Five tips for improving your team's productivity

his post by John McKee originally appeared on August 9, 2010 at TechRepublic.com.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
That comment was made by the great management guru, Peter F. Drucker. I shared it with a client a few weeks ago as we discussed his team’s performance and the differences between being efficient and being effective. The last is all about making a genuine difference to outcomes — something particularly important in these times when layoffs abound.

Keeping team members motivated and performing at the top of their game is especially difficult right now. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, or it seems as though the job just keeps getting harder, think how some of your team members are probably feeling. If they’re worried about their own job, paying bills, or the fate of a loved one, it’s unlikely they are doing their best work. That reduced effectiveness could, ironically, create a worse situation for them if it results in fewer jobs or reduced pay.

It’s to the benefit of all concerned that you help them keep working at full steam. Here are a few best practices we’ve seen used successfully by strong leaders across a wide swath of industries and organizations. If you or your team could use some new approaches, I suggest you add some of these to your own management toolbox:

Note: These tips are based on an entry in our IT Leadership blog.

1: Lead by example

You send messages to your team members with every action and statement. If you’re seen to be giving extra, it will inspire and energize others to do the same. The same holds true for the opposite: Showing fear or frustration will only fuel similar results within the team.

2: Focus on communicating objectives rather than defining roles

With fewer human resources, now’s the time to reassess your key deliverables. Which of them make an immediate impact and what can be punted for now? Engage as many of the team as possible on the most important goals; even if that move takes them outside their old job definitions.

3: Maintain a sense of urgency

Keep goals, both individual and team, front and center to ensure focus. Broadcast and talk about results and achievements. Especially if you’ve had to reduce headcount, you want each individual performing at optimal levels. Note I say “optimal” and not “maximum.” The former is good management practice; the latter results in burnout and negativity.

4: Celebrate individual contributions

Sports teams are clear about the fact that certain players make a bigger difference, so they recognize those people appropriately. For high performers, hearing only about the “team’s performance” can actually demotivate them and cause them to slow down to the “norm.”

5: Provide guidelines to reduce uncertainty

Trusting your team to do the right thing is well and good; but in uncertain times, even your best team members can make improper decisions. Help them with frequent reviews of goals, new or successful past approaches, and preferred outcomes during regular team meetings.

Execs should earn their pay

In the wake of PNoy's challenge to the MWSS board to resign over their excessive pay, Congress will investigate the salaries and allowances of other executives of government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs). Pnoy himself has gone easy on the highly paid execs since his Sona, but the Inquirer picked up a COA report, prompting the Senate/Congress to start the circus of investigations.

I think PNoy has no beef against the seemingly high pay. It's just that he cannot put his trusted men into  high-paying government jobs. His predecessor has stuffed them with her appointees. That is PNoy's concern. How can he run his program of government if he can't trust the men in those agencies?

Can the execs get away with their pay? There's no problem with their pay, they earned it. The problem lies if they're midnight appointees without the requisite qualifications for the job; and if their agency does not contribute at all to the government coffers.

	MWSS	Central Bank
function	regulates Metro Manila water concessionnaires Maynilad and Manila Water	the nation's central monetary authority, provides policy directions in the areas of money, banking and credit; supervises operations of banks and financial institutions
board members	an unqualified GMA midnight appointee; a brother of a former witness against Mike Arroyo; other friends of GMA	respected people in the financial circles, qualified career service executives
what could be PNoy's beef	he cannot put his trusted men in	-
can PNoy still put his trusted men in the board?	not until they resign or their term expires	PNoy has appointed 1 (DoF Sec. Purisima)
declared dividends to the government	P53M in 2002; P65M in 2003; P131 M in 2006 (anywhere from 5%-50% of net income)	P4.5 Billion in July 2010; P60 Billion since 1993

Now, why are GSIS officials not in the COA report? I suspect COA has not completed its audit of the GSIS, hence they don't appear anywhere in the report. But it is well known that GSIS officials are the highest paid execs. It's chairman is rumored to command close to P10M in salaries alone. COA was booted out of its office space in the GSIS when they called for the Ombudsman to probe irregularities in the agency.

Hopeless Pagasa XXII

Pnoy kicked upstairs the Pagasa director. Technically, Prisco Nilo was not sacked. He was even named to head an office of special studies. But quicker than Pagasa can declare a storm, Pnoy critics decried the relief order, citing the poor equipment that the agency has as the culprit for the bad forecasts.

I do not know what Pnoy critics want. I think they are not really concerned with Nilo being retained at Pagasa. I think they support Nilo now because deep inside they are truly Pnoy bashers.

I am sure everyone wants better performance from the weather agency. Would the Pnoy critics (and Nilo supporters) rather have the same setup? And thus the same performance? They received a tongue lashing a month ago but there is no indication that things will be better. The forecast for the Sona was again way off.

I am sure Nilo is a dedicated weather man. I'm sure their equipment is antiquated. Pnoy is sure there is somebody who can make use of the existing equipment and churn better forecasts. It may be Nilo himself. After he leads a study of why Pagasa failed in the past.

My women's tennis album - August 2010

White hair chronicles XXXI - White hair is in

Early this year, more mature models starred at previews of fall fashion - chic, retro styles. Consider this line up in recent fashion shows: 45 year old and grey haired Kristen McMenamy; '90s models and now mothers – Stella Tennant and Kirsty Hume; 47-year-old Elle Macpherson. We also still see other models like 41-year-old Christy Turlington and 39-year-old Claudia Schiffer in print ads.

Now Kristen McMenamy appears on the cover of a magazine with her striking silver locks proudly on display. She stopped dying her hair six years ago and will flaunt her tresses in the August issue of Vogue. She says 'You can get older and still be rock 'n' roll. I thought all that grey hair would make a beautiful picture.'

Younger celebrities have gone grey too. Lady Gaga, Kelly Osbourne, Kate Moss, Pixie Geldof and Pink sport silver locks, aided by hair dye.