3 Ways Business Leaders Can Push Their Team to be More Productive

Do you ever get the feeling you’re putting all your energy into your business but worry that your team isn’t moving with you? You may find that giving your talent a productivity boost might help you get them on the same page as you.

While productivity levels will vary from person-to-person here are some key actions that you can take to encourage them to fulfil their potential.

The first step is to give your people a clear sense of direction by ensuring that you are doing these three things correctly:

1. Communicate Clearly
   
   Company objectives and visions are great but it is necessary to meet with your senior team on a 1-2-1 basis, this will give them the advantage to set goals that are aligned with the overall vision / objectives.
   
   Your senior team will all process information in different ways and therefore you will need to consider how to communicate your vision via different methods and using different leadership styles. If you don’t it is likely that you will lose buy in from those team members that don’t understand the vision correctly and you may miss important contributions because they could not respond.
   
   
2. Encourage Shared Accountability
   
   Strong teams are built on a positive culture, one where those team members feel safe within their environment and you should always celebrate your successes.  However, a competitive edge will push others to succeed. A competitive culture will help to encourage “open and constructive conflict”, however it is your job to ensure that the criticism is professional, not personal and that everyone continues towards the same goals. 
   
   
3. Urge Flexibility
   
   If you have opened the lines of communication and encouraged shared accountability, your team should be able to determine when it is a good idea to make a shift, or change. You must help them to prioritize goals and ensure that deadlines are met so that you can keep your leadership team on track.

Above all you should lead by example. If you find that you are unable to achieve everything that you promise to do and never accomplish your tasks on time - you can hardly expect your team members to do so either.

Don’t forget that technology and systems can also have a big part to play in your organisation’s productivity. Your people can only be as productive as the tools that have been supplied to them. If they are constantly meeting with heavy resistance then these factors will contribute significantly to the levels of their performance.

If you have discovered a new technique or new technology that has helped you to increase your productivity then make sure you share it with the team – and others. As Glen Daley (leadership expert and Vistage speaker) suggests you should always encourage an upwards flow of information within your business so that you can ensure that you are doing all that you can to help your staff to work more efficiently.

Let us have your ideas for how you drive productivity in the comments section. Let’s build a huge list.

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