Seven Tips for Creating a Productive Team Culture

Personal productivity is fantastic thing, but once you become a leader, productivity is no longer just a matter of being the best you can be, but rather of bringing out the best in others. This is a constant challenge! Priorities compete. Distractions abound. Some folks just won’t commit to being productive team members. So how do you create a productive team culture that contributes not only to individual productivity, but also to that of the group?

Here are seven tips:

1. Teach others that “not in their job description” is not acceptable in the new culture you are establishing.
Sometimes, employees are asked to do things outside of their normal duties. When it takes a team effort to get the job done, you want folks ready to happily roll up their sleeves and pitch in. Yes, in general, you want everyone to have their own defined responsibilities, but these well-defined boundaries can’t hold up 100 percent of the time.

Keep a positive attitude and reward your team for pulling together and getting things done. Create a culture where people jump at the chance to help others as opposed to standing back and reveling in the chaos as it unfolds.

2. Focus on the present. Fix problems later.
Imagine this scenario: there’s a big project on the line, and your team needs to pull together to pull it off one day before the deadline...a lot is riding on this project. You’re frustrated. You want to know how this happened. Who dropped the ball? Why didn’t they ask for help sooner? Where did the system break down?

Well, forget it—at least for now (at least until the project is complete). This is not the time for second guessing, finger pointing, or scapegoating; you can’t tolerate any of that from anyone on your team. You need everyone focused on meeting the deadline at hand.

At the outset of your work, let everyone know that problems will be addressed, but not until the crisis has passed. The first order of business it to pull together and finish the project with a positive attitude. Once the project is complete, you can figure out what happened and ensure that it never happens again. This way, cooler heads prevail, and the project won’t suffer because of internal strife and tension.

3. Maintain a unified front.
A reasonable amount of conflict is good. It can help stimulate ideas and bring out the best in people. But as a leader, your job is to have the final say. Your team might squabble and butt heads, but your job is to ensure that they all leave the table with a common purpose. “We can argue all we want behind closed doors, but when we put on our public face, our team must be in agreement externally.”

4. Establish (and manage) expectations.
As a leader, you set the collective tone, attitude, and work ethic of your team. Decide what is expected and make your thoughts known. Do you expect others to meet deadlines or to exceed them? Will you track everyone’s working hours or do you allow some flexibility? How informed should your direct reports keep you about the status of their projects—just the high points or do you prefer detail?

Your people are not mind readers! Make sure they know what you expect of them and what they can expect from you. Keep regular appointments to review each individual’s progress and to reinforce your expectations. As priorities conflict and you adjust expectations, share these changes with your team.

If someone needs to drop everything and focus on one problem or project, make sure he or she knows it. If you need to be kept more informed about a key initiative, make the person responsible aware by saying, “Please keep me posted on your progress and let me know if you run into problems.”

5. Don’t just make rules—build character.
You can set rules all day long, but what you want to do is help develop the character of your team. Character is what kicks in when the rules break down. It is also what helps your team get through tough, demanding times. A team with strong character requires much less management. People appreciate not being micromanaged and you’ll have more time to address your job duties. High productivity is based on a person’s values. If you employ someone who values hard work and honesty, that’s what you can expect from them when you’re not looking.

Clearly state the productivity traits you want people to demonstrate, for example: integrity, accountability, punctuality, excellence, self-discipline, responsibility, and honesty. Post them on your wall. Repeat them often. Refer to your values when explaining your decisions. Ensure that your team knows what you stand for and what you expect from them.

6. Engage your team members.
Engaged employees enthusiastically contribute to both team and company success. They are proud of what they do and where they work. The leader makes the difference here; the relationship between employee and manager is an excellent gauge of the employee’s engagement level. Engaged employees are super competent: the type of people you count on to drive performance outcomes.

Engagement is driven by several factors, including employee confidence and autonomy, the nature and quality of the job, access to training and career development, opportunities for growth, ongoing communication and feedback, a clear grasp of the goals and why their contributions matter, trust in the leaders and their integrity, pride in the company and their place in it, relationships with team members and co-workers, and presence of a competent and supportive managers who foster an environment of excellence and motivate team members by walking the talk, making personal integrity clear.

7. Lead by example.
People might question what you say, but they can’t deny what they see you do. If you arrive late, miss deadlines, or settle for sloppy work, you signal that that this is acceptable. If you show a sincere commitment to following through on your promises, fulfilling your obligations, and behaving with integrity, you set a positive standard. Be consistent. Contradicting you one time can undo years of demonstrating good behavior. People tend to notice inconsistency in a heartbeat and have little patience for it. Hold your team to a high standard, but hold yourself to an even higher one.
Think of some immediate ways you can implement these ideas with your team.

Thanks,
David Lammert

Key Tips for Wise Career Choices

Life is full of choices. Some require little thought or reflection—like the choice of what to eat for lunch— while others deserve serious debate. When it comes to your career, you’ve likely already made several difficult choices and you will undoubtedly face many more.

There is a natural back and forth in every decision. Usually, whenever something is gained, something else is sacrificed. In order to make informed choices, you must weigh the risks against the potential rewards. You must make assumptions and, at times, great leaps of faith. Choices are rarely ever black and white, all good or all bad, clearly right or clearly wrong. They are complicated and no two people will see them through the exact same lens.

As with most things in life, putting in the effort on the front end is the best way to reduce the potential for disappointing results on the back end. There is no guarantee, of course. Even the most thoughtful decisions have been known to backfire. A choice is, most often, nothing more than an educated guess—a hopeful step in a new direction.

So, when facing a career choice, whether big or small, how can you make sure you’re approaching the situation with the appropriate level of consideration? How can you ensure your “guess” is truly the best you can make? Below, I’ve outlined a few points to remember in your decision-making process.

Does the choice reflect who you are?
Your life is the result of your choices. Each decision outlines your reality and is a reflection of who you are, what you value and your priorities. Making choices that conflict with your underlying values inevitably leads to restlessness and dissatisfaction. If you aren’t happy with the choices you’ve made in the past, evaluate your values and what motivated your decision. More than likely, there is some sort of disconnect between the two.

The Emotional factor
Be sure to recognize the role emotions play in your decision-making process. Though it’s unrealistic—and unhealthy—to suppress emotions completely, it’s helpful to understand where they influence your behaviors. Look for the messages beneath the emotions; let your heart and your head work together to find the best solution for you.

Make time your ally
Anxiety and urgency almost always have a negative impact on decision-making. Don’t let a ticking clock push you into a choice you haven’t properly evaluated. Sure, you may face a deadline to reach your conclusion, but avoid placing unnecessary timelines on yourself. Be thorough and balance your desire for a resolution with your need for a well thought-out decision-making process.

NOT making a decision is still a decision
You can’t simply ignore that a decision has to be made and expect it to go away. Choosing not to choose is often the easiest way out, but it’s still a choice in its own special way. It’s the choice to observe rather than participate, which isn’t always a bad thing. There are times when you’re better off simply letting a situation run its course without attempting to steer it in any direction. Sit back, allow events to unfold, and let the decision to you.

Avoid framing it as an “either/or” choice
There are always more options. When you trap yourself into limited thinking, you fail to see all the potential options. Don’t place artificial restrictions on yourself or the possibilities in front of you. When you face an “either/or” dilemma, look for the grey space in between. Don't be tempted to view it as an empty void; it can be a deep well of potential.

Extend some trust
Trust in yourself, trust in others, trust in the Universe. Have a little faith that everything will work out well, whether or not the future looks exactly the way you had imagined it. Remember that change is constant and you have the resources to manage whatever comes along. Your choices have consequences that shape your reality; you always have the opportunity to make different choices in the future and create a new reality for yourself.

Remember that a well thought-out choice is never wrong, no matter what happens. It might be tempting to blame yourself when things don’t turn out the way you had anticipated, but this accomplishes nothing. Don’t dwell in regret. Simply accept the lesson and move on. Take what you’ve learned with you and use it the next time you face a difficult choice in your career or elsewhere in life.

I hope you find this helpful the next time you are confronted with a career choice.

Thanks,
David Lammert