How to Get the Most From Your Team

Do you ever feel like production in your office could be elevated? Is everyone outputting what they are hired to do? Assuming you have the right people in the right seats on the bus, how do you get the most out of all your team members? As the leader, that is your ultimate responsibility to your firm.

Here are some ways to help ensure that you and your team are firing on all cylinders:

• Team members need to be held accountable to perform. The best way to do that is to measure performance through KPIs (key performance indicators). These metrics allow not just you but also team members to track their performance against what they are responsible for getting done. This helps production stay on track. Never be blind to what is and is not being performed at your office. That means you want to inspect what you expect. Team members should all have their own individual production numbers they are expected to reach.
• Listen really well. The best leaders listen more than they talk. Do you happen to listen to team members truly? The best way to help people perform to their highest potential is to listen to them. The best ideas come from your staff, so when they share ideas contrary to yours, they should still be considered. When your team knows you listen, they will reward you by giving you very valuable ideas you may have never considered before. I recently sent out an anonymous survey to my staff consisting of a few different questions. The questions were intended to gauge whether or not I was an effective leader. In order to hold others accountable, you must first hold yourself accountable and be a little vulnerable in the process.
• Culture. Is your office culture a positive one that is growth-minded? If people feel like they are learning and growing, they will be encouraged to work hard and produce to the best of their abilities. Make sure you have the right culture in place, get out of the way, and your practice will soar because team members will perform at a high level. If there is anything toxic in your culture, it needs to be immediately corrected. Sometimes, we don’t always see these things, and I have found that asking team members to evaluate our culture can sniff out toxic elements I was not even aware of.
• Growth opportunities. Is your office one where people can thrive and soar, or is it just a dead-end job? Be honest and ask yourself if there is room for people to grow at your firm. If there is not, then you can’t expect to get much out of your team. They will not be motivated if they feel there is no room to advance in your firm. You only want to hire growth-minded team members to begin with (they usually end up being great hires, I have found), so make sure opportunities exist at your office for team members to grow.

If you have other ideas on how to get the most from your team members, I would love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected]