As a leader, there is a lot that you can do to help make your team more productive and fulfilled in their positions, and one of the biggest ways you can do that is by protecting their sanity. There are so many things that could potentially fall onto their plates each and every day that really have no business being there, so today I wanted to discuss some ways that you can help your team cut through the clutter and protect their sanity in the process.
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Politics and Posturing
As a leader you need to protect your team from politics and posturing inside the company. And that culture begins with you. When looking good matters more than getting valuable stuff done, there’s a serious problem in your company. When you promote somebody based on the fact that you like that person’s personality vs somebody else who maybe is a little bit tougher to get along with but they’re better at that role, that’s a problem. When your team spends a lot of time gossiping and talking about others behind their back that is a problem. So pay close attention to your actions and the actions of those in leadership roles within your business to help protect the sanity of everyone involved. And don’t be afraid to step in and say something that you feel could be important to your team.
Stupid Rules
Some business owners love rules. And a lot of the time, they are really stupid rules. Let’s say that Judy in accounting wants to go watch her daughter’s performance at school, but you won’t let her because it’s during the work day. That’s a stupid rule. And it doesn’t really benefit anyone. She works a desk job and is always reliable and meets deadlines. Instead of telling her no, you could show them they matter by sending her daughter flowers with a note that says “I hope the performance went well. Your mom is so proud of you. She talks about you all the time. From the entire team here at Acme Inc, congratulations on a wonderful performance!” Can you imagine how that would feel to Judy that you cared enough, and that the company cared enough to support her and her daughter?
Or does it really matter if Joe’s dog starts barking during a zoom meeting and he has to go on mute? Or if Linda’s daughter popped her head into her mom’s office to bring her a cup of coffee or a snack. Of course not, we are all human and a little bit of common sense goes a long way to protecting your team’s sanity. Now of course, if it’s a client meeting or a sales call there may be different protocols. So have a good look at the rules that you have in place and consider if they are really helping or hurting your team as a whole.
Higher Value Tasks
By cutting through the clutter, silly rules, politics and office drama you can not only create a better environment for your team to thrive in but you may be amazed at how much more you get done and how much faster you are able to grow as a result.