Who's Driving Your Team?

What Are You Doing to “Drive” Your Team to Better Results?

As a leader, one of your tasks is to help your team achieve better results.??Improved outcomes.?More efficiency.?

How can you change “your” behavior and gain these outcomes??A few simple approaches to how you “drive” your team will get you there.?

Let’s start with a very realistic premise.?You have assigned a new task or project and you will need to have updates from team members as they navigate this new assignment.?The “old” way is pretty straightforward.?You?ask a ?few simple direct question or make statements to “bring it home”.?“Are you going to get this completed on time?”?“When will you have it finished”???“Let’s do it this way instead?”?“This is what we need to do.”?The list could go on and on, but we know for sure this approach does not work and clearly is outdated in today’s environment.

When we take this approach, everyone gets shortchanged – the team, yourself, and the organization.?If you always fix the problem they will never learn to “drive” or even thrive on their own.

There is a unique way to lead. When you delegate the task or project --give the person the authority and appropriate level of autonomy to get it completed “their way”.?Do what you can to foster the culture that you trust them, AND that ?you have not abandoned them.

So, when you are getting updates or they come to you with questions, think how you might rephrase the questions or statements ?to get better results.?Also, consider the environment.??If you are sitting behind your desk in your office this can be inhibiting or “authoritative” in nature.?If it is a different room, or perhaps it’s a table in the corner of the office, etc.?Just consider that not only what you say and how you say it matters, but sometimes where you say it has influence.

If they come to you with a less than ideal solution, the approach might be:?“Are there any other options we might have to tackle this”.?“What suggestions do you have to overcome this hurdle”? This forces a person to rethink what they’ve have done. It also tells them you (“we”) are there for them.

This different approach has a positive appeal. To check completion status,?the approach can be:?“What other resources to you need to get this wrapped up on time”??or “How can we pull together to help achieve our targeted goal?” Ask if the person needs help with any aspect of the project to bring it to completion.

Subject Matter Experts suggest this is a way to better tap into employees’ skills and knowledge base. ??Examples of affirming, effective questions are: “Based upon your expertise and experience, do you see a better solution, a more desirable outcome, a more efficient process,” etc.?“Is there anything from your past work/experience that we can utilize now”??

You might use an open-ended question such as, “Let’s talk about….Tell me….”.?This opens the door for dialogue to take place. In using this type of non-judgmental approach, it can naturally lead to conversation about where the project currently stands and/or what is needed to hasten completion.?

So now that you have reluctantly taken your “hands off the wheel” what is your role? How about being the “passenger/navigator for a change”? Take the ride with your team members and help navigate the trip.?Once ?in a while you might be tempted to pull out the “old map” and use it but resist this temptation.?This novel approach gives people their own chance to grow and shine. This advantage should not ?just be available for people in leadership

?The team’s growth is a fundamental responsibility of yours as their leader.?It is a win-win prospect that allows people to utilize their best skills, expertise, experience, and creativity.?As a result, team members will be more satisfied with their work life. A significantly better product outcome will result, and ?everyone involved (the team, you, and the organization) will benefit.