Great managers don’t have to alter every aspect of their organization simultaneously. Instead, they should find the factors that impede their teams’ progress and make incremental changes to eliminate them.
Managers have some of their best areas of improvement for managers. They can recognize such poor performance by looking at indicators of low morale, unclear goals, slow decision making, and/or late completions. These can be translated into positive actions through a short 30 day plan.
Week 1: Find the Real Problem
Ask your team what works best for them and what prevents them from working effectively. You can ask each person individually during one-on-one meetings, or you can use a quick, anonymous survey.
Find patterns. If multiple employees report that their assignments are confusing, then you may have an opportunity to improve employee communication. Also, if there is a consistent backlog of work being reported by employees, then this could indicate that there is an issue with either the way work is being planned or how it is delegated.
Select at least one area to enhance. Short lists are more manageable than long lists of objectives.
Week 2: Change One Daily Habit
Pick a small action that addresses the main issue.
| Challenge | New management habit |
|---|---|
| Unclear priorities | Set three key goals each week |
| Slow decisions | Define who owns each decision |
| Low team input | Ask each person for one idea in meetings |
| Repeated errors | Review the process after each task |
| Missed deadlines | Check workload before setting dates |
Keep the change simple. The aim is to build a habit, not add more work.
Week 3: Put the Team in the Driver’s Seat
The improvement of your team shouldn’t be dependent on you as their manager. Have your team members play a part in finding solutions to problems.
Let people make suggestions on how to improve the process for completing tasks. When delegating, provide a clear goal, then allow individuals to determine their own methods to achieve that goal whenever possible.
Managers will have more time to plan and provide assistance to their employees, which will help build trust among the employee base as well as help build confidence within each employee.
Week 4: Review What Changed
At the end of the month, compare the results with the starting point.
Ask:
To determine what to retain and what to modify based on the responses provided by the users, provide the results of the survey to the entire team so that everyone knows their opinions count.
Make Progress Measurable
The areas of improvement for managers are directly linked to visible action and measurable results. Establish a goal, monitor its progress, and assess its status on a regular basis.
Leadership development is an ongoing process of cycles. These cycles are based upon listening, taking action and then learning from those actions. Each month as you make small improvements in your leadership skills you will find that your team becomes stronger and your results improve.