As a group chief, it’s your accountability to ensure the work will get finished. However it may be robust to seek out the suitable steadiness of supporting your group members whereas additionally holding them accountable for his or her efficiency.
Plus, you’ll want to determine how you can have efficiency conversations with out offending your group, feeling such as you’re micromanaging them or addressing a problem too late to avoid wasting the scenario.
So how are you going to preserve your group members on observe extra simply and with much less stress?
Maintain your group accountable through the use of “good contracting up entrance”
This technique helped me go from a worrisome micromanager to a strategic chief who empowers her group. And it may possibly be just right for you too.
There are three elements to it they usually get less complicated as you undergo them.
- Agree on expectations
- Test for understanding
- Ask the only most vital accountability query
Let’s begin with the muse of “good contracting up entrance”.
First, agree on expectations, requirements, and deadlines in the beginning of the undertaking
Agreeing on these key factors is a vital first step to get your group on the identical web page so that you’re pulling in the identical course on the identical timeline.
The way you agree on these key factors could be finished in some ways. You’ll be able to current this info to your group, ask for his or her enter, or ideally use a mixture of each.
No matter methodology you select, by the top of the dialog you and your group needs to be clear on the solutions to those questions:
- What does “good” appear like for this undertaking?
- What sources are wanted to get to the completed product?
- What duties will every individual be doing, by when, and to what commonplace?
- How will we be certain deadlines are met?
Utilizing good contracting up entrance makes it simpler so that you can maintain folks accountable all through the undertaking as a result of everybody has agreed on the important thing parameters. Your group members may even maintain one another accountable after they’re all a part of the settlement.
When your group is evident on what’s within the “contract”, they will extra simply execute on their work and also you’ll have peace of thoughts that the undertaking is being dealt with.
Subsequent, you’ll want to verify for understanding
What you say and what another person hears could be two various things. That’s why it’s important to ask your group to share again their understanding of what’s being agreed. Particularly in case you’ve finished a lot of the speaking to assign the undertaking and current the important thing expectations.
A part of being a superb communicator means being a great listener, so ensure you pause afterwards to provide folks an opportunity to ask any clarifying questions as nicely.
Taking a couple of additional minutes up entrance to ensure everybody is evident can save hours and even days in a while.
Lastly, be certain to ask the only most vital query for accountability
“Do you’ve got every part you’ll want to achieve success [with project X]?”
Once more, right here is when you’ll want to pause and be affected person. In the event you’ve created an setting the place folks really feel secure to be sincere, they may let you know what they want, whether or not that’s time, staffing, connections, or anything that might preserve them from getting the job finished.
And when the reply is “Sure, I’ve every part I have to be profitable” the contract is about and also you’re geared up to carry one another accountable.
Simply don’t make the error of pondering it’s too late for good contracting
One of the best time to do good contracting is in the beginning of the undertaking. However the second-best time is now.
In case your undertaking is already underway, you’ll be able to nonetheless meet together with your group and ask, “By the way in which, I didn’t ask you earlier than, however do you’ve got every part you’ll want to achieve success?” It’s not too late to begin the dialog, get clear on expectations and set the group as much as succeed.
Holding group members accountable doesn’t must really feel confrontational
“Good contracting” is an effective way to construct belief together with your group, reduce your stress as a supervisor and obtain a steadiness between help and accountability.
So relating to holding your group accountable, keep in mind to make use of “good contracting upfront”:
- Agree expectations in the beginning by getting clear on the 4 key parameters.
- Test for understanding and provides folks an opportunity to ask clarifying questions.
- Ask an important accountability query and as soon as the reply is “sure”, you’ll be able to maintain them accountable.
So how will you utilize good contracting up entrance to carry your group accountable?
Depart a remark and let me know.
