Your team may not be lazy or unaccountable—just confused. Here’s what you can do about it…
I was coaching a group of leaders inside a manufacturing facility. The plant manager had privately confided to me his frustration that his team was not accountable and he needed my help to develop more accountable leaders.
As we embarked on The Coach Approach to Leadership™ journey, it became evident to me that he was NOT experiencing an accountability issue.
My time with the leaders in the group sessions and in their one-on-one coaching sessions revealed that they were committed to the goals of the facility and were motivated to be successful.
What was missing for them was CLARITY. The plant manager often unknowingly did what I call “drive-by delegating.” You know, when a leader is super busy and spouts out instructions as they pass you in the hallway or on the production floor.
This leader’s team often didn’t fully understand WHAT they were being asked to do—and they definitely weren’t able to differentiate between competing priorities.
There were times they didn’t understand WHY what they were being asked to do was important or HOW they needed to approach accomplishing certain goals.
And much of the gap was coming from the differences in their natural wiring.
Once we identified the REAL source causing the gap, we were able to help them close it.
The Plant Manager made adjustments as did his team. As a result, they:
-Began scoring As and Bs on internal company audits they’d previously scored Ds and Fs on, and
-Significantly improved production and change-over metrics.
***The front-line employees noticed and commented on the changes they were noticing in the plant.
***The plant manager and his leaders experienced more alignment, less stress, and were able to accomplish goals faster.
As a leader, are you sure your team is CLEAR on priorities, decision-making authority and what ‘right’ looks like?
What are some ways you create clarity for your team?