Six formulas to lead your team to highest productivity
May 1, 2009 by admin
Filed under Getting Ahead
In difficult economic times, organizations should focus on achieving the highest possible return on their workforce investments.
To achieve this goal, it is more important than ever for supervisors to motivate employees, challenging them to maximize efficiency and create an environment that helps them grow not only as employees but as people.
Here are six ways managers can help employees maximize their productivity and improve retention, as explained in the new book, the fifth wave of Leadership:
1. Question employees relentlessly. A large part of creating a growth-oriented workplace is constantly asked their employees. Examples:
* “Did you notice what you did there?”
* “Why do you think you said that?”
* “I realized that when his position was challenged in the meeting, you do not defend it. Why?”
Creating a “question culture” will help raise performance expectations throughout the company. It will train employees to think carefully about how to do their job and ensure they have good reasons for each decision.
2. Encourage conflict. Yes, that’s correct. The purpose of the workplace is not the whole world is to grow people to their full potential. Avoid group, encouraging employees to ask questions to their colleagues in work and play devil’s advocate in important decisions.
Conflict and confrontation are rarely pleasant, but they are the very definition of teamwork. Are also necessary to foster relationships.
3. Focus on relationships. Monetary incentives only go so far in creating employee loyalty. Tie people to a company in the same way a dog is trained to stay in the yard. Nothing happens until the company across the street offers a bigger, juicier bone.
Instead, work to create a culture where employees and the relationships of great enrichment. Giving employees a more rewarding reason to come to work every day.
4. Provide honest, caring feedback. You should be constantly telling employees how they’re doing. Honest feedback can be painful for both sides, but it is the backbone of a growing organization. A relationship without honest feedback is simply a “society of mutual tolerance.”
5. Practice the art of self-disclosure. Feedback cuts both ways. You want your employees to provide you as well. It’s a risk worth because you can learn a lot from their employees. Free revealing and often teach you by example the kind of relationships that are expected to flourish in his department.
6. Form a group of accountability. Some people fear that giving or receiving feedback. But setting the environment and may be willing to oblige them to provide information. Accountability is a way to promote this information.
In these groups, people give and receive feedback, create action plans based on this information, and to hold the group responsible for implementing their plans.
In a nutshell: People who are personally and professionally satisfied staff are better … and it will be longer. That is reason enough to promote a growth-oriented workplace, especially given the current economy.