The beginning of the New Year can feel like an exciting time, full of new resolutions and the hope of “doing better” in the year to come, but then (if you’re anything like us) you get past January and it feels like you’re settling back into comfortable habits. While “habits” have a correlation to being “bad,” we have a few team habits here at DMA we try to keep in practice, that help us stay on top of our marketing game, challenge us to grow as individuals and professionals, and keep some of those inevitable comfortable “ruts” at bay. 

We’re avid learners here at DMA, so much of the resources are educational and can be done as a team or on an individual basis (though we recommend for ultimate success that everyone take part). 

Habits of a Successful Marketing Team

If you want your team to be more in-sync (no musical ability required)

1. Take: The Enneagram Test –  A profound resource for both personal and professional growth, the Enneagram is a personality test that helps individuals understand not just “what they do,” but the core reasons “why they do it.” This insight helps individuals become more self aware, teams know how to work together better, and gives leaders an encompassing tool to help with mentoring and growth. 
2. Follow: Instagram has turned into a vast resource for insights on each individual Enneagram number, and the test as a whole. A few of our favorite accounts:
   • Enneagram Explained
   • Enneagram and Coffee
   • The Enneagram & You
   • Nine Types Co
   • For fun: Enneagram and Memes 
3. Read: Interested in learning more about how we use the Enneagram for team success? Check out our blog post all about it: Gain Insights Into Managing a Team of Diverse Personalities with the Enneagram. Bonus: this post also includes recommended podcasts and books if you’re ready to dive in at the deep end!

If you want an organization of “team players”

Read: The Ideal Team Player – In his book, lauded business management and team building thought leader Patrick Lencioni tackles the three characteristics a team member must have to be of long-term value: hungry, humble and smart. This book not only helps management have a tool when it comes to hiring, but helps team members evaluate areas where they need to grow. 

LISTEN: Patrick Lencioni joins EntreLeadership’s Podcast to talk all about the Ideal Team Player. 

If you want to build a team of thought leaders 

Host: Your own version of “Team Talks.” Every Tuesday at DMA, we spend one hour dedicated to learning from one another. Any member of the team can pitch a topic they want to discuss, and these can range from a practical, “How to do XYZ new thing in Hubspot” to a brainstorm for a client project that’s stumping them, to the aspiration or educational, like a recap of an interesting webinar they took or a podcast they listened to. 

Read: This Core post on the Creativity Curve was originally a Team Talk on a Webinar from Allen Gannett (the CEO and Founder of TrackMaven and author of the book The Creativity Curve). 

Finally, while it’s certainly not a secret because you are here RIGHT now, we have to recommend you subscribe to The Core in 2020 if you haven’t already! Our blog is designed to be a resource for your team to stay up to date on all things marketing, but also provide thought leadership and suggestions on how we can all be growing, and working together a little better. 

Have something to add? Leave us a comment below or reach out to us on Twitter @TheCoreBlog!

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