I supervise a new team at work & want to encourage them to take initiative instead of waiting to be told what to do. Everyone is clear on their duties altough all seem to wait for my direction. How can I get them to make decisions of their own & get on with the job in hand.
2006-11-22 06:44:22 · 8 answers · asked by vic 4 in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment
fourbytwo pretty much nailed it! I was a new team leader to my brand new team of 10 contact centre advisers and was terrified!! but 3 years later I have all the same staff (very unusual in contact centre!) by not doing the 'do as I say, not as I do' thing.. lead by example and always promote the positive and coach the negative. Offer alternatives,not just 'this is wrong - sort it'. Stay human - you were once in their shoes.. how did you want to be managed? stay true to yourself and don't be a tw*t and you'll gain respect. Finally nobody does anything unless it suits them - point out how it would further their career to be seen to take the initiative, or at least ensure they get their performance related pay!!
2006-11-22 09:13:42 · answer #1 · answered by kerrykittiecat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get them in your office individually and have a talk with them telling them the direction you want to take is for them to work on their own initiative and you will support them , also ask them is there any input they would like to give and is there anything that they would like to see changed and why, make them feel a part of what is going on, praise them for what effort they have put in, just good man management, encourage ,encourage, smile when you talk , listen to their moans, you must have been where they are now what did you want then.
2006-11-22 14:56:25 · answer #2 · answered by john r 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The true question is why are they waiting? If you are a new manager, they may be hesitant to act on their own without approval. If you are an existing manager, your reputation may proceed you. If a new team, they may be waiting on precise direction until the situation settles down a bit. Or, the employees may be so down-trodden that they feel that they have to CYA every task.
Find out the reason they are not self-motivated, and address that concern.
2006-11-22 15:07:48 · answer #3 · answered by Big Super 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with the one person.
Ask them for a status report on the last day of the week. It should include what they accomplished that week...what they plan to accomplish the following week...and then let you know of any days that they plan to be out of the office coming up. This will give them some sense of empowerment and help guide communications.
At a staff meeting, I would also tell them what your expectations are. Tell me that you trust them to get the job done and that you don't need to signoff on every little details. Let them know that you are there to get obsticles out of their way that prevent them from doing their job, but you aren't there to look over their shoulders and approve of every step along the way.
You will make progress after giving this speech, but you will still have some people that continue to bug you. Old habits die hard.
2006-11-22 14:55:43 · answer #4 · answered by BAM 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You've had some good advice already and I would add to that:
Get each team member to write a self development plan identifying where they are now, where they want to be and how/what they need to learn. If you set them objectives are they SMART?
Motivate with praise - remember praise in public- coach in private.
Hold one to one sessions and discuss openly your wish to see demonstrations of self management within the scope of any authorities you have issued. Ensure your coaching skills are up to scratch. Seek feedback and remember negative feedback can help you improve. If you were experienced in all of these areas i suspect you wouldn't be asking the question.
2006-11-22 16:00:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
On a weekly basis, ask them to set their own goals and objectives and at the end of the week, ask them to send you what they achieved and what they did not. You can also paticipate in setting their goals and objectives for the following week.
Give them more responsibilities, do not answer questions for which they already know answers, just follow up and you start asking questions and status updates. Meet with them regularly for short meetings and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to do.
2006-11-22 14:48:15 · answer #6 · answered by yezdi 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put hidden cold chocolate coins at work. They have to show initiative to get the coins. If they don't like chocolate, use beef or lamb.
2006-11-22 14:46:58 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
go get the one minute manager bok from the library. it wil help u loads. very american,but an easy read.............and it works!
2006-11-23 17:58:33 · answer #8 · answered by bigross1uk 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋