Years ago, someone told me to guard against efficiency – the more productive I was, the more work I would be assigned. If that is your guiding philosophy then stop reading now.
However, if you are a business leader and want to improve your own productivity so you can foster it among your direct reports, then read on.
According to research, 57% of employees leave their jobs because of their bosses. This figure not only conveys the influence leaders can have over employee workplace experiences, but also reinforces that leader effectiveness directly impacts the overall success of organizations.
This article explores factors that impact productivity within an organization and offers guidance for leaders to boost their own and their team’s productivity.
The Juggling Act of Leadership
Leaders have a lot going on. You have to think about your effectiveness while helping your direct reports succeed, plus ensure your team is directly and positively contributing to overall company performance…….and feeling good about it.
It’s a fine balance but a critical one. In a recent Gallup survey on burnout, the top five causes of employee burnout were all manager driven. The role of a leader cannot be understated in shaping employee experiences, yet how many leaders look at their own work habits and patterns to ensure they are best positioned to support their team?
Build Your Foundation First
There are a few fundamentals that can help leaders maximize their own effectiveness so they can be the managers their direct reports need them to be.
1. Make Deep Think Time a Priority
To maximize your own productivity, make time for ‘deep thinking’ - it helps you become a better leader for your team. Deep thinking is necessary for problem solving or big picture thinking that requires concentration and creativity. Contrast this with ‘shallow work’ tasks that tend to be more mundane, routine, or repetitive, and are often performed while distracted (such as what happens in time-waster meetings – more on that later).
2. Take a Minimalist Approach
‘I’m busy’, is the default response for many of us when asked how we’re doing.
We have been trained to believe that being busy suggests that we are important. Be intentional and mindful about the meetings you attend and projects you take on. If priorities and deliverables are not tied to business outcomes or strategic objectives, they should not be on your radar.
3. Avoid the Technology Trap
Be smart about technology adoption. Communication and collaboration tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Dropbox, and Google Drive are excellent for co-creating and sharing information, ideas, feedback, and deliverables. They are also useful for coordinating and scheduling projects and meetings.
Avoid integrating technology simply because it is available. For example, relying exclusively on notetaking software to capture meeting activity such as decision making and resource allocation is not recommended. Hosting hybrid meetings is another activity that leaders should avoid.
4. Take Care of Yourself
You cannot care for others if you do not take care of you.
Effective managers understand the value of self-care and model it for their direct reports. This may seem obvious but if you are not taking care of your own physical, social, and psychological needs then your performance may suffer, and compromise your ability to support and motivate your direct reports.
Get back to the basics: ensure you consume a balanced diet, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and integrate breaks into your daily routine. As for vacations and staycations? Taking time away from work to recharge and relax should not be negotiable – ensure you make time and that your direct reports do as well.
5. Get Familiar with Workplace Health Factors
In the landmark, US Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being, five elements were identified as essential for employees at work:
- Protection from Harm
- Connection and Community
- Opportunity for Growth
- Work-life Harmony
- Mattering at Work
Source: https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/workplace-well-being/index.html
Leaders represent the organization but are also employees. Be aware of how these elements contribute to your own workplace experience. For example:
- Ensure you nurture your own needs for learning and development by exploring options for training that will help expand your skill set and expertise.
- Balance time spent at work with outside interests and personal commitments.
- Manage up and voice concerns if you face barriers or challenges that block your performance or that of your direct reports.
- Find others who share professional or personal interests, and facilitate the growth of microcultures within the company.
- Foster relationships and genuine connection by balancing remote workplace interactions with in-person.
Promote your Team’s Overall Productivity
Recognizing your own needs as a manager can significantly enhance your ability to effectively lead. Let’s review ways to optimize your team’s overall effectiveness and productivity.
1. Look at your Direct Reports Holistically
People are complex. Employees may try to separate their work and personal lives but sometimes that is a challenge because life happens. Individual team members may have varying levels of comfort discussing their lives ‘outside’ of work so leverage one on one meetings to not only check in on work related topics but whatever else employees feel may be impacting their ability to succeed in their jobs.
For executive leaders, this downloadable toolkit provides your team managers with a starting point. Help them ensure more productive and meaningful one on one conversations to promote individual and team success.
2. Ensure Psychological Safety
Provide a psychologically safe space for your team. Simply asking for feedback and input is not enough - create an environment where team members are comfortable weighing in and providing input without fearing judgement or repercussions. As leaders, being respectful, actively listening, and encouraging participation from all team members during meetings and discussions will go a long way.
3. Empower Your Team to Say No
Related to psychological safety is promoting an environment where direct reports feel empowered to say no and raise concerns. For example, encourage team members to flag work they deem is not related to business outcomes, or to reject meeting invites where they feel their participation is not essential. Leaders who give team members control over their work and how it gets done, are more likely to see employees with higher levels of job satisfaction and morale.
Netflix offers a real-world example of promoting a culture where honest and direct feedback is valued across the organization, regardless of job level and function.
4. Walk the Walk
Employees look for consistency and want to see their bosses engage in behaviours they ask of their teams. As leaders, model what you require of your direct reports to strengthen your credibility and boost overall team performance.
5. Prioritize Team Alignment
Team leaders who clearly and consistently communicate and track team priorities are more likely to ensure goal alignment because they keep objectives top of mind. Ensure regular check-ins to monitor progress, identify potential roadblocks, and make sure meetings are always tied to business outcomes.
6. Evaluate Meeting Culture
Leaders who recognize the importance of meeting culture are at a competitive advantage. Consider that in the US alone, $37 billion is the estimated cost of unproductive meetings, and employees report spending an overage of 31 hours monthly in those meetings.
Renowned organizational psychologist Dr. Steven Rogelberg has studied meeting science for 20+ years. His advice for leaders is to create an ecosystem where bad meetings are neither tolerated nor accepted. Poorly run meetings should not be normalized or treated as part of the costs of running a business.
Meetings – Are You Addressing the Root Cause?
Meetings in and of themselves are not the problem: it’s the time lost when they are executed poorly that is the core issue. We can help. Kairos has developed an integrated meeting platform that captures data from your company’s meetings, and provides actionable insights, evidence-based strategies, and guidance to kickstart the meeting revolution you may not know your business needed.
Give us 15 minutes to overview what a meeting transformation can do for your team and your business.
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