DON’T BLAME THE TOOLS

If we’re finding that our teams are bogged down by miscommunication and / or unwieldy logistics, what’s usually to blame??

Is it the team’s incompetence? The leadership’s lack of direction? Or is it the tools that are being used??Of course it could be all of the above, but often, if we scratch the surface, we’ll find that it’s a matter of not using the right tools for the right job.

My third suggestion in a previous article, which I’m expanding on today, was all about the tools we use at work and whether they’re the right tools for the job. I’d said:

“What tools are we using to facilitate work and collaboration? Which of our current tools are working and which are not? What tools might work better for all our processes? How can we give our teams the tools they need and want in order to remove bottlenecks and miscommunication? Can we simplify many functions by using a single cohesive tool instead of multiple tools?”

Those questions highlight a potential pothole on our road to productivity and job satisfaction. If we’re using the wrong, or inappropriate tools, we will have nothing but frustration, potholes and Roadblocks. ?

It was the frustration of not being able to find the right tools for the job that started us on the road to developing Nimbulis, which by the way, is constantly evolving into more advanced and user friendly territory. I personally experienced the frustration of using multiple tools which didn’t play nicely together and didn’t take care of many of the day-to-day tasks. There was no efficiency which meant that productivity dive-bombed and frustration Skyrocketed. That’s why I can empathize with those who are having a similar experience.

What we all want is a simple set of user-friendly tools that allow us to perform our work in a streamlined fashion without having to venture too far beyond a very few key applications.?

Most professions have their specific tools which are right for the job and without which the job can’t be performed properly, if at all. For instance, a carpenter would have their Woodworking tools specific to the type of carpentry they do. A plumber would have their specific plumbing tools. The mechanic theirs.?So why wouldn’t those of us who work in offices in a variety of occupations not have our own specific ‘Toolbox’ that is designed for the work we do??Simple concept, right??But how many leaders are able to put together an appropriate ‘toolbox’ for their teams?

If you’ve had a look at the number of digital tools available, you can understand how we can be completely overwhelmed by the options. Without understanding exactly how each one works and how it will fit into our specific situation, we could easily end up with tools that are not really fit for purpose. Or, at least for our purpose!

When we don’t take into account the synchronicity and integration of the tools we give our teams, not only are we possibly creating more frustration, we’re essentially throwing a dart in the dark, hoping that we’ve given them what they need to get their jobs done. ?

If we’ve made the wrong choice, especially when we’ve invested a lot of time, effort and money into acquiring these tools, the natural reaction is to not want to admit to a bad decision.?

Thereafter, as we see our teams productivity and motivation dropping, it’s easy to point the blame elsewhere instead of finding the root cause and fixing it. As leaders, we have to own our wrong choices as well as take credit for our right ones!

How do we ensure that we acquire and provide our teams with the right tools?

Here are a few suggestions:

• Take an overview of the entire organization and then look at how each team fits into the whole.
• Identify the current ‘pain points’. What do your current tools not do well, or at all? ?
• What sort of tasks do you do on an ongoing basis and how do they tie together?
• What is the current Workflow and how smoothly does it flow?
• Who needs to be closely connected?
• How does collaboration happen in your organization both internally and externally?
• Where are the bottlenecks?
• What would your ideal Toolbox contain??
• Is there a suite of tools that can be seamlessly integrated to take care of all the tasks and collaborations and data you handle?
• Is this suite easy to use, or does it require a long learning curve?
• How could it improve agility, team performance, productivity and eventually profitability?

While we’re thinking about the specifics of what our tools need to be able to do, it’s a good idea to ask for our team’s input.?

Don’t wait until you’ve already made a decision to ask for the team’s buy-in. Involve them right from the beginning. Get their input.?Ask for feedback on how they work and where they experience challenges. Ask them to describe the kinds of tools that would help them to alleviate their pain points.?Doing this early in the discovery process will add to your understanding of where your current tools are deficient, but more importantly will help identify which alternatives will be the best fit for your specific purposes.

#Leadership #HybridWork #RemoteWork #Agile #Vision #Nimbulis #CWM #business #technology #innovation