Teamwork and leadership: must-have soft skills for career success

Have you ever wondered how the most outstanding companies and organisations in the market manage to achieve their goals? Teamwork and leadership are two essential skills for doing just that.

 Why are teamwork and leadership important for career success?

Teamwork and leadership are two of the most prized soft skills at companies today. Specifically, teamwork is considered key to the growth of any project or idea. The ability to cooperate with others to achieve objectives is a must, but to do that successfully requires strong leadership who can identify the strengths and weaknesses of every member of the team, assigning them suitable tasks they can complete in a timely manner. 

The importance of effective teamwork and leadership lies in the following benefits:

• Stimulating creativity. Working in a team increases people's creative capacities because exposure to differing points of view broadens horizons and opens new perspectives. Moreover, when a person works as part of a team, they explore their skills to the maximum, with the results being a fusion of diverse talent, which facilitates the project's success.
• Increased motivation. The fact that everyone works on the areas they are most skilled at and trained to do has a very positive impact on their motivation, as well as that of the rest of the team members.  
• Development and flow of communications. Performing this type of work involves the optimal management of your communication skills, in a way that benefits the project and ensures its successful completion. 
• Increased productivity. Combining different viewpoints creates more effective solutions. In addition, working in a team increases effectiveness, since task completion is no longer held back by the problems one person may face, whether due to lack of time, skills, etc. Instead, the project can move forward thanks to a common focus.  
• Better workplace atmosphere. Working in a team helps to create rapport, by sharing objectives and goals. This paves the way for a good workplace atmosphere, although it's important for any potential conflict that arises to be dealt with immediately through suitable group dynamics. This will prevent it from escalating further.  
• A better sense of belonging. Working as a team, shared achievements give a great sense of personal satisfaction, which has an even greater impact on the sense of belonging to the group. Even better, all this translates into an increase in motivation and productivity.   

Key factors for efficient teamwork and leadership

A company or organisation's success is down to how efficiently their teams work. Achieving such efficiency is a never-ending task that team leaders have to shoulder, following a few specific guidelines:

1. Good communication

Communication is the basis of any relationship, and in the world of work, there has to be open and honest communications between every member of the group. There are many ways to encourage communication within a company. One of these is through meetings or video conferences in which each team member puts forward their concerns, opinions and assessment of the work being done.

2. Common goals

Teamwork and leadership success depends on defining and setting certain goals that every member is keen to achieve, fulfilling their responsibilities to do so. 

3. Team decision-making

It's important to involve team members in brainstorming so that, by taking everyone's opinion into account, the most appropriate strategies can be adopted for the organisation's benefit. In this way, the groups grow and evolve.

4. Fostering an atmosphere of trust

Trust is also fundamental when it comes to interactions between team members. Trust is earned and built progressively, and once it's achieved, people will work in an optimal way, taking on responsibilities and voluntarily supporting the team.

5. Celebrating successes

Who doesn't like to celebrate the wins and good results? Doing so boosts team motivation. A good leader appreciates a job well done and congratulates the whole team, as well as each member individually.

Effective teamwork and leadership is key to any project's success because it helps to optimise the abilities of each team member, while also fostering their creativity. Moreover, this increase in motivation has a knock-on effect on boosting productivity. In short, teamwork has many advantages and applying it to the business environment can prove highly effective.

Ultimately, teamwork and leadership are vital for people to progress, overcome the challenges posed by the fourth industrial revolution and grow in an inclusive and sustainable way.

With the aim of boosting, empowering and promoting talent, Banco Santander is launching 5,000 Santander Course | Business for All 2024. This program, aimed at those who want to enhance their business skills, has been designed in collaboration with top experts from Harvard Business School Publishing, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world.

With this course, you will gain access to a 100% online, 9-week training program on which you will acquire the key know-how and skills to further your career. Depending on your professional objectives, you can choose one of the following courses:

• Business Fundamentals: learn the essentials of marketing, finance, negotiation and customer experience.

• Managing yourself: improve your skills in decision-making, time management and influencing without authority. 

All courses are delivered by top-tier experts and are free to participants. And you don't need to have a degree or be a Banco Santander customer. On top of that, they are available in English, Spanish or Brazilian Portuguese.

You will have the opportunity to acquire all the necessary knowledge and skills via on-demand content, virtual discussions in live sessions with mentors and learning facilitators, interaction with your peers, exercises and tools with which you can practice, then transfer the knowledge to your workplace. In addition, upon completion, you will receive a certificate from Harvard Business School Publishing.

Are you over 18 and want to develop key skills to get ahead in the workplace? Sign up for Santander Course | Business for All 2024 and whether you get it or not, remember: never stop learning.