Seven Things Your Team Needs to Hear from You #6

Making Things Clear

Does your team know what kind of things will get them removed from the team? Do you know? Clarity brings amazing results for a team and as the team leader, it is your job to make things clear. When people know what kind of culture you want to establish (and what is forbidden in your culture), you will make it easier for the right people to get on the bus and to open the exit doors for those who don't share your values.

Thirty years ago, employees were asked what they would do if they were boss for a day. The survey was repeated recently and in both cases, the answer was the same.

THE #1 thing that people would do as boss for the day is to get rid of the slackers. You know who they are: complainers, barely pulling their weight, always coming up with excuses. I know for me over the years that I have been extremely long-suffering towards these kind of people, but it was always because of my optimism that they would "grow into their role." Ninety-percent of the time, they didn't. They didn't just need development - they needed discpline and their lack of it was demotivating the entire team. We would spend inordinate amounts of time trying to work around their issues.

When we let them go it, brought a collective sigh of relief and we could focus on getting the right people on board.

Finally, clarity also means knowing who does what, when and how will we know. This is something that should be very clear at the end of every meeting you have or task you talk about getting done.Yes, we all know that this sounds a lot like outcomes measurement - because it is. If you even dare to ask this question in a muddy meeting, most people will thank you for driving for clarity. In fact, you might even demand that it is put on your meeting agenda form so that you can fill this in as you go through a meeting - and then review it at the beginning of the next one.

So, get that leadership squeegee out and wipe off your windows. You'll thank yourself for taking the time to do so.