In times of virtual working distributing tasks out to your people can be challenging. Miscommunication can happen easily.
The result? Your people start on the task and they don’t fully understand it.
But you’re relying on your team to be productive and efficient when it comes to their tasks.
A company relies on its employees to be productive and efficient when it comes to their tasks.
The quicker and better your workers are able to implement their duties, the more products or services you can offer, thereby raising profits.
However, things don’t always run smoothly in the office (whether that be “home office” or “work office”) and managers end up being frustrated when their employees make a mistake or don’t complete an assignment as they should have.
During these times it’s vital to remember that most employees want to do their jobs to their best abilities, but they may simply need more help in doing so.
It’s possible that they didn’t understand the task you assigned, and it can be because of these 3 reasons:
Don’t Know Why They Have to Do It
Modern leaders understand the importance of involving their employees in top level decisions and sharing the vision for the team with them.
This helps everyone be on the same page about both short and long term objectives, and the steps needed to reach them.
When managers simply tell their employees what to do rather than why they have to do it, employees may not grasp the full picture.
They may decide that the task is not important to do at the moment and put it on the back-burner, or do it incorrectly.
Take the time to explain to your colleagues how their contributions add up to the overall goals of the team to motivate them to do their best work.
You Didn’t Set Smart Goals
Communication always involves two people—the sender and the receiver.
Problems and ambiguity often occur when the speaker believes they said something one way, but the listener understood it differently.
This is why it’s imperative to give as many details as possible when giving tasks.
Setting SMART goals, which include specific objectives and timelines is a great idea!
S-Simple
M-Measurable
A-Agreed
R-Realistic
T-Timely
If you cover all of the five bases of SMART goals, it will help you and your subordinates work together to make sure they comprehend what needs to be done.
You Didn’t Follow Up
A manager’s job is never done, and managing a task doesn’t end once it’s assigned.
Even if you took all the right steps, it’s vital to follow up with your employees throughout the process of completion.
This way you can quickly identify problems and work with your team members to correct them and get the project back on track.
Want to improve your skills further in this area? Learn how to distribute work amongst your team in the right way with an MTD Management Skills Training course. Our training events are always fun and engaging. Another option is for you to develop your skills further with a digital course through our Online Management Training solutions. Both will provide you with the techniques and strategies to make a massive impact on your people.
Excellent communication in the office is imperative.
What you say (and what you don’t say) to your employees greatly influences the corporate culture, their satisfaction with work, productivity levels and loyalty to the company.
Some say that with texting, emails and “Whatsapping” that the art of true conversation, i.e something that comes out of your mouth, is lost!
There are 4 well known listening styles that people employ depending on the type of person that they are and what primarily motivates them.
We discuss these 4 main listening styles in the infographic below to help you work out what style you are most prone to – and give you an insight into other listening styles you might come across in the workplace when communicating with your employees. Learn More
Whether you manage a small or a large team, a conflict between your employees can derail the productivity of your entire department. If your employees truly care about what they do, there will be conflict. You don’t just want “yes people.”
Although you expect your employees to be grown adults and manage their issues on their own, there are times when it is advantageous for a leader to step in and handle the situation.
Managers play a large role in their organisations, not only in terms of delegation and strategy, but in how much stress they can parlay unto their colleagues.
One study found that 7 out of 10 employees blame their boss for increasing their stress levels.
Whether you have just been promoted to a managerial role, or you are simply looking to improve your leadership skills, most sources will tell you the most important skill all managers need is good communication.
It’s easy enough to say that leaders must be able to explain their thoughts clearly and listen to their staff, but what does communication competence actually consist of? Learn More
While some colleagues are able to work in one conference room or stop by each other’s office to collaborate on a task, not all organisations are able to accommodate this. Learn More
