As a leader, maximizing your team’s potential is a vital part of moving the company forward. Part of that process includes creating a common purpose, encouraging innovation, and promoting communication. Are you taking proper action to help your team members reach their full potential?
Ask These 4 Questions As A Manager
1. Does Your Team Have a Common Purpose?
Are your team members striving for a common purpose? High-performing teams work toward common short- and long-term goals. Teammates have clearly defined roles and know how to do their jobs and why they are doing them. Each member understands and supports the company’s mission, vision, and values. Your team uses their complementary skills and commitment to performing their best to obtain desired results. Personal satisfaction with their work and engaging in interesting projects substantially impact your team’s performance. As their leader, you build commitment and confidence, ensure that each member continuously enhances their skills, and remove obstacles that may hinder performance.
2. Do You Encourage Innovation?
How do you promote innovation? For instance, you should know how your team members want to lead and be led, how they function to best add value, and which tools they need to adapt to change in positive, meaningful ways. Also, your team should know their customers and their specific needs, take time to analyze competitors, and study how the industry, your company brand, and technology are evolving. Additionally, your team should be able to share, develop, and implement their ideas for organizational growth and sustainability to promote ownership in the company. Further, your team must be encouraged to think critically and continuously improve to optimize business performance.
3. How Do You Promote Communication?
How do you encourage open communication? Your teammates need to talk with each other to build trust, effectively collaborate, and remain engaged in their work. Keep in mind that your manner of communication sets the tone and propels thinking in the desired direction. For instance, focus on coaching rather than directing your team members so that they solve their own problems. Also, encourage your team to talk about conflicts as they occur to overcome differences and keep the project on task. Additionally, promote transparency so that your teammates feel supported by each other, empowered to perform their best, and accountable for their actions.
4. Which Performance Metrics Do You Use?
How does your team measure work performance? Members need a clear understanding of where they want to be, what the most efficient way is to get there, and how they can measure their progress in order to be successful. For example, your performance metrics should include a clear picture of the team’s priorities and relative importance of collaborative and individual results; a statement of each teammate’s results and measures of performance standards for each; and a plan for collecting and summarizing performance data so your team members know how they are performing.
Maximize Your Team’s Potential with Mercer Bradley
Hire top performers in the accounting industry through Mercer Bradley, a leading staffing agency in Western Canada! If you’re looking for a Vancouver, Edmonton or Winnipeg recruiting firm to help secure top accounting talent, partner with Mercer Bradley.You can request talent or check out some of our top talent, here!