September has arrived and for all of us sports fans out there, it is the most exciting time of the year. It is in this month that teams prove how strong they really are. Over the past 3 years in AFL we have seen unexpected teams like The Bulldogs and Richmond rise to the occasion and show the world what a great sporting team is. It makes you wonder what got them to the point of winning when for so many years they were stuck in a rut of constant loses. Somewhere along their journey, they have formed a club who can not only play the game but work as a cohesive team. For all of us managers, business owners or team leaders out there, analysing what these teams have done can better our workplaces.

"How?" you ask. Well, there are a lot of similarities between a sports team and a workplace. This is something I have observed working in the recruitment industry, you have to understand what makes a team click.

The first is setting goals. For all competitive sports teams, their goal is to win the big game at the end of the season. To do this, they not only have to be in agreeance about their end goal but HOW they are going to get there. Each team has their strategies and tactics and so should every workplace. Knowing that your team has the same goals is the first step. Next is ensuring everyone knows how they are going to reach those goals. For example, you may conduct a SWOT analysis on your business and employees and create your strategies and tactics from there.

The second is knowing how to hire someone with great skills that will suit your business environment. Every player that gets into the AFL has amazing skills. It's ensuring they have the right characteristics that will fit in with the already established team that makes the difference. This is what most businesses get so wrong. They hire people who tick all the boxes skill wise but they have a completely different style of working to the rest of the staff. This causes conflict inside the team diminishing any hope of winning the premiership.

The last element is having a good coach. As a boss, manager, coach or team leader, it is your role to set your team in the right direction. Making the goals, the tactics, strategies and knowing your staff's strengths is the mould for making a great team. Your team look up to you to guide them, so be the leader they need.

And those are my few tips from a Recruitment Consultant, Business Owner and Sports Fan perspective. Hope they can help make a premiership side out of your workplace.