It is never easy to lead a team, whether it is a small or a large squad of people. Organizing different types of people with different characters can often usher in disagreements and miscommunication; consequently impacting the team’s productivity (to the point that you can find yourself losing your mind).
Yet, if the team is managed with a bit of tactfulness, you can make your squad achieve outstanding professional goals. Of course, getting them on the same page is another story, but making them work as a team in order to accomplish a common objective is no small victory.
Regardless of how productive your team is, there is always a way to boost productivity to a new level. For that, you need to put a pinch of creativity, willingness, and organizational skills.
1. Designate Ownership
Probably no one could deny the remarkable power of ownership. Giving ownership to the members means giving them ownership of their work and its results, just as providing space to make decisions independently.
Making each teamplayer accountable for one’s work generates a sense of accountability. Also, it will push one to see the work differently, such as how the decision-making can impact the whole workflow and the results of the team as a whole.
Indeed, ownership can take various forms. For example, you can assign your team member to lead a project, maybe handle a specific task responsibility, etc. This approach will show others that you’ve entrusted your team and their abilities to address a particular matter at hand. And in return, it will help generate a way higher sense of self-esteem among your team members.
2. Build Proper Communication
Communication is vital to ensure your team’s productivity. With effective communication, businesses succeed. Many successful companies prosper on the foundations of effective communication. In the scarcity of communication arrives miscommunication, which creates a lot of trouble.
Communication plays a meaningful role in helping the team understand its duties. In case of a communication gap, it will generate confusion leading to a low productivity level of a team.
So, if it’s new employee onboarding, employee training, a workshop, or a regular meeting, build a funnel of information delivery and habits to ensure everyone is on the same page.
3. Identify Your Team’s Strengths
One of the leader’s objectives is to acknowledge the teammates’ talents and know when to utilize them while allocating tasks. Knowing how to use their skills is the backbone of a productive team.
For instance, if you have someone who possesses analytical thinking with a knack for making sense of numbers and statistics, you may use one to monitor the success of marketing campaigns. Creating a space where each teammate knows that their knowledge and talents are appreciated will make them hiped on contributing to the overall success. A sense of motivation and belonging will contribute positively to each person’s productivity levels.
4. Team Building Exercises
Team productivity depends a lot on harmony among the team members.
The workplace becomes happier if each individual gets along and knows one’s strengths and downfalls, just as their teammate’s. Team productivity will automatically shoot up if everyone feels happy working.
Of course, when you get a bunch of people, there’s a chance that some people will not get along with others. To beat the animosity, you can introduce some team-building trainings. It will add some fun spirit to the team, wash away any grudges or reasons miscommunications happened before, and polish the team’s spirit of cooperation to new heights.
5. Use a project management tool
Undoubtedly, online platforms have reshaped the way teams organize themselves. Employing the right project management tool can assist you in paving the away toward effective work management and improved cooperation among the team members.
For instance, tools like Trello or Notion are some of the best online project management software that can bring people together and provide more clarity to the workflow. Both tools may allow you to implement agility and bring unity in terms of how the tasks are being designated and what resources are to be dedicated to accomplishing tasks.
6. Healthy Work Environment
The work environment and infrastructure are integral contributors to enhancing team productivity. According to a recent study, physical conditions significantly influence employees’ moods and levels of productivity, also the way they think and function at the workplace.
Due to this, numerous companies pay careful attention while creating their office interiors, like bringing more bright lighting, accommodating comfortable furniture, and bringing more nature indoors with the help of plants and flowers. Apart from physical setup, the working environment plays a vital role as well. Dominating leaders, rude team members, office dramas, and so on – can hinder a team’s productivity.
That being said, don’t overestimate the power of working conditions, environment, and setup: they all do play a significant role in boosting the team’s efficiency and overall mental health. Failing to focus on this aspect may play a terrible role in bringing down your company or, even worse – causing issues for the company’s image.
7. Acknowledge Your Team
Recognizing your team for their effort is an important aspect one needs to put on one’s to-do list. It’s natural to want your efforts to be valued, and many can agree that they would always expect more than a virtual pat on the back from their bosses. That’s why it’s always good to have some incentive program launched and running.
According to Genesis Analytics, 85% of the employees felt more motivated to do their greatest, knwoing that there is an incentive waiting for them. The best part here is that the incentives can take various shapes, such as in the form of free vouchers, extra vacation days, lunch-outs, or cash.
8. Deliver Constructive Feedback
Last but perhaps most crucial is – feedback. It’s only possible to enhance one’s efficiency if the team member knows they are on the right track.
Performance reviews and well-constructed feedback play an essential role here. To tell one the areas in which the team member excels and places that need more attention is paramount. It delivers a sense that you are being observed and appreciated, and the leader is invested in your success.
When delivering feedback, always remember not to spill the beans in terms of what is wrong – always provide suggestions on how each individual of your team should act while facing the noticed challenges.
That said, the takeaway from this tip is this: thoughtful feedback promotes a culture of open dialogue, trust, and the need to grow. It fosters a sense of motivation to do better. So, when delivering your feedback, start with good things done, and only then tackle the ones that need attention; stay cool and tactful throughout the whole process.
Conclusion
To boost team productivity is like baking; you need the right ingredients, knowledge, and desire to have it done. You always need to be eager to listen, observe, make decisions that sometimes may be hard to deal with at first, and always stay open to change as a leader and person.
Focusing on improving the productivity of the team can deliver more benefits to the company. That’s why it’s necessary, as never before, to keep this topic on one’s to-do list, especially nowadays, when the job market is so competitive when it comes to seeking and maintaining the best talents.
Of course, sometimes, it may be hard to keep up with all the trends and new practices of working and team building. Maybe, one may feel like lacking enough grit or expertise to implement changes within a team. In that case, always feel free to reach out to us – TechBiz Global. Our team of experts is always open to assist companies in improving their operational efficiency, approach to leadership, management, agile methodology, and so much more.
Finding oneself lacking knowledge is not a bug – but a fantastic opportunity to grow personally and thrive professionally alongside your team.