The famous Bill Gates once said, ‘If you can help enough people get what they want then you will get what you want”. It is likely to be the mantra for many HR professionals too. Contributor Maximillian Newton.
Productivity and engagement are frequently discussed topics in the world of HR, with everyone eagerly searching for ways to get teams and departments to ‘click’ and work together effectively. The results that can be achieved when this takes place are truly spectacular, I’ve seen it first hand many times. If you are looking to boost the effectiveness of your team or department in 2019, here are 5 top tips to get you started on the road to success.
Emphasise the WHY
When discussing the complex area of staff motivation with managers, they frequently demonstrate a good knowledge of the subject, but lack that real understanding a ‘gut’ level. Put simply, you can’t force someone to do things for you or for the ‘good of the business’. People just don’t work like that. It needs to be real and it needs to be emotional. To get true buy in, employees have to see that what they are being asked to do forms part of their future and will benefit them directly. When setting goals as a leader, it is important to always think big. It’s about finding that common emotional focal point for everyone to aim towards. When people understand the why, they are far less likely to question the what, because they can appreciate the context and have bought into the longer term vision that you are all aiming for collectively.
Be a role model
A common trait of millenials in particular is to follow someone that they truly admire. Managers need to ‘walk the walk’ as well as ‘talk the talk’ and this involves being the biggest and best version of yourself that you can possibly be. If you want certain preferred behaviours to become ingrained in teams and for other less favourable ones to disappear, then start making those changes in your daily working life. The more people see those behaviours in their managers and leaders, the more likely they are to subconsciously match that behaviour.
Keep expectations high
It is the responsibility of leaders to set the boundaries and expectations within a business. However difficult it may seem, trust must be given freely, until someone takes advantage of it. This promotes a culture of self-management and self-regulation, allowing the business to function optimally even when you are not there to oversee things. Setting expectations of success and stretching every team member will help them grow and improve individually, as well as boost the overall performance and delivery of the team. Those who breach that trust or who are unable to perform effectively will soon become apparent, at which point you can either opt for further training for improvement or strategically manage them out of the team.
Recruit Team Captains
One of the most frequent factors affecting sales and performance is the disconnect between the goals set by senior managers and the culture needed for those goals to be driven within the necessary teams and departments. This is why it is important to recruit team captains, who can help take some of the responsibility for driving others towards achieving those goals. These captains will need to be able to harness a productive team spirit and encourage healthy competition, whilst also being able to set aside their ego in favour of helping other team members to improve. Having a strong network of captains in place will ensure will take some of the pressure of you, whilst ensuring that key goals and targets remain on track.
Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box
There is often much discussion over the subject of incentives, but don’t be afraid to think outside of the box if it gets you the results you are looking for. I remember my very first manager in sales used to incentivise the team by digging into his own pocket, accelerating the gelling process and earning him an untouchable level of respect as a result. At the time I was perfectly aware of what he was doing and why, but I didn’t care, because I was just too excited about hitting my target and winning something. Taking the team to the pub for a drink after a particularly hard week, or taking us out for a meal to celebrate achieving a target may sound insignificant, but he was really on to something. It made us an enthusiastic, committed and gelled team and we all worked together to achieve our targets. A leader who shows they are willing to personally invest in their team helps to bring those sky high ‘big office goals’ and ‘big talk’ back down to earth.
