If you have spent time working with us or poking around our website, you have most likely seen us refer to our milkshake quite a bit. If you are still wondering what the hell we are talking about, here is the best explanation I can offer:

You know when you stumble on a systemized way of doing something that just seems to work for you? It can be as simple as the way you clean your house or as complex as how you start a business – either way, when you find the system that works every time –THAT is your milkshake.

There are a lot of ingredients that go into the Pulse Group milkshake and they are all equally important to helping us produce successful consumers. This particular blog is about the essence of teamwork. I don’t mean to sound hokey, but this is critical.

A group of people “working” for the same company does not necessarily mean they live and act as a team.

I don’t want to spend time writing about all of the ways businesses fail without a proper team in place because unfortunately, most of us have experienced that. It is extremely daunting to feel as if your co-workers are not available to back you up. It is an energy drain to walk into an office where no one really talks unless they have to. It downright sucks to know it is every man for himself.

So, how do you create or breed a positive, upbeat, productive team (culture)?

We have outlined a short list that in hindsight we used to create a company that people are proud to be a part of and motivated to work for.

1. Great Leadership: A great leader is someone who understands that projects are managed and people are led. We feel it is less about “who is in charge” and more about how we can work together to achieve some pretty amazing results. Without key personnel who can inspire and promote growth, it is inevitable for a team culture to fall flat or a company to remain stagnant.
2. Interest: We think it is critical to KNOW who you work with. In your company, do you know what your co-workers enjoy to order for lunch? Like to listen to or not listen to while they work? Hobbies they partake in outside of the office? These are important conversations to have when you spend day in and day out with people! At Pulse Group, we make sure to respect each other’s taste in music, work habits, lunch preferences and much more. As a result we have gained a tremendous amount of respect for one another and built really healthy boundaries.
3. Culture Creation: This is simple. Ask the members of your team what kind of company they want to work for. Find out how they define team. Sometimes, it is just about asking the simple questions out loud. Get on the same page with your people – you will be really happy with the results.
4. Fun: Once a quarter, a member of our team is chosen to organize a trip or event that we all partake in. It has been a blast to be a part of and an invaluable piece to building some great memories with each other outside of the office. NOTE: This can absolutely be a nightmare if you are part of team that doesn’t have 1 through 3 listed above.
5. Habits: We believe all of the items we have outlined are pivotal in creating a great team culture, but without habits, significant growth is unlikely. This topic is another blog entirely. In short, create rhythms with your team to brainstorm, track results, and stay up to date. Something as simple as a daily check-in can change the entire outcome of a project.

When we had the conversation about what being part of a team meant at Pulse Group, we identified what kind of group we wanted to be part of. Dave summed it up quite well – we are VOLTRON.