***How Do You Know It’s Working?

Managers, team builders, leaders, directors or anyone that leads a team works hard to get it on track, keep it on track, and be as productive as possible. But what are the steps that it takes to know that all that hard work is actually working. Take the time to do the following steps making them a habit in your management style.

1. Pay Attention/Notice: Awareness is the first step of anything.

2. Ask Questions – Ask your boss, your peers, people in your facility, and employees: • How things are working? • Is anything in the way of getting the work accomplished? • What, if we made a change, would most improve your work experience?

3. Examine Your Beliefs – It may seem very strange, but this is a critical element in knowing if your team is on track. Its importance cannot be overly stressed. Do you believe this is the best team? Do you have confidence in the team? Do you believe each member wants to do well? Your team will know what you believe about them, both as a group and individually, even if you never say a word.

4. Look at performance reports – Know what is going on with performance, but don’t stop there. Where is it that you wish the team to be? What goals or objectives should they be working towards? Do they understand what you want?

5. Identify the "Fire" – what is really going wrong? Always get to the root of the problem that needs solving. Otherwise you will not achieve a comprehensive and satisfactory solution. Do you have all the facts? Was the problem properly investigated? What are you trying to fix and how is it going to be fixed?

6. Write it down – Write ideas down. Just start writing. When you hear an idea from anyone, make sure to write it down. Carry a small note pad and pen at all times in your pocket.

7. Notice - What's NOT Working – It’s OK if something is not working, but you need to figure out why. It may be systemic with no one at fault. But whether it’s a system issue or a human issue, it needs to get corrected.

8. Notice What Is Working – Notice it, praise it, keep it.

9. Be involved – Ask for input from people in your field. Get outside perspectives on how the team is looking.

10. Be Open to Everyone - Ideas can come from many different places. Suggestions for making things easier should be welcomed and considered.

11. Keep Track of New Things Tried – When new ideas are tried keep a file on these so you can feed back to the team on what was tried and how it worked.

Simply by taking a little time to not only look at each member of the team but also at your own way of thinking, it becomes clear if the team is reaching the goals. These are some simple steps to keep a check as a leader, to keep checking that the team is on track. It also shows caring that you are interested in how the members of the team are doing. It shows active involvement from the leader.