3 Easy Steps to Improve Productivity
You're falling behind in your numbers and your boss is breathing down your neck. Feeling the heat, you start applying pressure to your team and demand to see a positive lift in productivity. Time passes and despite all your threats and interrogation meetings, the numbers are still short of goal and the quality of production is lacking to say the least...
Sound familiar? I know, we've all been there. Fortunately there is a solution. There is a simple way to boost production in both quality and quantity from your team through 3 simple leadership steps that can be applied today to start seeing results tomorrow. These steps can be applied to any industry so no one should feel excluded. Whether you work in: retail, telemarketing, industrial manufacturing, B2B or D2D sales, etc., if you are a figure of authority or management overseeing a team then apply these steps in the following order:
DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM:
More often than not, I see managers, supervisors, executives and owners reviewing reports from an office and when these numbers are off pace, they wonder why? I rarely see anyone taking action and doing what needs to be done to uncover and diagnose the problem. How will you ever fix something if you don't know how or where it's broken? The logic of "these numbers don't match last month's or last year's numbers. Step it up or heads are gonna roll" needs to be thrown out the window! Whether the reason is low morale due to a lack of or poor leadership, lack of or poor training, no customers coming through the door, bad economy, or the infamous "our goals are set too high", there is a logical explanation as to why production is down and as the leader of your team, it's your job to figure it out. Meet with your department head or team leader individually and ask their opinion. meet with your team and collect their feedback. You may be surprised with their insights and honesty. This will build value and empower your team. Congratulations, you just gave them a voice and they feel heard there for building morale.
GET TO KNOW YOUR TEAM ON A MORE PERSONAL LEVEL:
No, I don't mean ask your team their favorite food or what they like to do in their free time. I'm suggesting you find out what drives them. How else do you plan on steering your team if you don't know which direction they want to go? One of the top three reasons people lose interest in or leave their job is a Lack of Vision. This means they have no idea what their next step is with your company. Where is their career with you going to take them? While diagnosing the problem in production with each individual team member, take this as an opportunity to share some '1' on '1' time to uncover goals. You should be able to provide the tools and present a clear path to advancement whether it is a short or long one. Be as transparent with your team as you expect them to be with you and your company. This will build trust and engage your team. Congratulations, you just gave them a mission and the tools they need to accomplish it there for giving them clear direction.
JOIN THEM IN THE TRENCHES:
You were placed in your position of power because you have somehow proven yourself for the position. However it was that you accomplished this, you've only proven it to your superiors and possibly a few members of your team if you climbed the ranks. If you want your team's trust you need to earn it. This requires you to roll up your sleeves and join your team in the trenches. This could mean hopping on the assembly line or picking up a phone. This may mean stepping out of your comfort zone and joining your team on sales calls or taking customers on the floor. If you can't SHOW them that it IS possible to achieve the outlined goals then who are you to TELL them it CAN be done? This is the most overlooked step which incidentally is in my opinion the most important. I'm sorry to say I'm guilty of walking all over my superiors in the past when I've felt they couldn't "walk the walk". In contrast, when I felt my team wasn't performing at the level I expected from them, I would jump in rotation and start demonstrating why I've been chosen to lead them. This always resulted in a spike in production and morale. This is how you earn trust.
I've been practicing leadership for over 10 years and every time I thought I had it all figured out, I'd learn something new from my own mistakes. The 3 steps outlined in this article are very simple steps for anyone to practice. As elementary as they may seem to some, I've learned over the years that most people don't apply these simple steps of leadership to their business. In fact, I'm quite surprised by the number of managers and owners I encounter that demand positive change from their subordinates by sending passive aggressive emails or holding threatening, uncomfortable meetings & conference calls. In order to see a positive change we have to make a positive change, not just ask for it. This requires us to start being leaders, not just managers.
