Think of your team like pieces of a productivity puzzle and how well they fit together will determine your success. Very often, good leaders are have a puzzle picture in mind that doesn’t exactly match the pieces.
Sometimes an unexpected variable changes the fit. Imagine what happens if a piece of a cardboard puzzle is put into water. The piece will likely absorb the water, swell up, and no longer snaps into its slot. The puzzle isn’t totally ruined but your definition of completing it has to change.
In your world, a variable of this kind might surround an employee leaving the organization. You hire an otherwise qualified replacement but that person has a slightly different skill set. Not every person can be replaced with a carbon copy.
At this point, you have to decide whether to change your vision or provide additional training to the new employee. This adjustment is very important.
The trap many fall into is trying to force a mismatched piece, or employee, into an improper fit. That’s when things don’t get done, are performed poorly, or see an otherwise good employee mentally check out of the job, due to frustration.
Have you recently surveyed your team to make sure they still fit the picture you have for your group? Would it make sense to provide additional training or make sure that everyone knows their role in the big puzzle picture?
These are tasks that often are forgotten during busy times but putting them off can hurt your team’s productivity.
People like to know what’s expected of them and how they can best contribute to an organization. The lack of vision helps no one, leaving your productivity puzzle as a blurry image.
Maybe it’s time to bring Ken Okel to your next meeting…
Read any good books lately?
