Performance Improvement Checklist
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This Performance Improvement checklist will help guide you through the steps you need to take to address any under-performance from your team.
The most successful managers are those who can get the best out of their team. This goes for any business. Whether you are a sports coach, a sales team leader, a department manager, or any type of front-of-line management, it is important to understand how to get the best possible performance out of your team. This is what separates successful managers from those who stay stuck at the first level. Managers who get results almost always move forward… while managers who do not end up either spending the rest of their days at the same old position, or eventually losing their position due to the poor performance of their team.
Both of these questions are important, but there are a lot of angles to cover. Unfortunately, there are no 'easy' answers or formulas for such questions, though there are some absolutes that tend to play a big role in how effective your team is.
What Makes One Team Perform Better Than Another?
There are a lot of answers to this question, and a lot of factors to take into account when leading/managing a team. You need to think about a number of different things, and coordinate a lot of loose ends correctly in order to minimize waste and maximize efficiency. Your team needs to be properly motivated and inspired, but this is best done when you hire the right people.
Building a successful team generally starts with hiring the right people for the job. You need motivated, self-starting team members who are passionate about what they are doing. If they do not have a passion for the company, than you can help by motivating them and giving them a reason to work hard, which can be accomplished if you make them BELIEVE in what they are doing. If they believe that they are doing something worthwhile, then they will be much more likely to put their heart and soul into their job… which is exactly what you need in order to have a team that actually gets results.
Your team also needs to be properly managed. They need the right resources, they need to have the freedom necessary to use their creativity, and they need to be placed correctly within the team so that their skills and abilities are utilized to their fullest potential. They also need to be treated fairly, and need to know that they are working towards something. If they have a goal in mind and know that there will be rewards for meeting that goal, then they will be MUCH more likely to be motivated to do their very best.
Where Do Values Come Into Play?
Creating a team that possesses character is very essential to success. But where does this translate into better results for you as a manager? Well, if you put together a team that cares about the greater good of the company that they are working for, then they will be more likely to excel at whatever they put effort into. Whatever they are doing, they will be more likely to do it better if they, in the end, CARE about the company and whether or not it moves in a positive direction.
Values and character are two things that are more difficult to instill within employees, which is why it is SO important that managers make every effort to hire the right people in the beginning. Team selection is one of the most important parts of the process, and by surrounding yourself with good people who will give 110% to keep the company (and the rest of the team) headed in the right direction, you will realize that managing a winning team that outperforms the competition is not going to be nearly as difficult.
Leading By Example
Of course, the absolute BEST policy, on the part of any manager, is to lead by example. Don't assume or believe that anyone on your team is going to work harder or believe more in the company than you do! As a manager, it is your job to take the lead and to inspire greatness within those underneath you. Leading by example is absolutely essential, but is one of the BIGGEST downfalls of most managers. If you can successfully show your employees, through your own example, what hard work and commitment look like, than inspiring them to embody the same character and outlook will become easier and easier.
