As hard as you try to assign tasks clearly, sometimes projects are not being completed. Your role as team leader includes helping team members focus on ways to follow through on their professional duties and handle their roles with confidence.
April Lynn Levitt, a coach with the Personal Coach in Toronto, shares four ways to hold your team accountable:
1. Find out why
When an employee is consistently failing to fulfill his or her role, it is time to have a private conversation with him or her to find out why projects are not being handled properly.
An environment of open communication is key to this type of conversation, Levitt says.
This person should be comfortable explaining why he or she is unable to complete assignments. Perhaps he or she is unclear about how to go about completing the tasks or how to prioritize the workload. Or maybe this employee simply has too many tasks on the go.
You may need to re-delegate certain tasks or provide more training.
2. Delegate authority
If team members are expected to work independently, they must have the full authorization to carry out tasks.
Says Levitt: “Can they make some basic decisions without having to go back to you? That [ability] really empowers people and makes it easier for them to be accountable.”
For example, you want your assistant to be more proactive in organizing marketing materials and brainstorming new activities to increase the profile of your practice in the community. In order for the assistant to be effective, he or she must be allowed to communicate and coordinate efforts with your firm’s marketing department. Inform the marketing professionals that your assistant will be their contact person in your office. Make it clear that, while you will still have to approve major decisions regarding the project, you don’t expect to hear about every conversation.
3. Invoke consequences
If people are consistently coming up short in their duties, Levitt says, they need to understand that there are ramifications — which can take the form of compensation.
Says Levitt: “I like it when a bonus is tied half to team results and half to individual performance.”
Positive reinforcements for staff members who are getting the job done can be a motivator. Remember to thank team members for great work and consider smaller rewards, such as gift cards, to acknowledge those who stand out.
4. Set an example
“If you want your team to be accountable,” says Levitt, “you have to be accountable yourself, and do the things that you say you’re going to do.”
In a team environment, you must hold yourself to the standards you set for your staff. So, if you expect employees to update your office on the progress of projects, you have to do the same. Keep in mind that this policy includes explaining why you may be having difficulty completing certain tasks. Being open might inspire other team members to volunteer their time to help you take care of some responsibilities.
This is the second part in a two-part series on staff accountability. Click here to read part one.