Does Your Team Need a Tune-Up Or an Overhaul?
If your teams are not performing as needed, what do you do about it? Here’s a quick primer on how to begin…
First of all, you need to diagnose the problem. Here are some symptoms that might help you figure out which solution is best for you.
• Do the team members understand their behavioral style, and how they relate to others?
• Is the company and the team achieving its strategic goals?
• Are members able to have difficult conversations when necessary and resolve issues in a positive way?
• Is the emphasis on meeting the strategic plans and goals vs. the day-to-day work?
If the answer to these questions is “YES”, then your team probably just needs a tune-up. Otherwise, an overhaul might be needed.
Secondly, you need to understand the issues behind the non-performance. We usually recommend an assessment of the group or teams. Assessments can be as simple as face-to-face interviews to ferret out the problems and challenges. Assessments can also be done online with questionnaires sent to all teams in the department. The methods we use depend on the scope of the initiative and the culture of the organization.
Thirdly, you need a plan to remedy the problems, and motivate/ inspire the employees to achieve the goals of the company and the department. This usually starts with a clarification of the company and department strategy, goals and missions. Once the strategy is defined, it must be communicated to all levels of the organization. The leadership team can help translate the strategy and drill it down into individual and team goals for the departments and individuals. Performance against these goals needs to be measured, tracked and rewarded, or everyone will gravitate to doing what is already in their comfort zone, ie. handling the day-to-day crises and forgetting about the longer term, where the real money is!
Lastly, the people issues and the change management challenges, need to be addressed. This is done via individual and team coaching, learning to engage in difficult conversations, motivating, growing and developing your organization, sticking to the strategic objectives, delegating the details, planning and tracking projects and finally, bragging about successes and accomplishments!
Give our methods a try! Good Luck.
Landau Coaching Associates
By Dianne Landau
Landau Coaching Associates
May 2009
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