Engaging your teams in the context of recovery

4 points for even better management of your teams!

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 properly define the roles and tasks of each person?
• How to foster collaboration and idea exchange?
• How can we avoid misunderstandings by setting clear and achievable objectives?
• How can you make your teams more autonomous and committed?

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 advance better and perform better when they feel a sense of belonging and unity in accomplishing goals. Creating a team culture powered by a system of internal communication and collaboration 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 employee relationships
• Make the hierarchy less visible: make everyone feel that everyone is at the same level to express themselves
• Expressing gratitude
• Knowing how to ask the right questions. E.g.: asking what is wrong and how you can help a colleague in difficulty
• Encouraging 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 have a regular feedback process in place have a 14.9% lower turnover rate.
• 65% of employees would like to receive more feedback.
• Only 58% of managers believe that they are giving enough feedback to their employees.
• 98% of employees will not be able 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 they have a place in the company and show them the importance of their work
• See its evolution, weaknesses and successes
• Be able to express your opinion on your work
• Have the opportunity to adjust and perform better

Good feedback is given:

• With hindsight and not in the heat of the moment
• Regularly, but without micro-management
• In a thoughtful timing (during a scheduled meeting, not in the middle of a task) and by warning of the subject in advance
• With an intention/objective
• Objectively

This includes, in part:

• Thanks or congratulations to keep motivation
• Encouragement
• The results of a particular work
• Constructive feedback and suggestions on what to improve: always keep a balance between positive and negative
• A moment given to the employee to reflect and express his feelings

3 – Set achievable objectives by taking into account the situation

Why use the SMART method?

• Sspecific
• Mesurables
• Atteignables
• Realists
• Definedin Time.

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

When goals are specific, they're easier to communicate to your team. This will allow you to build an effective and collaborative action plan. 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 of your own – is essential. This will serve as a reference for the rest of your projects. Make sure that everything is put in writing, so you can better exchange with the team, take into account everyone's feedback and adjust.

The R for "Realist" is to be considered carefully nowadays. 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 again. However, living in a post-crisis context does not erase the impact it has had on companies, their performance and employees. Keep your goals high and always aim higher, while remaining realistic.

Finally, set goals over time. Define the milestones and their deadlines to give everyone visibility. The more concrete your goals are, the more achievable they are. We can never repeat it enough.

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

4 – Encourage autonomy and initiative

In one sentence: it's about going beyond expectations and coming up with 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 the implementation of an intrapreneural culture. The goal is that the best solutions to advance and evolve your company come from the employees themselves.

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

Recommendations:

• The best thing to do, depending on how your company is organised, is for employees to first turn to management to make sure that they really have the opportunity to intervene.
• Then, you have to know how to identify the right projects on which to propose solutions. As taking initiative is a risky process, it will be better received and supported by others if it is part of 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 have to know your abilities and strengths

4 reasons to encourage initiative:

• Giving everyone the opportunity to become more self-reliant
• Encouraging creativity
• Engage everyone
• Moving the business forward

In conclusion:

Working collaboratively means that each member of the team can contribute to the building. The human and professional skills of each person can have a positive impact on the success of projects.

Setting up training on the company's organization and its objectives, on the tools used that 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 go a long way in mobilizing team members working on projects. The many tools that exist eliminate tasks without added value, and facilitate the accomplishment of other tasks. Employees are more focused on their job and their progress.