Focus on Risk Enterprises, LLC - When Your People Don't Get IT...Working Hard or Working Smart

When Your People Don't Get IT...Working Hard or Working Smart

by Liz Meyers, CEO

Focus On Risk Enterprises

Have you ever wondered why your staff always seems to be busy, but nothing ever seems to get done? I know I did. Then I came to know the ugly truth, I was a big part of the problem. And as they say “knowing the problem is half the battle”…so I decided I needed to change my strategy to win the war on getting the right things done.

What are you working on?

The first step was to understand what my team members were working on and why. After walking around and asking individuals what they had been working on over the past week and why, I learned they were focused on what they thought was necessary to meet their yearend goals. “Where did the year-end goals come from?” you ask. The goals come from an incredibly painful series of weeks where we take the goals from the President of the company and filter down to the VPs, then Directors, Managers, to the staff. Painful because the staff has a hard time understanding how their day-to-day activities fit into their department head’s goals, let alone the CEO’s goals.

As I looked deeper into the issue of “if the staff is earnestly trying to meet their goals”, I determined the goals must be the problem. Sounds logical, except I approved those goals, believing they would help my team achieve our priorities. Where did I go wrong?

Ultimately I came to the understanding that I missed the boat in my communications to the team. Here are my suggestions on how you can avoid a similar fate:

1. Make sure your team strategy and objectives are clear and simple so that every person on the team understands them. Avoid nebulous terms that leave room for interpretation such as “we expect to see improvement”. Instead be specific on how much improvement, in what area by a specific date. Creativity is great when coming up with solutions but not for defining the original goal.

2. Understand what your team’s success looks like to you. Be specific. Have a vision for the future for your team. Don’t be like Alice when trying to determine her next steps while in Wonderland…

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?'
`That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.
`I don't much care where--' said Alice.
`Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.
`--so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation.
`Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, `if you only walk long enough.'"

3. Communicate, communicate, and communicate some more. Never accept that once is enough, when it comes to communicating your team objectives and strategies. Communicate it every chance you get: in team meetings, in one-on-one sessions, and even in a blog to your team (a fancy blog site is not necessary, I wrote blogs and posted in our team’s SharePoint site). Give new examples each time to help your team members gain a clearer understanding.

4. Walk the talk. When communicating, share with the team your own contributions to achieving the strategy and objectives. This will solidify for your team that each and every person on the team is expected to contribute, especially the boss!

So, how will you know when you are winning the war? When more team objectives are being accomplished each month, week, and /or day, you will know the team members are working on the right priorities and choosing the right priorities even when you are not available to ask.

Have a question? Email Liz Meyers at liz@focusonrisknow.com

Responses will be posted on the website.