At times, it can be difficult to keep yourself on track and moving forward in your job and career, let alone supporting the people you lead in their endeavors, too. Days are crammed with challenges and deliverables, and keeping abreast of how your team members are doing can seem like a task to fit in between lunch at your desk and the next meeting.
The reality, of course, is that the more you keep them on track, the more you will stay on track. Remember that their goals are your goals. If they feel unencumbered and can proceed with their daily challenges, essentially, your load is made lighter.
Here are three gifts to offer your staff. They aren't tied up in bows, and they don't come with balloons, and while no one will be singing Happy Birthday, everyone will be accomplishing more, because they will have a greater ability to focus on their core tasks.
Tools they want
Consider the tools that your staff need to feel that they can do their job. Notice I said "feel" in the last sentence. If an old version of software is still doing its job, but "feels" outdated and outmoded to your staff, consider investing in upgrading to the newest version.
It may be true that the old version is able to cover the basics, but if it makes your team feel that they are always "patching over" or are not able to do their best work, your investment in their tools will be well worth it.
Also, consider whether there are other tools (resources, or systems) that you may be able to employ, in order to facilitate actual work. These could even be free resources, such as a Google application that takes care of cross-departmental scheduling. Get peoples' minds off of whether they have what they need to do the job, in order to switch their focus to actually doing the job itself.
The next time you have a weekly update with one of your staff members, ask him or her, "What (if anything) is hindering you from accomplishing your goals? What one or two changes would facilitate your success?"
Authority they seek
If your team members are given a charge, make them responsible for the outcome, and let them know your expectations.
Really. If you are not comfortable giving a staff member 100% responsibility for the outcome of a project or initiative, then give him or her 100% accountability for a portion of it. If they succeed, then you are ready to give them the next level of project, thereby supporting their career development while simultaneously moving ahead on your own goals.
Benchmarks they can reach
Setting realistic timelines and deliverables is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your staff (or yourself, for that matter). Spend the time at the front end of a project to get a grasp on how long it will actually take to accomplish.
Sometimes this means intervening and giving project plans a second look.
People are idealistic. They may be sincere. They may even be hard-working and ambitious. But that doesn't mean that they are trained to foresee likely stumbling blocks and bottle necks along the way; that's your job. Give them (and yourself) the gift of a realistic outcome.
So when you think of what you can do to facilitate the best work out of your reports, think of the acronym T – A – B:
T
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Tools they want
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A
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Authority they seek
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B
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Benchmarks they can reach
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