Now that we have planned for what we want to see accomplished, the next step (Step 2) towards increased productivity is to share information effectively and involve others to ensure that you and they are as productive as possible, and that tasks and projects move forward on schedule. 

The five components of this step are:

  1. Schedule regular standing meetings
  2. Plan for regular communication
  3. Implement and utilize collaboration software
  4. Delegate
  5. Monitor and review processes
  1. Schedule Regular Standing Meetings

No project of scale can occur without clear communication. Everyone involved must know what needs to be done and how they’re expected to do it. Otherwise, you’ll quickly get a silo effect, under which team members work too independently and decrease productivity.

To help facilitate communication, consider scheduling daily standing meetings (often called morning huddles or daily check-ins). These meetings should be scheduled for first thing in the morning and kept short enough to comfortably complete while standing. 

Position yourselves in a circle and use the time to review the day’s tasks and individual responsibilities, as well as minor challenges that teammates may be facing. This will keep everyone in the loop and help work through small issues that can often halt progress. It will also build accountability as members don’t want to let down others in the group. 

  1. Plan for Regular Communication

Separate from the morning huddles, plan regular 1:1 meeting time with each team member to check in in a more personal manner. The goal should be to motivate colleagues, get an update on their individual progress, and troubleshoot problems that arise.  

The Table Group, led by Patrick Lencioni, advises that leaders schedule weekly time (45-90 minutes) for tactical meetings (to review activities and team metrics) as well as monthly meetings of a longer duration (2-4 hours) for more strategic conversations.

Of course, there can be too much meeting occurring in your workspace (with too little value to show for it). A study by Atlassian showed that, on average, employees spend an hour a day in meetings, for a total of 31 hours per month. The same study found that almost half of employees believed meetings are the number one timewaster at the office. This post offers ideas on how to make meetings more engaging and, dare I say it, fun.

If you lead a remote team you may be thinking that, while in-person collaboration in person is great, it’s simply not possible for team members to be present at the same time and place. Remote and geographically dispersed teams face lots of challenges streamlining their workflows and improving collaboration.

Some leaders continue to rely on email and other e-communication tools, such as WhatsApp, to share information. Despite the many benefits of e-communication, it can also present some meaningful downsides, including the fact that emails can be ignored, pile up, and/or be difficult to find.

  1. Implement and Utilize Collaboration Software

Efficient and fast communication should be in the form of fluid dialogue, not asynchronous. Collaboration software also known as groupware, can help any team, from the smallest startup to the largest enterprise, to quickly and easily share content in documents, messages, videos, and other formats. Each employee can communicate additional information by making changes that the system tracks. The manager collects the inputs and sends the newly revised content to his target audience.

Another benefit of collaboration software is improved scheduling. Lack of scheduling can waste up to 36 percent of employees’ work time. Businesses that plan and schedule their goals and activities get more done and are more effective. Daily, weekly and monthly scheduling allows teams to organize their workflows efficiently. With collaboration software, for instance, employees can share public or personal calendars to know all meetings and deadlines. Workers can schedule daily meetings, planning meetings, conferences, brainstorm sessions, and much more in just one click.

(There are other benefits from having quality software. According to a study by Ultimate Software, 92% of employees say having technology that helps them do their job efficiently affects their work satisfaction. In a CITO Research report, 53% of respondents stated mobile apps improve business processes and productivity.)

  1. Delegate

Of course, all of this assumes that you are prepared to delegate work. Delegation is a critical element to increase productivity because it allows leaders to focus on the things that they are uniquely positioned and / or required to do. It also clears the organizational bottleneck, by not making all work dependent on the leader’s input. 

(Check out past posts to read why leaders need to delegate, how to use situational leadership to delegate more effectively, what and when to delegate, how to create a delegation culture, and why delegate does not mean abdicate.)

  1. Monitor and Review Processes

The final piece of the “share it” step is to monitor and review the above processes with your teammates. Stay on top of things and correct / redirect when necessary. This motivates colleagues (who thereby don’t feel abandoned) and helps you catch problems early. Recognize key milestones, such as completed sub-components, along the way.

When the process is complete, review everything to identify your successes as well as your failures. It is critical that complex processes such as communication, delegation, and, of course, execution, be reviewed openly and often to keep things humming. And, assuming there’s what to celebrate – applaud them. This can be anything from a simple ‘thank you’ or ‘well done’ to arranging for awards, gifts or bonuses. 

 

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Naphtali Hoff, PsyD, (@impactfulcoach) is president of Impactful Coaching & Consulting. For a free, no obligation consultation, please call 212.470.6139 or email nhoff@impactfulcoaching.com
 
Check out his leadership book, “Becoming the New Boss.” Read his blog and listen to his leadership podcast. Download his free new productivity blueprint and his e-books, “Core Essentials of Leadership,” “An E.P.I.C. Solution to Understaffing” and “How to Boost Your Leadership Impact.”

 

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