Engage your teams in the context of recovery

Performance
Shannon M February 8, 2022

4 points for even better team management!

New trends have emerged in recent years, linked to the crisis and the acceleration of digital transformation. A greater use of digital tools in companies and the adaptation to hybrid mode has changed the rhythm of employees' work and may have impacted their commitment. In this context, leading teams means asking the right questions:

 

  • How to clearly define each person’s roles and tasks?
  • How to foster collaboration and idea exchange?
  • How to avoid misunderstandings by setting clear and achievable objectives?
  • How to make your teams more autonomous and engaged?

 

For many employees, this requires a good understanding of their role, regular training on the tools they use and good management and leadership within the company. These elements are essential to ensure that the team remains motivated.

 

1 – Create a team culture

 

Team members move forward better and perform better when they feel a sense of belonging and unity in accomplishing goals. Creating a team culture fueled by an internal communication and collaboration system will encourage initiative and the sharing of ideas.

Companies are encouraged to create this team culture to:

  • Create friendly relationships
  • Highlight values and apply them in relationships between employees
  • Make hierarchy less visible: make everyone feel that everyone is on the same level to express themselves
  • Express gratitude
  • Know how to ask the right questions. E.g.: ask what is wrong and how you can help a colleague in difficulty
  • Encourage everyone to be autonomous and responsible

 

2 – Learn to give constructive feedback

The objectives of feedback: to develop and motivate employees and reduce turnover. According to Officevibe in this article:

  • “Companies that implement a regular feedback process have a 14.9% lower turnover rate.
  • 65% of employees would like to receive more feedback.
  • Only 58% of managers think they provide enough feedback to their colleagues.
  • 98% of employees will fail to feel engaged in the company if their manager gives them little or no feedback on their work.
  • 78% of employees mentioned that recognition at work is motivating.”

Based on these numbers, what can you change about the way you give constructive feedback? How do you incorporate this into your company's culture?

 

For the employee, receiving feedback means:

  • Recognize that he has a place in the company and show him the importance of his work
  • See its evolution, its weaknesses and successes
  • Being able to express your opinion on your work
  • Have the opportunity to adjust and perform better

 

Good feedback is given:

  • With hindsight and not hotly
  • Regularly, but without micro-management
  • With thoughtful timing (during a planned point, not in the middle of a task) and warning of the subject in advance
  • With an intention/goal
  • Objectively

 

This includes in part:

  • Thanks or congratulations to keep you motivated
  • Encouragement
  • The results of a particular work
  • Constructive feedback and suggestions on what needs to be improved: always keep a balance between positive/negative
  • A moment given to the employee to reflect and express their feelings

 

 

 

3 – Set achievable goals by taking the situation into account

Use the SMART method, why?

  • Specific S
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Realistic
  • Defined over time.

By using a specific method and being organized, your projects will have a greater chance of achieving success. It's simple: the clearer and more precise your objectives are, the more achievable they will be and the vision of success will motivate those involved. In addition, this clarity makes it less difficult to evaluate them.

When objectives are specific, they are that much easier to communicate to your team. This will allow you to build an effective action plan in a collaborative manner. Everyone will know what their tasks are and will be mobilized to achieve one or more specific objectives.

Deconstructing your goals with this method – or one that is unique to you – is essential. This will serve as a reference for the rest of your projects. Make sure everything is written down, so you can better communicate with the team, take everyone's feedback into account and make adjustments.

The R for “Realistic” should be considered carefully these days. Indeed, the covid years have taught us to adapt and to review the real capacity of each person with the constraints linked to the crisis. Today this has evolved further. However, living in a post-crisis context does not erase the impact it has had on companies, on their performance and on employees. Keep your goals high and always aiming further, while remaining realistic.

Finally, set yourself goals over time. Define the steps and their deadlines to give everyone visibility. The more concrete your goals are, the more achievable they are. We can not emphasize this enough.

For more information on how to define your goals in detail using the SMART method, read this article .

 

4 – Encourage autonomy and taking initiative

In one sentence: it's about going beyond expectations and proposing innovative ideas.

The more initiative employees take, the more successful your company becomes. Employees are the best placed people in the company to propose relevant solutions. Their daily experience of the processes in place and their participation in the various projects give them the necessary perspective to be a source of proposals. Regardless of their hierarchical level, it is important to encourage everyone to take initiatives.

These are at the heart of establishing an intrapreneurial culture. The objective is that the best solutions to advance and evolve your business come from the employees themselves.

For this to happen naturally, a relationship of trust must be established. As explained above, receiving feedback helps move projects forward, generate new ideas and move towards solutions. This also means that employees who take initiatives understand that they have the right to make mistakes. The company culture must encourage its employees to test and start again.

 

Recommendations :

  • The best thing, depending on how your company is organized, is for employees to first contact management to ensure that they really have the opportunity to intervene.
  • Then, you have to know how to identify the right projects on which to propose solutions. Taking initiative being a risky approach, it will be better received and supported by others if it is part of achieving a collective project.
  • Proposing solutions for an individual project is also very interesting, but the effort may be less noticed and may not have as much impact on overall performance.
  • Questioning is essential: you need to know your abilities and strengths

 

4 reasons to encourage taking initiative :

  • Give everyone the opportunity to become more independent
  • Push for creativity
  • Engage everyone
  • Advancing the business

 

In conclusion :

Working collaboratively means that each member of the team can make their contribution. The human and professional skills of each person can have a positive impact on the outcome of projects.

Set up training on the organization of the company and its objectives, on the tools used which simplify everyone's tasks, etc. allows employees to know their role and be comfortable in their work. This is what will then push these employees to stand out by investing more in the organization and the projects assigned to them.

Digital transformation can greatly contribute to the mobilization of team members working on projects. The many tools that exist eliminate tasks without added value, and make it easier to accomplish other tasks. Employees are more focused on their job and their progress.