7 Tips To Make Your Staff's Productivity Soar

1.  Be A Role Model - If you have good work habits and are very productive yourself, chances are high that your staff will try to mirror you and follow suit.  Model the behavior that you would like your staff to have. "Do as I say, not as I do" does not go over well.

2.  Make A Plan - Being a good manager begins with proper planning --and the right planning saves countless time and money.  Without a plan, your efficiency will suffer.  Your successes and performances will also lack consistency.

3.  Recognize The Different Sides Of Management - Recognize that being a good manager is both an art and a science.  The art involves developing team members so that they work most effectively.  The science consists of instilling the 4 basic fundamentals in your daily professional life: Plan, Organize, Direct and Monitor.

4.  Create Realistic Goals - People respond well to goals.  It feels great to hit a goal and check it off a "to-do" list.  But make sure that you set realistic goals with an achievable time frame.

5.  Evaluate Your Staff - Make sure that your staff is aware that you are reviewing their work and that they know what is being monitored, measured, and rewarded.  Do not wait to review people on a quarterly basis or you will find yourself unable to correct things in a timely manner. Create and maintain a timely and efficient means of tracking progress.

6.  Keep Your Staff Happy - A happy worker is a more productive worker.  Make sure that you do everything you can to create a positive work atmosphere.  It can also be a good idea to rotate responsibilities from time to time in order to keep your staff from becoming bored.

7.  Limit Your Meetings - While meetings can be extremely important and necessary, do not fall into a rut where you have meetings over every little thing.  Only include people who absolutely need to be there, stay on topic, and keep your meetings as brief as possible.  This way your staff can spend their time doing what is most important -- their job!

Executive Summary:  Great management skills and techniques do not occur accidentally.  They require constant refinement -- refinement that comes with experience, training, and mentoring.  Increased productivity and efficiency will also motivate your team and they will enjoy the opportunity to provide feedback on your forward-thinking solutions. 

Courtesy: Dale Carnegie® Training Newsletter