Team members should be encouraged to negotiate, solve and resolve internal team challenges on their own.
When team members have to negotiate and solve their internal challenges, it ensures that the team members get to know each other and find out how each person operates. In order to negotiate a win-win agreement, the parities negotiating must be sensitive to one another and understand where each one is coming from. This process also assures that the organization as a whole wins, since as a whole the team will become a stronger unit. Although at times negotiations can be messy, when team members negotiate as part of the same team, the relationship between the team members becomes stronger and deeper. Since the most valuable asset that an organization has is its team members, when they work in unison the work environment becomes more enjoyable. A monthly team meeting should be scheduled to discuss the organization’s state-of-affairs, and to communicate any updates or important information.
In addition to the obvious benefits of a team meeting, the monthly get-together enables team members and team leaders to connect with one another. The time spent together ensures that the culture of the organization is fostered and cemented amongst the team members. Recognition of the team's hard work through out the month should be given. The monthly meeting is also an opportunity for all team members to review each other's objectives and key results. Additionally, if there are teams that need help, the meeting is a chance for all team members to provide assistance to those who need it. Since the organization's objectives and key results are built from each team's objectives and key results, when one team misses their objectives and key results, the responsibly and the onus is on all teams to assist wherever possible. Thus, the monthly team meeting is a lot more than just keeping everyone on the same page and updated. What other benefits do you see from having regular team meetings? Share you comments and observations. Every team member should understand who to report to, how often to report, and what to report.
When a team member is unsure of his or her exact role, or is unclear on who their direct manager is, it creates inefficiencies in the operation. It also makes the team member less effective. When the reporting structure is unclear, it's unfair to the team member as this can and will lead to frustrations. Making it clear to the team member what is expected of them, including who to report to, how often to report, and what exactly to report enables the team member to be effective. When team members are effective, the operation becomes efficient and as a result the organization accomplishes its objectives and key results. A team leader should be appointed whenever there are multiple people doing the same task.
The most efficient way to manage multiple team members is through a team leader. When many team members do similar tasks and the work of each individual complements the other, the team requires a leader. The team leader acts as the driving force behind the team. The leader is responsible to gather a report from each team member and give the team report to the manager. Thus, the manager only has to manage the team leader in order to manage the entire team. This frees up the manager's time and enables the team to have their own objectives and key results in addition to the individual objectives and key results of each member. Every team member should have a standing biweekly meeting with their manager. The meeting agenda should include issues that come up between meetings that cannot wait to be addressed.
A team member who does not have a standing meeting with their manager may send many unnecessary emails to their manager. Reason being, the team member is unsure when they will get face time with their manager and thus thinks that they must communicate via email. However, when a team member has a standing meeting and has the tools and authority to do their job, there is little reason to email with questions. As some of the questions that they have, they may be able to answer on their own, and the questions that they cannot answer, they will save to ask their manager during their meeting. Thus, a standing meeting can help streamline communication thereby saving time and misunderstandings. A team member should be given the tools and authority necessary to do their job, along with the guidance and support that they need.
When a team member is given the authority and tools to do their job, they do it to the best of their ability. They take responsibility for the outcome of their efforts and keep trying until they get it right. They take pride in their work and they pleasantly surprise you most of the time. If you want to get the most out of a team member, give them the tools and authority they need and they will produce results for your organization. What rules have you implemented in your organizations? Comment below and share your rules for managing an efficient organization. Over the years we have collected and perfected the advice that we have given to our clients. We've come up with management guidelines that, we believe, if followed will enable an organization to be efficient. For the next couple of weeks we will post one rule each day, and we'll provide a brief explanation of the rule. We hope you enjoy them, and we look forward to your comments.
Rule One: Every team member should have a role description, clear objectives and key results. It is difficult to hold a team member accountable if neither the team member nor the manager is clear on what the team member is accountable for. Additionally, when a team member is not clear as to what they are accountable for, they become frustrated and are not effective. Thus, rule number one dictates that before a team member accepts their role, they should be given a role description and the opportunity to ask their manager questions about the role in order to fully understand their accountabilities. Once a team member understands their accountabilities, together with their manager they should develop the team member's objectives and key results. Each quarter the team member and their manager should review the objectives and key results. During the quarterly meetings, the objective and keys results should be updated to reflect any new realities of the role. What rules have you implemented in your organizations? Comment below and share your rules for managing an efficient organization. |
AuthorBaruch Hecht is a management consultant, experienced COO, the founder of Management Shop, and an avid reader of business literature. Archives
December 2019
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