Thank you Jamie. However, on the note of a contrarian, I once overheard a campus president tell an employee that he appreciated her passion, but this was the wrong message to send the employee since her passion was actually seen by most others as unbridled emotion without a rational basis. I try to stay calm, particularly when a heated situation arises, so that I can hear others out. Sometimes passion is very one-sided and I'd like for people to see my passion (through my work ethic and productivity) rather than hear my passion (through emotions that are unchecked).
Just a thought in this difficult economy where many cuts are being made to the workforce as well as to important resources. So many people complain but the truth is that I feel blessed to have a job and I need to remind myself of this whenever I start to feel sorry for myself about how things "could be better" :)
Thomas,
You are absolutely correct! In addition to accountability, I would add "consistency" as also crucial to improving team performance. Holding only some people accountable and not others, or not holding people accountable on a consistent basis, will result in performance suffering.
I also agree with your former supervisor. I'll take an employee with passion about what he or she does any day over somebody with just knowledge and no commitment.
Nicely stated.
Thanks,
Jamie
People need to know that they are being held accountable. It is many peoples' nature to look for a way out (to do what they want to do, as opposed to what they are needed to do) out of responsibility, so reminding people of accountability is a good way to show them that you actually care about who they are and their development. It needs to be handled in a way that coaches, not dictates. People follow culture and through active demonstration more than they do through rules and regulations. As my former supervisor used to say, show me how much you care before you tell me how much you know.
Salvador,
You make a good point. Providing timely and balanced feedback is a great way to keep a team moving forward. What corrective measures might you try if reminding team members about the goals and providing feedback did not work to keep the team focused?
Jamie
I believe that improving team performance is going to depend on the issues of your team, you should always remind them of the team goals and create challenges to keep them focused on the tasks on hand,and feedback is important to use the ideas of the members.
I can relate to the hashing out differences approach. When I first began my journey as a leader, I walked on eggshells--in fear of hurting someone's feelings. I now know how critical honesty is for the growth of both individuals and the team.
When providing feedback, I focus on positive results--but also make sure to provide constructive assistance of needed. I love watching the team grow into stronger members--and better managers of their own people.
I would make sure all members are aware of the goals of the overall team--and have clearly defined expectations. I would also make sure that each member understands the value of the other members--and how each contribute to overall success.
I've learned with my own team that some prefer face-to-face interaction regarding expectations (one-on-one for some). Others prefer a clearly defined list.
All of the teams input needs to be welcome. Show support for opinions which you may not fully agree with. Tell members that they will not be discouraged for bringing up an unpopular opinion, as long as they're trying to help the team. Try to help other members of the team to embrace such opinions instead of dismissing them as without merit.
I would start with clear communication regarding the issues. I would remind the team of what the goals are, the benefits of achieving those goals, and the consequences of not meeting those goals.
It is important to identify the source of the problem to effectively implement ways to correct it. I will look first to the evidence of poor performance, and if it involves the entire team or just a few team members (or only one). After analyzing the situation I will decide if the issues need to be addressed in a group meeting, or in face-to-face meetings with the team members involved.
Having a team of Program Directors can be a delicate situation when attempting to improve team performance because they are also managers and believe their method is the best method. In some cases their method is a good method. To accomplish improvement, I would first list the goals I would like to achieve as a manager of this team. I would probably send out a questionaire to each Director to find out their opinion in improving performance with my particular benchmarks in mind. During my weekly one on one meetings, I would them assess the questionaire and comments with each director. Finally, I would compile the input and present at the weekly team meeting that addresses the final determination of goals for improvement adn new benchmarks. I would also let them know when they would be measured. This way, everyone has input, the goals and benchmarks are presented, and everyone knows what is expected of them.
I need to evaluate myself as a manger. I would like to believe that my approach is the best approach for the dynamic of my team, but after a recent team incident I am not sure. I always try to make sure my team understands that I have an open door policy, and I try to make them comfortable to come and talk to me about anything. I am not quite sure this is the correct approach.
I find the most effective tool at improving team performance is communication. Identify a clear goal, and allow the team to set clear expectations as how the goal can be accomplished, helps the individuals to take ownership and feel responsible to the other members of the team. The result is usually success.
I too have a team of opinionated people. This tactic of having a team meeting defintely allows us all to come to an agreement. The other key factor here is the communication element. Sometimes when tasks are delegated through e-mail, the meaning can get lost, and the team may not have clear direction on what the final goal or outcome is without knowing some of the "middle" information and why they're being asked to do certain things.
I think it depends upon the personalities in the group; positive reinforcement at the beginning of the meeting along with re-emphasizing the purpose of the team can help them stay on track. Encouraging the group to work together towards the common goal, along with offering support to accomplish the goal can be effective.
our team is comprised of opioninated people. I have to remind the team that its ok to "agree to disagree" sometimes and that we all come together for one purpose.
I oversee the restaurant operations for a culinary school which deals with 15 chef instructors that need to be linked together in their identity, ommunication, and daily topical outline/ lesson plan. I have set-up daily email communication requirements by each team member as to what was produced during their shift, what needs to be carried on in the next shift and the production list of needed supplies for the next day. Keeping all faculty and students feeling an intergal part of the whole team is the goal. This corrective measure has improved our team performance tremendously and has provided the students in the restaurant an opportunity to serve 600-800 guests daily.
To improve my team menbers performances and to keep my team on target i must constanly evaluate their performances and make necessary mid course
corrections. Also you need to understain the kind of obstacles that derails a team and develop techniques to remove those osbtacles.
I think it is important first to discover what is holding the team back. When did performance start slipping and why? The leader can analyze, research, and come to a possible conclusion. Then discuss with the team as a whole, in small groups, or individually to hear what they believe is holding back the team.
I have found that if I took team members away from the office, out to lunch or dinner, they communicated their frustrations openly, but constructively. When I would have the team in a conference room to discuss items of business, team members were negative, pointing and blaming each other, and not showing respect. Once a quarter, I took the team out to review performance as a team, set up next quarters goals, and have a team building exercise. Weekly, the team would get together (those that were available since we had multiple time zones to work with and shifting schedules) to review the teams goals, hear the previous weeks results, and listen to one member who would present a new learning exercise.
i think that the most important thing is to create a standard of participation that allows everyone to feel open to discuss their ideas and issues. But this has to be done in light of the goals and objectives of the group and as the leader you must continue to monitor the groups progress towards those goals and objectives on a continual basis.
