Do you find it a challenge to get a straight answer from your team?
Ever had a client ask you what’s happening or tell you about a problem that you were not aware of?
Are you trying not to micromanage your team, but you aren’t getting the updates that you need?
Back when I was working corporately, I was often away from my office working on tender, and I struggled to stay updated with what was happening with my team back in head office. Beyond our regularly scheduled catch-ups, I’d need to call or corner someone in the break room to get caught up. I found it really stressful as I was often only in the office for client meetings and would pitch up with a report to present but not have the background to deal with any issues or concerns.
It was my fault I didn’t set out my expectations correctly, I agreed objectives with my team and didn’t tell them that I needed regular check-ins or ask for the narrative behind the reports.
Trusting your team to deliver and keep you updated with what's happening, shouldn’t be a challenge but it can be hard to find the balance between giving your team the freedom to deliver and micromanaging.
You want your team to be problem solvers, not problem multipliers and work within their zone of genius, but if you don’t ask for what you need from your team, the problem with their performance might not be them, it might be you.
Working with teams based in different locations, working a variety of shifts and on multiple projects would be difficult to juggle for anyone, Here are 5 things you can implement to help you stay on top of what's happening:
Daily/weekly team briefings – A half an hour meeting at the start or the end of the day to discuss priorities and any challenges will give you comfort that your team are on the right track, or if they are not will allow you to redirect their attention.
Weekly online updates – Create a template that is updated weekly in your file share (google docs, dropbox, etc). I like the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) method as an easy way to check progress on objectives – find out more here.
Be specific about what you need – Schedule a regular call for when that report drops, so that you can discuss it in-depth or be clear about when your team needs to give you a heads up that a client has a problem, even though they are on top of it.
Shadow and delegate – Provide opportunities for your team to shadow your interactions and present the reports so that they can see the purpose of their objective and get a deeper understanding of your client's expectations.
Add a buffer – Don’t leave things to the last minute, give yourself some time to review and reflect.
Let us know which tip/s you’ll be implementing with your team and if you need some strategic advice about motivating and managing your team, schedule a FREE 20-minute Team Strategy Call.