Inspiring your team to become more productive and efficient is the ultimate mark of leadership and the foundation for sustainable success. Like most areas in leadership, this is a never-ending process that needs a proper structure and implementation for it to count. To help you out, here are five ways to improve your team’s productivity.
1. Set and track achievable goals
The first step to promoting team productivity is ensuring every member has a set of SMART goals that they are working on. You should then actively keep track of these goals using an employee checklist for ease in determining every member’s output and overall project progress. When creating these goals, always consider your team’s capacity and individual strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, always have larger projects broken into smaller parts to keep your team focused even as they work towards a bigger objective.
2. Build and maintain proper communication channels
As a team leader, one of your primary mandates is building and maintaining proper communication channels. Effective communication will help strengthen team relationships while avoiding conflicts and unnecessary complications. The best solution in this age is to have a communication medium that fosters cooperation and healthy work culture by ensuring team members always have regular interactions.
3. Provide and ask for feedback
Active communication should never be an excuse to ignore the importance of providing and asking for feedback. While communication helps build team unity, feedback helps the team improve since it points out where performance is exemplary and where more effort or change is needed.
A feedback system should not be all about criticism but honest performance reviews, suggestions, and guidance on how best to overcome hurdles the team faces. All team members should also actively offer feedback on their thoughts about each project and the challenges they are experiencing.
4. Re-evaluate when and why you hold meetings
While meetings are essential in any organization, they can easily become productivity killers if they are not well-managed. Studies show that most employees hate meetings, and the best turn-around to this is always to re-evaluate if a meeting is necessary.
If the answer is no, you can find a simpler and more effective way to communicate with the team rather than waste a couple of productive hours. You should also stick to having a goal-oriented agenda for every meeting, limit the time it takes, and ensure everyone is well-informed about the day’s topic.
5. Don’t micromanage
As you strive to stay on top of team operations and progress, you need to be aware of the dangers of micromanagement. Having your team under a micro-glass will have a counter effect as members feel controlled rather than empowered to perform their duties.
To avoid falling into this trap, it is best to adopt the less is more policy whereby you rely more on pre-established processes that have been mutually agreed upon for a smoother workflow.
Endnote
Improving a team’s productivity requires commitment and multiple strategies that best fit your current needs. Nevertheless, with these tips, you have a well-grounded blueprint for success.