[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro + CTA 1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font_size=”28px” hover_enabled=”0″ header_2_font_size_tablet=”22px” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Agency leaders, collaborators, and colleagues should all practice teamwork to build team culture in an agency. In fact, <\/span>86 percent of employees<\/span><\/a> and executives cite a lack of positive team work as the reason for workplace failures.<\/span> Learning how to build a positive team culture isn’t easy; it takes focus, time, and determination. It’s a challenge many agency owners face.<\/span><\/p>\n What do hundreds of agencies from around the world say about the challenges they face and how to solve them? Download the insights report \u201cChallenges agencies face\u201d to find out.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be best friends with everyone that you work with, but you do have to contribute to an environment where there\u2019s respect, alignment, and an openness to working together as a team,\u201d says Vendasta Chief Customer Officer George Leith.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n By fostering a positive team building culture, likely outcomes include:<\/span><\/p>\n We examine 14 tips you need for building a positive team culture<\/a>, both within smaller teams and across your organization.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Build a Culture of Success + Set Goals + CTA2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Every agency owner’s definition of success is different. It\u2019s important to discuss the term \u201csuccess\u201d and explore what it means to members of your team. Collaboratively define what metrics, outcomes, and actions will signal an agency culture win<\/a>. <\/span> O<\/span>nly 5.9% of companies communicate goals daily<\/a>. It’s no surprise that most employees don’t fully understand their company’s business goals, then. <\/span>Try these steps for achieving goal-setting success: <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author=”George Leith” job_title=”Chief Customer Officer” company_name=”Vendasta ” portrait_url=”\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/George-Leith.webp” quote_icon_color=”gcid-body-color” admin_label=”George Testimonial” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” body_text_color=”gcid-body-color” author_text_color=”gcid-body-color” position_text_color=”gcid-body-color” company_text_color=”gcid-body-color” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22body_text_color%22,%22author_text_color%22,%22position_text_color%22,%22quote_icon_color%22,%22company_text_color%22%93}”]<\/p>\n A value like <\/span>getting back to people on time <\/span><\/i>is such a small little thing, but if your customers believe you are the one that gets back to them it can be a competitive advantage. If you embody those values it becomes a competitive advantage for the entire organization.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text admin_label=”Identify Values + Respect” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Find out from your team members which values they believe are of the utmost importance to your agency and use those insights to <\/span>draft a values statement. Creating this document in a silo and then mandating the team to follow it is rarely effective.<\/span><\/p>\n Instead, ask questions like:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you’re wondering how to build a team that can help your agency scale<\/a>, then finding values that enable you to build a positive team culture should be at the top of your list. <\/span><\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve developed the values statement, posting it in your break room isn\u2019t enough. It\u2019s critical to identify any changes to your agency culture that you\u2019ll make or practices that you\u2019ll adopt as a team to support value integration. Build team culture by teaching out those values again and again to your team. With every action, meeting, campaign, and event, these values should be the foundation, and reward team members who exemplify these values and promote not only the values but positive team work as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It’s getting more difficult than ever for agencies to find and retain top digital talent. Once you’ve figured out how to build a team that fits and enhances your agency culture, you want to keep those valuable employees. That’s why mutual respect has time and again been shown to be a key core value for thriving agencies with a team building culture. <\/span>Examples of how to show respect at work include:<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Responsibility + Continuous Development + Praise + CTA 4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u201cAs leaders, we need to hold ourselves equally as responsible as we hold our teams. We want to make sure we are owning the responsibility that has been given to us,\u201d Leith says.<\/span><\/p>\n Gone are the days of<\/span> “do as I say and not as I do.” <\/span><\/i>Leith recommends practicing the see it, own it, solve it, do it principle. By modeling to your team the fundamentals of responsibility, you have a better chance that others will follow suit.<\/span><\/p>\n Building a positive team culture in your agency<\/a> takes time and constant iteration. Stay on top of development opportunities because teams that learn together succeed together. Try these ideas for professional development:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Recognition goes a long way to boost morale and keep<\/a> the positive team work and positive vibes flowing. Coaches and leaders should appropriately offer praise and kudos when goals and improvements are accomplished. Recognizing quality work and achievements of workgroups <\/span>increases profits by 29 percent<\/span><\/a>. Leaders should set the best example and dole out praise regularly as a mainstay of their agency culture. Teams will, in turn, have a greater tendency to repeat this behavior, forming a culture of collaboration and acknowledgment. Soon enough, you’ll have figured out how to build a team that is happy and generates results.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFor true contributors, if you pile on the praise and miss on opportunities for constructive criticism, they may view it as disingenuous. So be sure to balance the scale. There\u2019s nothing wrong with recognition, but be sure you\u2019re also sharing those hard truths,\u201d Leith says.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Support + Working Together + More than just work ” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n You don\u2019t win every second, minute, hour, day, week, month, or year. Eventually, things get hard, or you enter a slump. It’s part of agency life. The tough times are a good test of the strength of your team. As you analyze your agency culture, try asking yourself and your leadership this question: Will they come together and conquer the challenge or will they fold? <\/em><\/span>When it comes down to how to build a team that conquers the challenge, the solution can often ben found in positive team work and support.<\/span><\/p>\n Everything is easy when you are winning, but building a positive team culture can change the way your team copes with inevitable struggles. Build team culture around resilience and support, and your agency will be able to weather the storm when it needs to.<\/span><\/p>\n By fostering positive team work, you can learn how to build a team that can successfully self-manage, coach, heal, and grow. It is one of the amazing by-products of building a positive agency culture. Leaders don\u2019t need to be in every conversation; the team follows the core values and heals itself, grows itself, and manages itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Embrace team culture-building workshops, offsites, and group meetings. Colleagues should see, learn and experience the human side of each contributor. Getting to know the person behind the role will lead to greater positive team work.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author=”George Leith” job_title=”Chief Customer Officer” company_name=”Vendasta ” portrait_url=”\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/George-Leith.webp” quote_icon_color=”gcid-body-color” admin_label=”George Testimonial 2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” body_text_color=”gcid-body-color” author_text_color=”gcid-body-color” position_text_color=”gcid-body-color” company_text_color=”gcid-body-color” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22body_text_color%22,%22author_text_color%22,%22position_text_color%22,%22quote_icon_color%22,%22company_text_color%22%93}”]<\/p>\n At Vendasta we use a communication and messaging platform called Slack. On Slack we have a channel called \u2018#petdasta\u2019 where team members can post pictures and inside tidbits about their pets. It\u2019s a small measure, but elements like that are what really give color and humanity to the workplace.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text admin_label=”Tips 11-14″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t ask someone to do something I wasn\u2019t prepared to do myself,\u201d Leith says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Leith says he was taught that lesson in leadership a long time ago and has always embraced this core value. According to Leith, he ensures the first boot on the ground is always his own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know how long it takes to do a job if you haven\u2019t done it yourself? A team member might say \u2018that job takes me two hours\u2019 and then you do it and it takes eight minutes. There\u2019s obviously an efficiency problem. You can also watch the way the job is being performed and figure out a way to do it faster, or do it better\u201d Leith says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Establish a scorecard that is reviewed in a regular cadence with every team member and have a weekly one-on-one with each team member you lead, as well as weekly or monthly team meetings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You should be transparent about the team\u2019s performance with key metrics and look to the team for input on how to improve both agency culture and performance.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTake the big thing, break it down into bite-sized pieces, and help the team get there. Support them,\u201d Leith says.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
1. Build an agency culture of success<\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/span>You should also ask how it might feel to reach this destination of success. Frequently discuss what success will look like, and examine what everyone will gain once positive team work goals are reached. <\/span>
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<\/span>Agency leaders should inspire with a clear, compelling, continuous vision. Define outcomes that resonate emotionally with the team. Everyone should be able to see themselves in the future as better, smarter, stronger, more valued, and more confident. And, most importantly, your belief in your vision must be unwavering. You must believe it\u2019s not only possible, but desirable, essential, and inevitable.<\/span><\/p>\n2. Set goals for the agency (and for building a positive team culture)<\/span><\/h2>\n
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3. Identify values that will help you build a positive team culture<\/span><\/h2>\n
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4. How to build a positive team culture? Respect<\/span><\/h2>\n
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5. Hold yourself responsibility when building a positive team culture<\/span><\/h2>\n
6. Use continuous development as a way to build a positive team culture<\/span><\/h2>\n
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7. Praise and kudos go a long way to building a positive agency culture<\/span><\/h2>\n
8. How to build a positive team culture: Offer support<\/span><\/h2>\n
9. Working together to build team culture<\/span><\/h2>\n
10. Team culture building is about more than just work<\/span><\/h2>\n
11. How to build a team that succeeds: Lead by example<\/span><\/h2>\n
12. Build team culture with clear expectations<\/span><\/h2>\n
13. Build a positive team culture by over-communicating<\/span><\/h2>\n