7 minute read
Dana Dorris
Building Strong Teams Is 02 Vital for Business Success TEXT BOX
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UPCOMING EVENTS
June 13
KBA Golf Tournament
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pinetree Country Club TEXT BOX3400 McCollum Parkway
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June 28
Wake Up KBA
8-9 a.m. Piedmont Injury Law 2765 S. Main St., Suite C
Join the KBA by visiting www.kennesawbusiness.org. 02
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In business, building your team can be stressful yet so rewarding. Careful thought and consideration about who represents you and your company, as well 03 as hard work and grit, can be parlayed into making your business successful. We can learn so much from watching coaches like Nick Saban and Kirby Smart recruiting the right people with the right talent and leveraging their competencies to the best of their ability. The people in our organization are our most valuable investment, and understanding their impact on your business or the organization you serve can help make your team sustainable and efficient. I’ve identified five ways to build a team that will last. Evaluate yourself. You must be aware of your own leadership style. Be critical about where you can improve your own techniques, and consider how your style 04 can benefit those you are leading. Just because you are in charge doesn’t mean you are appreciated by your employees. You might have good intentions, but make sure you hold yourself accountable, and modify your approach when necessary. Get to know your team. It is most important to get acquainted with those you are leading. You must learn their strengths and weaknesses, embrace your differences and use encouragement to bring their real assets to the table. Understand that weaknesses are yet-to-be-developed talents, that great leaders know how to match talents and competencies to the work at hand, and that motivation is required to get your team to excel beyond what is expected of them. Clearly define roles and responsibilities. This is not always as easy as it seems. Each team member’s responsibilities are interconnected and dependent upon one another. This is why you must not evaluate only his or her ability to fit a particular role; you also must ensure he or she fits your company’s culture and will be a team player. Sometimes, the best people do not conform to a role; they make it their own. Clear communication and feedback. Communication plays an important role in keeping your team on track. It should be proactive and constant. Feedback can be both formal and informal and should be part of your natural dialogue. It’s important to remember each team is different, and each team member has his or her own unique personality. Being authentic and impactful with proactive feedback is the greatest enabler for continuous improvement. Recognition, rewards, celebrating success. Take time to give your teammates the proper accolades they have earned and deserve. You must never take for granted their performance or believe it’s “part of their job.” People, in general, 02 want to feel they are making a difference. Being genuine in your recognition and respect goes a long way toward building loyalty and trust. Celebrating your team TEXT BOX is a short-lived activity, but we can’t ignore it. We must take the time to live in Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing the moment and remember what we did to cross the finish line. elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud Team-building turns a group of individual-contributing employees into a cohesive unit that works together to meet customers’ needs. With great methods of collaboration and communication, you can create a successful team. Leaders are only as successful as their teams, and the great ones know that, with the right team, everyone wins.
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Dana Dorris is the first two-time female president of the Kennesaw Business Association. She is an independent agent with Risk & Insurance Consultants. 04 TEXT BOX
From left, Haven Blank, head golf coach Travis Farmer and Olivia Kirkman have put Harrison’s new golf simulators to good use.
Donation Helps Harrison Golfers Course Correct
While the unpredictable spring weather makes it hard to work on their game, golfers at Harrison High School received a gift that allows them to practice their swing regardless of what’s happening outside.
The Blank family donated two training simulators to the school’s golf program several months ago, and the Hoya teams have been using them almost daily. The machines sit side by side in the golf room, and players can practice whenever they want, even if thunderstorms or a cold wind are raging outdoors.
“We have had a connection to the school since 2018,” donor Adam Blank said. “Our daughter, Haven, has been playing golf with me since she was 7 and for Harrison for four years. We recognized a need and decided we could help.”
The generous donation makes Harrison one of only three Cobb County schools to have a simulator and the only one with two. In fact, very few schools across the state have these machines.
“There’s not a lot of schools in the state, including college level, that have access to this kind of equipment,” Harrison head coach Travis Farmer said. “They really give us something to help build the future of the golf program here.”
The simulators hopefully will help continue the program’s storied history. The boys team has been to the state tournament every year since the Hoya program began in 1992, winning three state and 20 region championships and being state runner-up twice. The girls team started a couple of years later and also has never missed a state appearance, claiming one state and 19 region titles and being state runner-up three times.
Besides allowing golfers to practice anytime, the machines also provide loads of information on each swing, which players can use to improve their game.
“They give us unreal data feedback,” Farmer said. “Ball speed, club speed, spin rate, accurate distances, just to name a few. All of that data helps the players to identify and adjust their swing path and putting technique.”
Junior Olivia Kirkman agreed. “They have really helped with my consistency and being able to know my yardages,” she said. “I have been able to make little tweaks here and there to improve on the course.”
Haven Blank, a senior, said having the simulators at school is “so convenient” for the golfers.
“We don’t have to travel to the course or the range,” she said. “The simulators give you so much information. It has really helped with getting my distances right and helped me improve overall.”
Farmer said the golf room now is an area that’s “really helped the entire team bond.”
“With two simulators, we can have the boys on one and the girls on the other,” he said. “We’re all invested in each other and support each other. We’ve become like a family.”
Kirkman noted the team room has “become a hangout.”
“We have a couch in here, and we can watch each other swing and help each other out,” she said. “It’s really nice, and it’s been a lot of fun.”
