down.
Teams that do not work well together can lead to:
- Decreased productivity
- Low morale
- Stress and illness in individuals, leading to absence
- A lack of job satisfaction
- A high turnover of staff
- The loss of a common goal with individuals working for their gain rather than that of the business.
In the current talent management and recruitment crisis, you can’t really afford to let this happen.
However, a team built of bricks will withstand a hurricane. It may take more time and effort to nurture and maintain, but it will be time and effort well spent. Employees who consider themselves to be part of a team will find a sense of purpose and belonging, which will compel them to want to preserve the synergy they’ve established, and ensure that whatever comes their way, they remain standing.
This is why Searchlight has developed a suite of communication, management, hybrid working, and team development training programmes for our clients. Our training specialists and account managers will work with you to identify what challenges you may have. We can design training programmes that address the unique needs of your organisation, or we can enrol your staff on our group webinar schedules.
MGAA members benefit from discounted training rates with Searchlight as part of your member benefits, so do get in touch with us today for a chat about how we can help you make your teams more effective and secure.
Tom Wood
UKGI
This article was written for and published by the Managing General Agents Association (MGAA) in their quarterly magazine.