Home
>
Team Building
>
If You Can?t See It, They Won?t Do It

If You Can?t See It, They Won?t Do It

Recently, while developing a customer service program, I asked my client to provide me with detailed descriptions of behaviors he wanted his team members to engage in. He called me back a short time later and told me that his department heads were having a difficult time with the assignment. They knew what the employees were doing wrong, but they couldn't put into words what excellent performance looked like.

You may be saying to yourself, "Where did he find these managers? How could they not be able to describe acceptable behavior?" Actually, this situation is very common. Most team leaders know what they want their members to stop doing, but they aren't clear about what they want them to do instead. By following the steps listed below, you will have a clear plan to guide your members to outstanding performance.

Describe What It Looks Like - You need to get clarity about how you want your team members to act. Create a picture in your mind of what outstanding performance looks like. Concentrate on the actual behaviors that are involved. Don't use phrases like an excellent team member would have a good attitude. That leaves too much room for misinterpretation. Focus on the behavior. If team members had good attitudes, what would they do? How would they use their bodies, their voices, what actions would they be taking?

Choose The Most Critical Elements ? Once you have listed the excellent behaviors, prioritize them. List the most critical behavior that absolutely must be done. Then list the second critical behavior, the third, etc. You will come up with a hierarchy of behavioral standards.

Communicate Your Expectations ? Once you have determined the most important behaviors, you must let your staff know what is expected of them. One of the biggest reasons for poor performance is that team leaders are not effective in communicating expectations to their team. Most people want to do a good job. However, ideas of doing a good job are very subjective. You must clearly state the behavior that you expect. If there are areas where employees are weak, provide them with the necessary training to improve their skills.

Give Feedback ? Let your team members know how they are doing. Provide both positive and constructive feedback. Don't wait for the annual evaluation. Feedback should be a continuous process. If a team member is performing at a high level, let him or her know. Often, we don't take time to recognize good behavior, but that is wasting a very important motivational tool. People like to receive praise for a job well done. When they receive that praise, they are more likely to repeat the behavior. Let team members know when their behavior falls short of the mark. Again, focus on the behavior, not the personality. Describe the incorrect behavior and tell them the behavior that is expected. Once they begin to perform in the appropriate way, recognize and praise the new behavior.

Continue To Add New Behaviors ? As team members become adept at key behaviors, it is time to add new ones to the level of expected performance. By setting up expectations in steps, it prevents staff members from feeling overwhelmed. It also allows them to experience the sweetness of success as they gain mastery over the previous skills.

So as you lead your team on a day-by-day basis, remember if you can't see what you want them to do, there is no way they will be able to do it. Follow this plan and you will discover that you have created a high performance team of which you can be proud.

About The Author

Della Menechella is a speaker, author, and trainer who inspires people to achieve greater success from the inside out. She is a contributing author to Thriving in the Midst of Change and the author of the videotape The Twelve Commandments of Goal Setting. She can be reached at della@dellamenechella.com. Subscribe to free Peak Performance Pointers e-zine - send blank e-mail to della@dellamenechella.com.

elite cleaning services Mundelein ..

In The News:

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

If You Can?t See It, They Won?t Do It

Team Building