11 Tips to Make Your Team More Productive

Leading a team, whether you have 10 members or 100 is never easy to say the least. Grouping types of people with different temperaments will often lead to clashes and miscommunication too. This will impact your entire workplace productivity if you are not careful, and eventually it may wear down your employees. If you want to stop this from happening, then it is vital that you get everyone on the same page.

Give your Team Ownership
The best leaders in the business will often understand how powerful ownership can be. If you give ownership to your team then you will let them make their own decisions and you will also make them very much accountable for their work. When you do this, you will then induce a sense of responsibility and you will also help them to see the work that they do very differently. Giving ownership can come in many different forms, it may be that you give them the chance to take the lead on a project or it may be that you give them more capabilities when handling a specific job. When you do this, you will then help them to build their own self-esteem and this will really work in your favor. If your team are not working well at all, then consider hiring some new members. If you work in construction, consider going through a labor hire agency.

Set Expectations
Communication really is one of the key factors that contributes to your team productivity overall. If you don’t have a good level of team communication then your business will fail. You may find that this leads to miscommunication and that you will breed a lot of frustration overall. A lot of successful businesses thrive on good communication so try and make sure that this is the case for your team. Every employee needs to understand their responsibilities and if there is any gap in the communication pipeline then this needs to be addressed. It doesn’t matter whether you are taking onboard new employees or whether you are trying to train up someone who has been in your company for years because you need somewhere you can manage all of your communication channels. This could be done by adopting an email-based system where everyone can keep in touch remotely or it may even mean that you invest in some task-management software. Either way, there are so many things that you can do and you would be surprised at how much you could benefit overall. Your team will thank you as well.

Don’t Micromanage
It’s vital that you make a special effort not to micromanage your team. When you do micromanage your team, you may find that you end up frustrating everyone in your team. Your employees may feel as though they cannot do anything right and this can cause them to make even more mistakes. This is the last thing that you need, but if you want to get around this then the solution is very simple. Simply make sure that your team know what is expected of them as mentioned above, and make sure that they are trained and know how to do their job. If you can make sure that this is the case, then there is no reason at all why you shouldn’t be able to give your team the tools they need to succeed.

Know your Team
Every single human being out there will have a talent or a hidden gift that can be put to good use. It’s your job as a business owner to make sure that you do everything you can to try and tap into their potential. One thing that you can do to try and help yourself here is talk to your team to see what they find easy, and what they find hard. You can also assess their performance overall. When you do this, you will soon find that it is easier than ever for you to assign them projects based on what they feel confident in. If you know that someone in your team is very good at thinking outside the box, then you might want to pitch them some creative ideas in front of your clients. This will help them to contribute to the workplace and it will also give them the chance to make your workplace more productive overall.

Team-Building Exercises
Team productivity will really depend on the amount of camaraderie between your team members. If you know that your team members just don’t get along with each other then make them aware of the strengths and weaknesses you have. When you do this, you will make your place of work automatically happier and you will also see your team productivity shoot up too. If you want to really get the best result out of your team then you should think about investing in some team-building exercises. When you do, you will soon find that you are able to give your team the support that they need, and you can also work with them to try and help them to know one another too. Team building exercises really do come in so many shapes and forms, so it’s a good idea for you to explore what is available before you make a decision. For example, if your team happen to be quite reserved then you may not want to send them on a paintballing trip. An escape room on the other hand may appeal to them. It’s thinking of little things like this that will help to bring everyone together.

Project Management Software
These days, you cannot deny how good project management software is. It can play a huge role in boosting your teamwork and you may even find that it can help you to increase collaboration overall. If you choose the right software then you may even find that you can bring everyone together in one place, including your clients and your team. If you are able to do this then you will be able to take your level of productivity to that next level.

A Good Working Environment
The work environment and the infrastructure you have will be an essential contributor when it comes to your team efficiency overall. Physical environments can really affect how employees feel and how they perform in the workplace too. A lot of organizations are paying attention to their office interiors too. They make sure that they focus on bright lighting, comfortable furniture and they even incorporate plants too. If you want to try and get the best result out of your team then you need to focus on things like this as much as you can.

Incentives
Employees tend to work their best whenever they are given a good reason to do so. Even if it is a monetary one, they do want their efforts to be appreciated and they would also much rather have a virtual pat on the back too. This is one of the many reasons why employers choose to have incentive programs as it helps to keep their team motivated. Studies have shown that 85% of employees tend to feel more motivated and do their best whenever they are offered an incentive, so it is important to keep this in mind.

Deal with Issues
Every employee or even every team member will work best when they are left to their own devices. A lot of employees lose interest when they are micro-managed, so you need to keep this in mind. If you are concerned because your team are not doing as well as they should be, then it may be time to intervene. Ask your team why they are not achieving their goals and also find out if there is anything that you can do to try and give them the support that they are looking for too. If you are able to do this then there is no reason why they won’t respect you as a leader and why they won’t feel as though they can talk to you.

Praise them
Different employees will be boosted or motivated in different ways. If you have a large team however then you may just want to acknowledge them for their efforts. If your team feel as though their efforts are not being recognized or if they feel as though you do not notice whenever they are doing well, then this will work against you.

Feedback
Last but not least, you need to know that you won’t be able to boost your employee efficiency if you don’t understand why they are not efficient in the first place. You have to make sure that they are being given the tools that they need and that you do everything you can to make sure that they are given opportunities to excel as well. If you want to do this, then send out a survey and ask your team if there is anything that they feel as though they can improve on, or how the company can do better. Sometimes this is all you need to do in order to better your overall work practices and boost your team’s productivity.
 
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