4 Things to Keep Your Team on Track
Nothing is better than knowing you have a team of productive, motivated and dependable employees. Organizational goals are achieved with a group of committed individuals.
All companies consist of individuals who have unique ways of getting things done without a hitch.
Still, everyone needs to be on the same page. But, how do you get your team to focus on the main goals consistently?
Employee productivity, loyalty, commitment and motivation do not come freely; neither is it a magic show. It requires a lot of effort.
It’s easy for employees to handle their jobs with fun if there are no measures in place to help them stay focused.
It’s your job to teach a life of commitment within the workplace. You must ensure that each team member understands the importance of the assigned tasks.
That's why you need strategies to help your team not only to keep them on track, but also help them achieve their own goals.
Strategic Ways to Keep Your Team Focused
A busy work environment gives team leaders little time to check their teammates to ensure they are motivated, productive and on track. Most workers spend at least six to 10 hours without interacting with the outside world. They only interact with colleagues through phone calls, texts or emails. Productivity and focus can reduce since they can get bored quickly. Do not fret! Here are four things you can do to keep them on track.
1. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
A standard operating procedure consists of step-by-step instructions to perform a routine task correctly. SOPs ensure that your company or business complies with business/industry standards and regulations. They provide your company with lots of benefits by:
- Reducing chances of production errors
- Helping you stick to a defined schedule
- Creating a working environment safe for you and your team
- Providing guides to resolve issues encountered
- Increasing profitability and efficiencies
- Making new employee's training easy
An effective SOP should be easy to understand and brief. It outlines who performs a role, what the role does, and the goal of the role. Standard operating procedures lay out employees' day-to-day activities and tasks to ensure all schedules are tended to: no one is confused about what to do and how to do it.
SOPs will fail if employees don't follow them. All team leaders and managers must ensure it is properly maintained and used. SOPs should be reviewed, edited and tested many times before use. All employees should have access to specific Standard Operating Procedures.
2. Regularly Scheduled Upskilling
With an increase in the advancement of technology which creates new job opportunities and positions within the workplace, it is now vital to stay updated and relevant.
Upskilling allows continuous learning through training programs to explore and expand an employee's abilities. It focuses on improving current employees' skills to advance in their jobs and take up new roles within the company.
An example of an upskilling program is a software development company training its developers in a new language needed to develop a new product.
Some upskilling techniques include:
- Microlearning
- AI learning
- Virtual/Online courses
- Mentoring
- Shadowing
- Webinars/Seminars
Companies and businesses can save money by improving the skills of their current workers rather than hiring new workers. Providing employees with upskill training opportunities can make them feel valued and positively toward the company's goals. Upskilling is essential because:
- Employee retention increases
- Job roles and requirements are changing fast
- It increases employee satisfaction
- It boosts motivation, morale and performance
- It decreases the need to hire outside the company
Upskilling is best achieved by asking senior employees to act as mentors or bringing different departments together to work collaboratively. In other words, it’s a long-term investment.
3. Knowledge Management Networks
Knowledge management entails how an organization uses various networks and channels to gather, analyze, and share information with its employees. This information must be easily accessible.
A targeted knowledge management plan can tailor information according to each employee's preferences or address the company's needs. Companies experience some key benefits when they try out knowledge management strategies such as:
- Skill gaps identification
- It prevents the repetition of mistakes
- Provides a centralized place to store information
- It increases operational efficiency. Workers spend less time on research
- Provides standardized processes
- Improves communication
- Secures data
- Knowledge preserved and easily accessible
- Your team becomes upskilled and makes better decisions
Knowledge management aims to put the correct information in front of you appropriately. It provides a place for people to save the knowledge they have acquired over time, without a business losing the information when employees leave the company.
4. Targeted Communication Techniques
Effective communication is one of the most crucial skills to succeed in an organization. Communication among employees is essential.
It involves sharing information, feelings, and ideas between management and employees — verbally or electronically. Utilizing internal communication software can greatly enhance this process.
Benefits of employee communication include:
- Harmony at work
- Increases employees engagement
- Improves employees experience
- Innovation and collaboration are encouraged
- Encourages feedback
- A better understanding of company goals
Communication only among employees is not enough to achieve set goals. Employees who come in contact with clients and potential company customers must possess skills to help retain them. Targeted communication means locating the intended audience and ensuring your message is understood.
For example, a company involved in email marketing should train its employees to compose and respond to emails. With email skills, they become better marketers, boost sales, and achieve goals.
They are well-informed on the best time to send emails, how to compose catchy emails to increase the number of clicks, when to be formal, and how to reply to customers' feedback and complaints.
Conclusion
Your business needs a committed team to reach its targets. Why not focus on creating a team of creative, intelligent, loyal and passionate employees? They will always be on track.
Implementing the above strategies creates a positive vibe, maximum productivity, oneness, a well-structured work environment, and a team at the top of their games.
Do not forget that your company's success mainly depends on how you choose to lead your team.
Your primary role is to inspire them, ensure they follow the path to success, and be attentive to their needs.