Stay on Track
It can be a challenge to keep your team on track and performing at their best—all the time!
We are all human and when the world around us is being negative, it is easy to fall into negative thinking ourselves. Yet, you can’t afford to have a team of negative people around you. You need your team to stay motivated, excited, sharp, and on track.
Here are some pitfalls to watch out for and some tips on how to move your team members past them:
The “good enough” syndrome
The “good enough” syndrome is when your team has experienced some success— a few wins, or they've accomplished as much as can be accomplished given the current economic conditions—and they begin to sit back and coast.
What’s important firstly, is to thoroughly acknowledge your team for its accomplishments. Make sure they really get your communication about the fantastic job they have done so far. Next, communicate with your team and help them refocus on your company’s business plan and purpose or mission statement. Ask team members to state what it means to them to fulfill the business plan and to further the company’s reason for being. Then ask them to recommit!
The “blame game”
When your team has been missing its goals, sometimes it slows down its production or the quality of its work even more because it is busy blaming someone else for how the company is doing.
The antidote for this team behavior is a review of what it means to be accountable. At some moment in the past, team members agreed to allow you to hold them accountable. Now is the time to do that. Make sure they understand the impact on the company when the team ignores its accountability. Ask them to recommit to be accountable in the future. Say something that completes the issue and reestablishes the relationship with each member.
The “whole team breakdown”
Sometimes, when one team member is experiencing personal or other problems, that member’s performance breaks down. Often, the remaining team members use that circumstance as an excuse for them to stop functioning, as well.
Team members need to be reminded about their power—their power to produce results, even if one of their members is not contributing. And, they should be reminded about their power of choice—that they can choose to give as much effort as they decide to give.
Bottom Line:
Spend some time thinking about your team and how it functions. It isn’t wise to assume that your team will function at its best all the time. They aren’t robots! Be proactive and sensitive to what’s happening with your team. Part of being a leader is being a good coach or mentor for your own team. Why not check in with your team today?