Excellent business performance depends on effective, passionate teams. High-performing employees produce more, innovate more, and work together more efficiently. However, these teams rarely come together on their own – they need a good leader to guide them. But how do you enhance your employees’ performance?
Successful team management comes with practice. Setting and tracking goals, monitoring progress, and building team morale are just a few things you can do to enhance your staff’s business performance and ensure productivity. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Set and Track Goals, Monitor Progress
Many employees rely on goals to stay on track and accomplish tasks. So, set clear, actionable, and measurable objectives, and communicate them to your team. Most companies set goals periodically to keep their actions aligned with their company mission. This often takes place in strategic planning sessions. If your company has not engaged in strategic planning, scheduling a meeting may be appropriate.
No matter how you arrive at your goals, make sure they’re measurable. Create a timeline of milestones and track your goals as your team reaches each new achievement. Communicate performance metrics with your employees and discuss goals as they meet them to ensure they know of their successes.
2. Build Company Morale and Trust
In 1965, Bruce Tuckman created the four stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing. The “norming” phase of team development happens when the newly formed group begins to settle into roles, build trust, and get to know one another.Company wide teamwork and morale hinges on this stage. Team building exercises can bring your employees together and develop trust that can help them throughout the next two phases. If you’re not comfortable leading team-building exercises yourself, loo kto a professional career coach for assistance.
3. Give and Receive Feedback
Giving and receiving feedback is an important part of managing a team. Managers must provide constructive criticism, advice, and praise to bring out the best in their staff. They must also be open to receiving feedback from employees to promote innovation and teamwork within the workplace.
One of the best ways to encourage these conversations is to meet with team members one-on-one to discuss progress. Before each meeting, write down feedback for the employee you’ll be talking with. You should also end each conversation with questions that prompt your staff to provide their own feedback about the work environment, business initiatives, etc.
Here are a few examples to get you started:
- Do you think our company is on the right track?
- What’s going well? What can we improve?
- What do you need from me?
4. Emphasize Training and Career Growth
Your staff members are an investment. They require training to perform at their best and need opportunities for growth to remain motivated. The more you invest in your staff members by sending them to workshops and teaching them specialized skills, the more innovative, cooperative, and enthusiastic they’ll be on the job.
Here are just a few ways to show your employees that you’re devoted to their success:
- Provide training opportunities for your entire team regularly.
- Encourage employees to participate in career development activities on their own.
- Identify areas that could be strengthened, then hire professional career coaches to provide relevant training.
Finally, ask your team members questions that encourage them to think about their career paths. By inquiring about their goals and aspirations, you can inspire them to consider the possibilities and work harder to meet their own career goals.
5. Seek Help from a Professional Career Coach
Enhancing team performance is so important that many companies seek help from executive career coaches. Professional career coaches help managers bring their employees together through strategic facilitation, mentoring,team building, and more. Plus, if you want to sharpen your own team management skills, a career coach can introduce you to valuable tools that will assist you in improving your team’s productivity, efficiency, and more.
With the right guidance and a close-knit, passionate workforce, any business can succeed.