Modern business dealings takes place a fast-paced world where multitasking and juggling a number of various projects is just another normal part of business. Despite the fact that many studies show that humans are just not designed to function with such high levels of stress and activity, managers and companies still expect their employees to produce more results at a faster rate than ever before. If you are one such manager forced to lead hyper-busy teams, here are some management tips to help you and your team succeed amidst the chaos and pressure.
Manage expectations at all levels. The natural assumption is that leaders should manage their subordinates, but it’s also equally important to remember that unreasonable expectations from the top echelon of the company must also be tempered. If the expectation falls more towards the absurd or impossible, it is the manager’s responsibility to have the courage to question the validity of any such requests and then voice concerns and advocating for a fairer, more attainable target for your team.
Arm your team with the necessary tools for achievement. In some cases, despite pushing for more reasonable goals, the pressure to perform may win out. In these instances, work to provide your team with as many resources as possible to lessen the individual burden. Request additional support or staffing in order to help the team manage the extra work. If the work requires the use of software or hardware to help complete the job, secure the approval to make the material readily available as soon as possible.
Set boundaries for appropriate behaviour. At the start of the new project, hold a meeting for the team to come up with creative ideas for how they can succeed in meeting their targets. Come up with constructive and effective options for courses of action in order to keep colleagues from falling into despair or other destructive behaviours. Just as important, discuss what types of behaviours are not acceptable. Discuss tactics that offer short-term gain may not always provide long-term results. Be clear that not only will the team’s achievements will be monitored, but also the ways they achieved their goals. Make it obvious that it is everyone’s responsibility to adhere to the guidelines and to keep team members aligned with the project goals.
Schedule work time. It’s often easy to get distracted in the office, and each time focus is lost, it can take up to twenty minutes to get back into the headspace to tackle the task at hand. That’s a lot of time lost when a tough deadline is looming. Encourage your team to schedule quiet, undisturbed chunks of time in order to accomplish work in a timely manner. By making this a team effort, the collective focus is maintained and will hold the group accountable to their individual contributions.
Maintain strict working hours. As wonderful as email has been to making communications quick and easy, it can also wreak havoc on productivity and morale, especially when we are constantly barraged with emails, even during evening hours or over the weekend. You want
your team to perform at their best, but in order to do so, they also deserve downtime. Set official workable hours for the team and adhere to that agreement. Unless there is a an absolute emergency, your colleagues and subordinates have earned a break from the stress of work. Allow them to fully engage with their life outside of the office so that they can focus on the project when they are at work.
Success for busy, often over-worked teams ultimately comes down to management. Approach deadlines and targets with focus, discipline, and mutual understanding, and you’ll have a winning team working by your side.
