Not only managers influence the team, but they play an important role. The Oxygen project, which is a Google research initiative, decided to find out what qualities make managers the most effective employees.
What is needed to become the best?
Specialists managed to find out that the best Google managers are expanding the capabilities of their teams and are not involved in micromanagement. How did this curious study begin? Google suggested that bosses are not needed at all by employees. In an attempt to prove this, the Oxygen project was created, but the result was the exact opposite. It turned out that managers are not only of great importance to the team, but can also affect the productivity of employees.
The project did not stop to clarify this fact. Specialists wanted to find out what qualities are important for managing a team. It turned out that the most important is the expansion of the team. The first thing that a person needs for effective work is motivation. It does not matter how highly qualified the employee is, his contribution will be insignificant until he is set a goal that coincides with his moral and ethical standards.
One of the easiest ways to increase team engagement is through delegation and autonomy. Of course, there are limitations. The manager should not leave projects completely without control. But there are a number of tasks that can be performed without constant checks.
How to determine what you can delegate?
To help managers do their job, Google advises them to think about the following aspects:
- Purpose. What the company wants to achieve in the end. What does a team need to do to achieve these goals? Break the work into subtasks and delegate those that do not need your direct control.
- Analyze your strengths and weaknesses. Delegate what you do not do very well.
- Find the person who is best suited for the tasks. Create a strategy and use employees based on their strengths. In the process, you will not only expand the capabilities of the team, but also increase its productivity.
Being a boss is not an easy job. You are required to constantly mentor, control and analyze the situation. Some tasks are so time-consuming that many overload themselves and burn out. As a result, both the company and the team suffer, and you turn from a good manager into a bad one. In order to achieve long-term goals, you need to do a lot of work. Google divided the whole process into seven steps.
Take a job review
This is the first stage, which allows you to determine and understand the scope of work and the significance of the project. Be sure to share with your employees why you chose them, and what impact their work will have on business, the environment, or people's lives. Use the chance to inspire and tune the team in a positive way.
Describe your expectations
After you distribute the amount of work and tasks, contact each employee separately. This can be done both at the general meeting and in person. Discuss the desired result and describe as much as possible what you want to get as a result. But avoid dictating to people exactly how to achieve this. It is important to give employees freedom and autonomy - so they can learn and gain experience, and not just follow orders.
Lead a dialogue
Meetings should not resemble a one-way street.Remember that your ultimate goal is to make employees independent and proactive. Make sure they have all the information they need to work.
Listen to comments and be open
A new project is uncharted territory for your subordinates. Try to reduce their anxiety and create a psychologically safe environment in which they will feel comfortable. Then instead of making mistakes, they will turn to you for help.
Tell us how the task relates to a common goal.
Remember motivation? If a person knows what and why he is doing, his productivity will be higher. Make sure that the employee knows how the task entrusted to him affects the entire project.
Support your team
Employees will be afraid to take full responsibility until you directly ask them to do so. Make sure they understand that you trust them to achieve results.
Set specific deadlines and “control points”
Although your employees will have autonomy, make sure that they are aware of specific deadlines. So they will be able to evaluate their progress.
Delegation is not the easiest thing. But you should consider this as an investment. Your subordinates will learn, and you will get more time to solve other problems - in the end, everyone will benefit.