E-Tip #397: 4 Tips for More Productive Team Members

Developing an effective and more productive team in today's workplace requires a commitment from your executive management team. Research has proven that many business leaders ignore some of the basic elements in leading people. If you want to optimize and enhance your leadership skills, we have listed 4 tips for you to consider. They are: 

Tip #1. Acknowledge your team -- adopt a "people come first" strategy.

Tip #2. Spend time with the employees who are directly handle core business processes and procedures. They can provide you with a vast amount of knowledge about inefficiencies and issues.

  

Tip #3. Actively listen and recognize that your team's opinion counts.

Tip #4. Know your team's needs and what motivates them best.

Let People Know How Much You Value Their Input And Commitment.

As a leader, you should ask your people direct questions like, "Do we give you the necessary tools, support and resources to achieve first-rate performance?" Be careful, though--you may run into some employees who are willing to speak out strongly on issues they consider important. Prepare to actively listen, take notes and address concerns without being defensive.

During this time, you need to look at the following elements that will make this communication a great starting point:

• Believe that the majority of the people are putting the company first to achieve what they want.  
• Let them know that you don't expect miracles to happen in 24 hours. Work with employees to set a realistic time frame for changes.   
• Make a commitment to help your team become better by embracing their issues and then work on ways to help solutions become a reality for them. 
• Personalize relationships by looking at what an individual's specific job duties and capabilities, then set expectations accordingly.
• Show a genuine interest in your people and help them figure out how to get what they want.  
• When talking with an individual, use his/her name.  

Have Your Team Focus On Learning About Themselves And The Company.

All too often, people are "in their own little world" with what they do and how they do it. If you want people to focus on their own personal development, you need to look at ways to improve their value to the organization. Here is what we suggest:

• Encourage self-development.
• Ensure that team members understand how their job positively and essentially impacts the company.
• Identify what each team member wants to do at your organization.
• Share relevant information with your team.
• Provide ongoing training programs to enhance not only their value, but their self-worth.
• Measure how well a team is improving and report this information back to everyone.
• Work on developing your organization's team leaders, as great leaders produce loyal followers. 

Executive Summary: Being an effective leader of a team requires the ability to capitalize on a wide range of personalities, skills and abilities. Great team leaders can quickly analyze and capitalize on a team's strengths, work with diverse styles and create a competitive spirit that builds cooperation and loyalty.

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