Summer is done and football season has begun. As fall kicks into high gear, it is a great opportunity to reevaluate your company’s productivity. Since this is something we are always trying to improve on, I thought I would give a few tricks and tips I’ve picked up on to help beat those end-of-summer blues around the office.
1. Create Goals
I think that there is very little question that having your own goals for your company and for yourself is absolutely necessary. Something that often gets overlooked is making sure that your employees also have their own set of written goals. Not only will this give your employees a sense of purpose and placement, but it will also provide you with a very insightful look as to what they think they are supposed to be accomplishing versus what you actually want them to be accomplishing. Sometimes, the biggest hindrance to someone being productive is that they simply do not know what they are supposed to be doing (even when it seems abundantly obvious to you!). Usually, employees know the big lofty goals such as increase sales, but do not know the specific steps to accomplishing those goals. Good leaders excel at converting something ambiguous to something behavioral. Make sure that the goals are challenging but also realistic. Give them the goal of increasing sales or bettering customer service, but see what their specific steps are to accomplishing that goal. Then, go over the plan and help them figure out the best method of attack. Change cannot happen if there is no clarity. By being exact, it becomes much easier for the employee to accomplish their goals and it also becomes much easier to evaluate them on their progress. When a consensus is reached of what the employees or team of employees goals are, it gives a sense of team spirit which greatly motivates productivity.
2. Make a list for the next day in the last 10 minutes of this day
Research shows that success in the business world isn’t about how smart you are-only fourteen percent (14%) of Fortune 500 companies are led by ivy leaguers. We all know that success doesn’t occur because of the resources you have acquired. Rather, success in business (and in life) is primarily achieved through preparation. I have really taken this to heart. For the past few years, at the end of every work day I formulate a specific list of what I want to accomplish on the following work day. That way, when I come in I invest no time in getting ‘back into the swing of things”, but rather, jump right in on my day. I found this to be immensely helpful in making my day significantly more productive. By doing this simple step, it reminds me of what I was working on the day before and provides me a leg up on my day. I try and follow the mindset of Mark Twain which has since been adopted by many in the business community."If you know you have to swallow a frog, swallow it first thing in the morning. If there are two frogs, swallow the big one first." Meaning: if you have something unpleasant, really important, or a big task-start working on that first. Making sure that your employees are dedicated to this model will ensure that the things that have to get done get done. I try and make sure I give myself more than what I HAVE to get accomplished for the day, so that I am always pushing myself it cross more off of my list. When your employees create this system for themselves, it is much easier to determine what exactly was accomplished in their day and where productivity can improve. It is also great incentive for your employees to get to work. Accountability always increases productivity.
I will post the continuation of this list later on today! Got to start being productive now! :)
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