If you are a leader in your organisation, you probably spend a lot of time trying to devise or implement ways to improve the performance or work effectiveness of everyone on your team. Today, more than 60% of managers and leaders are concerned about the well-being of their employees and team members. This aspect is closely related to productivity and, therefore, to the results obtained. ROI is therefore also linked to the effectiveness of the task performed.
So… Did you know that good management that promotes teamwork is the best way to ensure that the return on investment will be reflected positively, and possibly even more so?
Here are some valuable tips that can help you and your team maximise the potential and achieve the results you and your team are hoping for…
- Define your goals: As a leader, first, you must clearly establish and define what success looks like for a given project. Secondly, successfully communicating the ideas to be developed allows you to be clear about your objectives and expectations.
- Establish the action plan to improve the effectiveness of teamwork: In order for team members to be effective, you must know what is expected of them. In this way, they will be much more likely to perform to their full potential. When that understanding spreads throughout the group, they will be on the road to success by effectively consolidating teamwork.
“One can get to a goal faster, but neither the road is that easy nor beyond the goal is sustainable if you don’t surround yourself with good people to support you in your inner mind”.
Jose L. Menéndez, Professional C.Mind Coach
Set the stage for effectiveness: clarification of objectives, roles and responsibilities
The next step is to determine who is responsible for which tasks and activities. Some of these roles will be decided by the team leader and others will need to be decided as a group. In developing tasks and roles, everyone will need an established basis of trust and understanding that will allow your team to engage in healthy conflict and help them to do their best to ensure that everyone takes ownership of the project and is willing to execute the work as a team.
Those who have to execute the work need to know that everyone is on the same page and is behaving appropriately in the best interest of the organisation. This is the basis for teamwork, as it will foster a positive environment that will be immune to many of the distractions common in the workplace:
- Jealousy
- Grievances of injustice
- Gossip
- Scepticism
- Interpersonal conflicts over territory
- Fear of personal attack
The increased commitment you will get from teammates who trust each other and who are honestly committed to putting in place the tools necessary to achieve greater productivity and creativity at work – a win-win for everyone.
ChVmpion Mind is a specialised business coaching platform that helps leaders of all companies to make a positive impact on various levels of the company and on the personal environment of employees.
Recognising when it is the right time to start: Productivity requires action
Once everyone knows what the work is about, i.e. what everyone’s roles are, it is time to start the project. Coming back again and again for clarification or more detail can, in some cases, drastically reduce people’s ability to use their skills, creativity and other natural attributes. Doubt can paralyse an individual or even an entire team. However, too much planning or a long delay between decision and implementation can lead to insecurity and paralysis.
Thus, knowing the exact moment to execute is very important in order to achieve the expected results and meet the goals and objectives that have been set.
For example, with ChVmpion Mind you not only work on your personal development and growth, but you also define and determine professional objectives that must be executed and completed satisfactorily day after day, during the 21 weeks of work that comprise the plan.
Conduct meetings with a clear objective in mind.
Did you know that team meetings cost resources? That’s right – time, money and energy. Meetings can either drive teamwork forward and get the team on track or they can distract from the main objective of getting the job done. Unfortunately, too many organisations fall into the second category. As a leader, you must be specific about what needs to be accomplished during the valuable time of the workday. Whatever type of work your organisation does, the time in meetings is likely to fall far short of getting the real work done.
Remember, allowing a healthy exchange of ideas and avoiding unnecessary conflict is very important. But, of greater importance is always keeping everything directly related to the purpose of the meeting and the focus on teamwork. Set time limits so that everyone is always focused on achieving the objective of the meeting. Side conversations and referrals can be resolved in email exchanges, quick one-on-one conversations.
Sharing feedback fosters accountability.
Communication lets everyone know where everyone else stands in terms of fulfilling their responsibilities. And that, provides an important layer of accountability. Valued employees don’t want to be the person who holds back teamwork. Sufficient feedback from the leader and other members of the group also allows for course correction. So if any task or role is out of sync with the others, saving valuable time and resources before things go wrong is the best strategy.
Guidance without micro-management: Don’t get in the way of your team’s effectiveness.
As a leader, it can be difficult to stay out of the way and start micro-managing teams and individuals as they produce the work required by their tasks and roles. A little advice or course correction could go a long way, but too many starts and stops that focus on details can break the momentum of teamwork and cause people to become indecisive and overly cautious.
Remember…
Simply put, too much direct involvement on the part of the leader can mess up the gears of production and stifle the creativity and inspiration that your amazing team members bring to the table. As a leader you must be judicious with your direct involvement so that you have the impact necessary to improve your team’s performance. But, don’t become counterproductive.
There are dozens of tips and tricks, focus on the most important things and make an overall difference. In other words, focus on the overall mission of teamwork and let the team members sort out the minutiae.
