There’s no doubt that creating a healthy team environment leads to better engagement, lower turnover and better results. And behind every successful organization is a leader who is tasked with motivating their team and maintaining the company’s vision.
Success in business requires persistence, self-confidence, and kindness, among other factors. However, leaders know that in a given day there’s a never-ending to-do list that requires their attention.
Below, busy leaders share their high performance productivity habits that maximize the day ahead.
Delegate work
This is one of the most efficient ways to avoid micromanaging. Give the responsibility for completing a project to others, but allow them to sort out the best way to go about accomplishing it. Passing the torch on gives your team a chance to prove how capable, and committed they are to reaching company goals.
Communicate goals
Share what it is you want to accomplish with the team who support you. For Kevin Hobbs, the CEO of The Vanbex Group, this means keeping his team apprised of any new developments and changes that are happening within the industry.
Kevin Hobbs explains, “Our team gathers for a weekly meeting to share stories, give updates on all things relevant to them, the company, and the industry. Here I like to share my thoughts about what is going on and draw similarities and synergies to my Vision of what we are doing. This helps our people see just how relevant and important what we are doing is. It also gives them a chance to ask me anything. It’s always a really good conversation and a way to make sure everybody is on board with the same goals and believe into our Vision.”
Practice gratitude
Organizational Psychologist and author Nicole Lipkin says that leaders should practice daily gratitude because it breeds engagement, more positive interactions, and builds resistance. Lipkin also believes that gratitude helps leaders embrace their accomplishments but at the same time, keeps their egos in check.
Call instead of email
Though email is an effective way to relay information quickly, it can sometimes result in misinterpretation. According to CEO Sarah LeFleur, picking up the phone and making a call is a much more effective way to communicate, especially when a potential issue arises.
“As soon as a conversation starts to get complicated or gnarly, phone is a much better medium to communicate,” she says.
Be present
CEO of McKinsey & Company Dominic Barton weighs in on this important habit: “When I’m with people during the day, I’m doing my best to be focused, I’m present with them. Part of this is because I get energy from being with people. But the other part is because if you’re not focused, if you’re not present, it’s discouraging to the other people. They lose motivation. If you’re not present, I think you may as well not have the meeting. It can sometimes be difficult to do, but it’s always important.”
Most importantly, leaders who are highly productive establish clear goals for what they want to achieve long term. They focus on what matters and realize that staying on course is the best plan of action.
