As a team leader of seven people in the collections department, it’s been tough to get information on tasks to be completed within the required time frame. Team members do not meet deadlines which means I cannot deliver information to my superior on time. We have discussed priorities in a team meeting and I have also discussed this in one-to-ones, but I still do not see any results. I cannot rely on information some of the team members provide as they are not precise enough, causing even more questions. In team meetings members do not say much. It gives me the feeling that the team is not really motivated. I can’t figure out why this is happening and how I can motivate my team best. As we are understaffed for now, I am very busy in doing both jobs, the collectors and the team leader job. Based on this fact I need to rely fully on my team with regards to correct and sufficient feedback, but unfortunately this is not the case. I really would appreciate your advice how I can motivate the team and make them work the best way.
The Team Doc Says…
Your team is not having a problem of motivation. It is a problem of team member accoutability. One of the issues that is not helping you a bit is that you are wearing two hats. You cannot “do a half job” leading a team which you indicated is what’s happening by describing your situation.
Here are a few things you can do to correct this team issue.
- Slice up your time – Plan your schedule so you can devote uniterrupted time to your team leadership duties. Devote at least four hours a day. This time could be morning or afternoon, just make sure that the hours are consecutive so you can make some progress in this area.
- Make an action plan — Communicate your expectations clearly and hold team members accountable. Identify which team member should do what by when. Have a meeting at least once a week to determine the status of the action items. If items are not being completed by the committed time, find out why and remedy the problem.
- Reward positive behavior — As team leaders, we have a tendency to devote 80% of our time to problems and forget to acknowledge the good things. Flip that around. Make a big deal of accomplishments. Say thank you when things get done as committed. When team members see what type of behavior gets the most attention, it will often turn the situation around.
- Pair up team members — For team members who need some extra help, pair them up with a more seasoned team member who can show them the ropes and help them be more productive.
- Create an enviroment of open team communication — Take a good look at your communication style to insure you are not stifling the communication in your team. Many leaders say they want an open communication work style, but their behaviors prevent it. Your best strategy here is to be quiet once you’ve asked for input from your team.
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