Even though your team possesses the right knowledge and skills to successfully complete the projects, even the most talented and highly-productive employees can sometimes become distracted and unproductive. Things don’t always go as planned, and it’s virtually impossible to keep the same pace and high level of productivity at any given time. However, being unable to focus on your work can have an adverse impact on the final outcome and even end with a failure. As a project manager or a business owner, what should you do to leverage your team’s productivity when the times are tough and spirits are not high? How to create a positive working atmosphere where people, despite difficult circumstances, manage to concentrate on their tasks and give their full potential while working towards the same goal?
Here are a few tips how to achieve this goal.
Set clear expectations
How will your team contribute to the entire productivity, if they don’t know what the ultimate purpose of their work? Before starting any project you need to set clear objectives so that your employees understand what you expect of them. As much as we want that everything runs smoothly, it’s very difficult to predict each and every step and flawlessly run a team management, especially if you are working on a complex and ambitious project that requires much time, energy and resources.
To be able to tackle those moments with ease, you need to maintain constant communication with your team and provide them with regular updates and feedback on their performance. In this way, your team members will know how their work affects the entire productivity and final results and they will be able to change their approach or attitude towards work.
Make it more personal
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Whether it’s bad working conditions or a personal issue, there is a wide range of reasons for your employees’ dissatisfaction and lack of concentration. Instead of neglecting the issue, consider talking to your employees face-to-face and truly show interest in what’s bothering them. Try putting yourself in their shoes and understand how they feel. It will build your employee’s trust and he will eventually want to share their problems with you.
Show them that you care by sharing your own similar experience and talking about the way you handled your own situation. By being sympathetic, you will encourage your employee to enter a problem-solving mode and eventually come up with a solution. You can work together on solving a problem where you can offer your guidance or advice and clear any roadblocks on the road to success.
Apply leadership on daily basis
While many people believe that being a leader involves having the right knowledge and talent to run the business successfully, the truth is that there is much more to it. A leader is a person with a clear vision and a developed strategy how to lead his mission and produce the best possible results.
To be able to do that he must give incentives and constantly encourage his employees to work as one big family, share their knowledge and responsibilities and work towards the same goal. When life gets tough and you’re dealing with constant change, you always need someone who will give you something important to care about and help you get back on track. People are eager to be a part of something bigger than themselves and they always need a leader who will be able to connect with them emotionally and give them meaningful business advice.
Identify your goals
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In order to be able to increase your team’ efficiency and make them see the big picture, you first need to clearly identify what you really want. You need to keep in mind that all of us have a different mindset and that sometimes your attitude towards work might differ from your employees’ attitude and might not be in line with your values. You need to acknowledge this situation, distance yourself from your employees and ask yourself: What are my main objectives? What should I do to make my employees feel like they are part of the team?
Give praise
One of the easiest ways to increase the productivity of your team is to give praise and positive feedback for any accomplishments and good work your employees produce. People like to hear that their work is valued and that what they are doing actually has a positive effect on the entire productivity and business success. Bear in mind that while some people like to be praised publicly, others like to receive recognition privately.
Praise is a great motivator and there are different ways you can make your employees feel appreciated and valued. You might consider giving them gifts such as a simple thank-you note or free tickets for a theatre performance. Whatever you do, it will make them feel proud and will undoubtedly have a positive effect on their work.
