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Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:
Lean Tip #2281 – Invest in Your Team’s Education
Top leaders are typically people who have a
commitment to learning and development, and who are continually looking for
ways to expand their skills and knowledge. As such, if you want your current
workers to become the best leaders possible, it’s wise to invest time and money
into their education. While you can leave learning up to them, you’ll find that
they develop much more quickly if you aid them in this area, and show you’re
willing to invest in them.
Lean Tip #2282 – Challenge Workers Regularly
Challenging your staff members on a regular
basis is another good way to help them become good leaders. After all, those in
top positions need to know how to think on their feet, deal with challenging
situations and people, and work out how to perform unfamiliar tasks. The sooner
employees are tested in this area, the sooner they can grow stronger. In
addition, when you test people, you quickly learn where their true capabilities
lie, and where they still need some assistance.
Lean Tip #2283 – Ignite Managers’ Passion to Coach
Their Employees.
Historically, managers passed on knowledge,
skills, and insights through coaching and mentoring. But in our more global,
complex, and competitive world, the role of the manager has eroded. Managers
are now overburdened with responsibilities. They can barely handle what they’re
directly measured on, let alone offer coaching and mentoring. Organizations
need to support and incentivize managers to perform this work.
Lean Tip #2284 – Ask Good Questions.
Great questions lead to great answers, and
great answers lead to great conversations. As a manager or leader, it is
critical that you develop strong relationships with your employees. This will
help you determine if your employees are curious, have the capacity to perform
and improve, and have a positive attitude.
Coaching requires both encouragement and
empowerment. Managers must work with employees to build one-on-one
relationships that result in improved performance.
Your employees are likely to have a lot of
input, questions, and feedback. It’s important for them to know you care enough
to listen to what they have to say, and encourage them to share their opinions.
Lean Tip #2285 – Commit to Continuous Learning.
Make a commitment to improve your own skills and
competencies. If you’re not continuously learning, why should your employees?
Lead by example and your team will follow.
Show that you are interested in their success
(why wouldn’t you be?). Ask questions about where they see their career going,
or how they see their role evolving in the company. Even if they don’t have a
plan laid out yet, these questions will make them think about their career and
what they want to accomplish within the organization.
Show your employees that you don’t just want
them to do better so you look better, but that you’re actively interested in
their career, accomplishments and professional success.
Lean Tip #2286 - Communicate, Every Day, Every Way
Good communication is at the heart of great
teamwork. Great teams communicate well and often, their members are happy to
share ideas, brainstorm together, ask for feedback, and be contradicted.
This doesn’t mean team members always agree,
but they’re able to communicate through their differences to settle on a sound
solution and continue moving forwards as a team.
So, how to enable good communication?
Be clear: Set the tone for communication among
the team. When is it acceptable to close your office door? Is it okay to
contact someone after hours? How often should the whole team get together? This
outline will help to keep everyone on the same page and communication flowing.
Listen: Communication is as much about
listening as it is about speaking. Make sure you’re listening to fellow team
members and actually considering their thoughts before offering your own
solutions and input.
Method: There are so many ways to reach each
other in the modern age. Try to use the most suitable tool to communicate for
your specific needs, whether that’s email, a chat tool, phone call, or face to
face. We’ve got an article that’ll help you decide which communication tool is
best for what.
Touch base: Encourage informal meetings,
information sharing, and huddles between team members. People shouldn’t have to
wait for a weekly catch-up meeting to get together. Collaborative team members
are comfortable communicating as and when they need to.
Collaboration tools: These enable workers to
connect across the world, or across the office, in a group or one-to-one
conversation. They also make progress on group projects at the times that are
most convenient for them.
Lean Tip #2287 - Focus on Team’s Strengths
Focusing on the weaknesses of your team members
can seriously affect engagement and consequently lower the team’s productivity.
According to research, employees who use their strengths every day are six
times more likely to be engaged in their jobs.
Everyone is different - we have different
strengths, passions, and weaknesses. One of the cornerstones of a good team leader
is focusing on individuals’ strengths, and bringing together a team of people
that has a combined skillset to get the job done. As long as everyone
contributes by bringing a strong skill to the team, their weakness should not
be dwelt on.
Lean Tip #2288 - Inspire Creative Thinking
Just because you have been doing a task one way
for your entire career does not mean that’s the best way to accomplish it.
There are always problems to be solved and better ways to do things, so use the
minds around you and encourage your employees to share creative business
solutions.
Putting the challenge in the hands of your
employees will not only save you some headache, but it’s also likely that
you’ll come out with a better end result. They do say that two heads are better
than one.
Lean Tip #2289 – Acknowledge Good Work
Don’t be one of these bosses who only gives
feedback when you’ve got something to criticize! By providing your staff with
positive feedback it will help to build their confidence and encourage them to
get more involved in the future, so it’s vital that you acknowledge their
achievements and the effort that they are putting in. Encourage creativity and
ensure that everyone is clear about what is expected of them.
Lean Tip #2290 - Set a Good Example
Your staff will look to you for guidance and
inspiration, so it’s essential that you set a good example to gain their
respect. If you expect them to behave professionally and commit to their work,
it’s vital that you do so yourself. Make sure that you are doing your job,
continuing to develop your career and support your team in doing so too.
Lean Tip #2291 - Communicate Better and Avoid Mass
Training
It’s tempting to bulk your team training, but
this isn't a productive option. While sometimes necessary, it's rare that a
one-off, one-size-fits-all approach to training will be effective.
Train beyond the basic needs of your employees,
and make it personalized. Why? Nobody likes to be lectured about something they
already do. That's a waste of time, money and resources.
Instead, invest in individual training. By
tailoring your training to individuals, you can help bring the best out of
everyone and address clear role expectations, existing problems, the positives
and the weakness of your team in a respectful way. This way, your employees
will clearly understand their individual strengths (and their weaknesses) and
they'll be able to effectively action change.
Lean Tip #2292 - Stress Training as Investment.
The reason training is often considered
optional at many companies is because it is thought of as an expense rather
than an investment. While it’s true that training can be costly up front, it’s
a long-term investment in the growth and development of your human resources.
Lean Tip #2293 - Promote a Culture of Learning.
In today’s fast-paced economy, if a business
isn’t learning, it’s going to fall behind. A business learns as its people
learn. Communicate your expectations that all employees should take the
necessary steps to hone their skills and stay on top of their professions or
fields of work. Make sure you support those efforts by providing the resources
needed to accomplish this goal.
Lean Tip #2294 - Clarify Connections to the
Training.
Some employees may feel that the training
they’re receiving isn’t relevant to their job. It’s important to help them
understand the connection early on, so they don’t view the training sessions as
a waste of valuable time. Employees should see the training as an important
addition to their professional portfolios. Award people with completion
certificates at the end of the program.
Lean Tip #2295 - Provide Resources to Employees
Pull together a list of go-to resources for new
employees to explore—things like annual reports, the company intranet and
website, and any recent marketing materials. While it may sound painful to
thumb through old files, reports and presentations from years past are valuable
tools to help someone get acclimated before she gets off and running. (Just
make sure you’re not providing too much at once, or you may get a
deer-in-headlights reaction.)
