If you successfully foster a sense of team identity, there's a good chance the team will manage its own engagement and productivity to a degree. That makes it more effective when you as a leader step in to make adjustments, because you're not overbossing, and because you've taken steps to ensure the team is set up for success, you aren't running the risk of being too hands-off in your approach to engagement and productivity on a day-to-day basis.
Generally, I prefer to try setting up a system or process that will manage things on a small scale (be that by delegation, a decision-making process, or some other approach) and reserve intervention for when those systems/processes cease to work.
Denisha,
Delegating items is a good strategy. Do you tell the members in advance which items they will be responsible to present or is this decision made during the course of the meeting? Some people rise to the occasion when put on the spot and others don't. The only danger in not making assignments prior to the meeting is that some participants could be unprepared and embarrassed in front of their colleagues. A pre-written agenda with assignments to each team member resolves this potential concern and lets everybody shine!
Dr. Jamie Morley
Theresa,
Excellent points! Giving people rope and then throwing a lifeline if necessary, and not hanging them with it, is a great strategy. People, in general, like to self-govern as long as they feel safe to ask questions.
Nice response.
Dr. Jamie Morley
Currently my team is myself and 2 other members. we meet weekly. if i have issues that i need them to consider i present them and then open the floor for ideas. we then take these ideas (write them down) and decide which we think will work and which won't. we focus on the ones that will and work thru them. during this process sometimes an idea will crop up that will enable us to use one of the discarded ideas.
at the end of the meeting i usually ask them to bring some thoughts or resuls from our discussion during this meeting and it gives us items for follow up at the next meeting.
Rose Ann,
I am happy to see you say that you write down your ideas. So often, small teams don’t feel there is a need to codify communications, which could not be further from the truth. Having an archive or record of your meetings and ideas is critical as you grow or as your projects gain traction. It is also helpful to keep all your communications in one place so that they can easily be presented to your supervisor if requested.
Congratulations on your diligence in this area!
Dr. Jamie Morley
Managing project teams requires phone and traditional sit down meetings to keep the status of assignments on target. Dealing with subcontractors who become part of your teams makeup (overall service) when viewed by the customer makes the traditional meetings more useful. Different software tools work better for teams depending on the scope of the assignment. For instance, completing a system wide network infrastructure upgrade a tool such as Microsoft Project with timelines established fits well. The customer via the traditional setting would see all the team members and contractors involved in the project with assighments and level of progression. Members of the team will have the opportunity to speak at the meeting to discuss their contribution to the total group effort.
Don ,
Thanks for your insights. In addition to phone and in-person meetings, many teams are using services such as go-to-meeting or WebEx so that all team members and contractors have the ability to see the computer screen and participate more fully. Have you used any of those media, and if so, what is your opinion about their effectiveness as opposed to traditional meeting forums?
Dr. Jamie Morley
I have no experience with go-to meeting, however my experience with WebEx has been positive. The ability to see a screen especially for demonstrations pays great dividends.
Have team members give progress reports on themselves on a regular basis. This can be a short presentation on what they have accomplished so far and what they plan on doing in the upcoming days.
Knowing that they have to present their work before the rest of the team is a deterrant to falling behind or ignoring responsibilities.
As a team leader, setting a good example is a great place to start. If I see apathy or resistance, I check my own “voice†and turn up enthusiasm and more clearly communicate a vision team members find meaningful. Along these same lines, providing an environment where members feel safe asking questions and sharing ideas that are outside the box can increase participant confidence. Watching for those who “hang back†and then taking time to work through group think or simple inertia is a middle step I sometimes miss due to time constraints, but I see how important it is to take those corrective steps. Finally, recognizing and acknowledging everyone’s contributions – either within the group or individually – supports both the cycle of ongoing growth within the team and successful outcomes for the organization.
Don ,
Both are very similar. If WebEx works for you then I would stick with that.
Dr. Jamie Morley
Douglass,
Especially in today’s climate, praising one’s own accomplishments is often frowned upon. Many successful companies however, realize that enabling employees to express their accomplishments is good for them, the supervisor, and the company. For example, Intel requires employees to create a monthly “brag sheet†outlining their contributions to the team’s goals. This gives the employee an incentive to complete their tasks on time and helps the supervisor remember the team member’s contributions when it comes to evaluation time. It sounds like you have a good handle in this area. Congratulations.
Dr. Jamie Morley
Ensure a comfortable and motivating environment and have a team leader in place that considers the opinions of all involved.
I have to ability to see all of my team members on a daily basis, we work in very close proximity. One way that I ensure members stay actively engaged and productive is to make sure they feel important. I do not wait until we have a "big" meeting to touch base with them and chat with them about their thoughts and ideas. I see that by doing this, the individual team members start to realize the importance of the role they play to the success of the team and the project at hand. Also, having an open door policy where they can stop in and let me know something or briefly talk about something that they might be struggling with or run an idea by that they have. It is a team atmosphere that we want to establish and having open communication allows that to happen.
Colleen,
You have incorporated a couple of good ideas in your post. First, you mentioned soliciting opinions from all the team members. This is very important. Brainstorming allows everybody to feel invested in the decision. You also touched upon the importance of having a comfortable and motivating environment. Team members will only provide honest feedback if they feel safe. This is the job of the leader.
Another strategy to consider is to create monthly task lists and include those in the minutes so that all team members see the progress and their contributions and ideas in writing.
Dr. Jamie Morley
Katherine,
You are exactly correct! One of a manager’s primary responsibilities is to bring out the best in their team members by encouraging open dialog and respecting diversity. Checking to make sure your own internal voice is appropriate is a great place to start! One way to drive consensus is to establish meeting norms so that everybody knows what to expect and understands that they will have the opportunity to have their opinions heard.
You are also spot on when you talk about the importance of recognition. Especially in today’s climate, praising one’s own accomplishments is often frowned upon. Many successful companies however, realize that enabling employees to express their accomplishments is good for them, the supervisor, and the company. For example, Intel requires employees to create a monthly “brag sheet†outlining their contributions to the team’s goals. This gives the employee an incentive to complete their tasks on time and helps the supervisor remember the team member’s contributions when it comes to evaluation time.
Best of luck,
Dr. Jamie Morley
Shana,
It sounds to me like you are an insightful leader! Taking the opportunity to make the most of informal meetings and interactions is so important. Having an open door policy may sound cliché, but it is a sign of a transparent culture, which employees need to feel comfortable.
My one suggestion would be that you take the time to memorialize the informal meetings somehow. So often, brilliant ideas flow when there is not the pressure of a formal meeting and these ideas can be quickly lost. Putting up a “brainstorming board†in your office or in a public space, such as a conference room or employee lounge, is a great way to capture impromptu ideas. I regularly take a picture of my board with my cell phone camera and email it to all those that were involved. The ideas can then be codified in formal minutes at a later time.
I hope this works for you!
Dr. Jamie Morley
Depending on the size of the team, it's possible to create subgroups set goals for each of those subgroups to allow greater participation since there is a greater opportunity for feedback and interaction in smaller circles.
I touch base with each team member individially to ensure they are engaged in a project, and make sure they understand the importance of thier individial work. If people receive instant feedback, and are able to understand the impact of thier work, they tend to be more engaged and interested in doing a good job
By allowing each team member to express his/her concerns or ideas, this opens the door for all team members to actively play a role within the team.
