Ask any senior manager, she will tell you that team productivity is a top priority in the workplace. Productivity rarely springs up just by hiring someone to fulfill the duties listed on a job description. Productivity is as much about company culture and team dynamics as it is about get up and go.
A significant part of a manager’s job is to deliver departmental results that support the company’s mission. So then, productivity is as much a function of the manager’s ability to see, assess, and motivate individual team members as it is about employees working hard.
The most basic definition of productivity is efficiency. You judge the productivity of an individual by how efficient he or she is at completing assigned tasks, their output. More often than not many managers are willing to admit that the lack of team productivity is evidence of a deficiency in the manager’s leadership abilities. The ability to inspire productivity in your team is your primary job as a manager. Here are some tips to keep your team inspired.
Communicate
Communication is the key to every relationship. As a manager, you have the responsibility of making the final decision. However, being the decision-maker does not mean you are autonomous. The fact that you have a team to manage is a keen indicator that you cannot do it alone. So, listen twice as much as you talk and be the primary driver of dialogue and communication in your department.
Be a Solutions-Driven Manager
It is easy to pick out the problems, but you only have to do that one time. Once the problem is identified, focus your energy on finding solutions. Your team can be far more productive when obstacles are removed from their paths.
Don’t Lie
It’s hard to trust a liar and impossible to follow someone you don’t trust. So don’t start. If you make a mistake, be humble and gracious enough to admit you made a mistake. No one is perfect, but you can at least strive to be blameless.
Delegate
This word is often taken to mean passing out assignments and making sure they get done. Think more in terms of arming your team members with responsibilities for which they must be accountable. Communicate to them what the end result must be and allow your employees to make the best decisions on how to deliver the desired results.
Don’t Micro-Manage
If you have to micro-manage your team, you hired the wrong folks.
Follow Through
Do what you say you will do when you say you will do it.
See Your Team Members as They Are
A person is not a job description. A person is not a title. Assume that the individuals on your team have talents, resources, and experiences that extend beyond the four walls of the company where you all work. Find out what those talents are. There may be an opportunity for you to leverage them later on.
A smart leader makes sure he or she is surrounded by great minds. It would be a waste to surround yourself with great minds then fail to use them. As a member of management, you are responsible for delivering certain results. As a leader, your job is to inspire productivity in your team that will facilitate those results. Take a look around. If your team is not producing like it should be, start by checking out your management style.
Stewart, Cooper & Coon has helped thousands of decision makers and senior executives move up in their careers and achieve significantly improved financial packages within short time frames. Contact Fred Coon or call 866-883-4200, Ext. 200, and connect with them on LinkedIn.