All managers want their employees to be as productive as possible, a goal that – given the chronically high levels of employee disengagement across the workforce – would seem none too easy to attain. Yet despite certain challenges, there are some simple managerial steps that can position those in charge for productive success. Here are five no-cost methods that managers can use to boost their productivity.
Set carefully chosen employee job objectives that are ambitious but attainable –
Most managers spend a fraction of the time they should developing clear measurable employee objectives. They also do not spend enough time involving employees in the process. Well-conceived goals are crucial. Without goals it is impossible for employees to arrive at the right place, as they will be unclear as to where they should be heading.
Manage objectives –
Just because solid objectives are in place, there is no guarantee that they will be attained. Studies show that accountability, (holding employees to results that have earlier been agreed to) is not a common management strength. Establishing meaningful objectives is a sound first step, but it means little if these targets aren’t firmly managed too.
Keep employees in a productive frame of mind –
Expect excellence and diligence, but treat people decently and respectfully along the way. It’s amazing how a respectful attitude toward employees fosters energy and productivity, while disrespect breeds discontent and disengagement. Mind-set matters! Employees need to be in a positive mind-set to do their best. People need to be positively energized if they are expected to go above and beyond.
Provide Ample Recognition –
Whilst the desire for recognition is a critical issue within any establishment, it must be understood that recognition does not have to have a monetary value. What employees often want the most is meaningful personal recognition from their direct manager. Acknowledgement does not have to be fancy. It simply needs to be honest appreciation for a job well done. Recognition aids in keeping employees in the desired productive mind-set.
Listen and innovate –
One of the most productive things a manager can do with his or her employees is simply to listen. Ask employees for input. Employees are usually the individuals closest to the actual work, which means that they often have the best grassroots ideas on how to innovate and improve daily operations. The very act of being taken seriously and listened to by management has value. It helps employees feel engaged and a part of the team.
All of these approaches will aid in raising the levels of productivity within an organisation without costing a penny. Now isn’t that productive!
The topic of genetics continuously presents a fascinating conversation to us. It is one in which perhaps an end may never be determined. Facets of our everyday lives throw us into contact with a potpourri of characters and personalities in the people that we interact with. The work place being no exception.
While the many variances in personalities and orientation may foster breakthroughs in innovative and diverse approaches and ideas, this diversity of breeds and thoughts can undoubtedly present the possibility of a chaotic atmosphere if not contained.
In a contained and controlled setting, these clashes may foster passionate exchanges of ideas that lead to innovation, improved productivity and stronger teams. In these instances, participants avoid personality-focused comments. When however, workplace conflict becomes personality-driven, it becomes destructive. It polarizes the workplace, distracts from the work, wastes time and energy and forces talented employees to leave.
In identifying these differences and their effects on workplace productivity, the NCPC ponders the question, “Are we prone by nature through our engraved genetics to be more productive than others or can our “productivity gene” be nurtured and groomed towards becoming more effective, productive and efficient in the work environment?
The NCPC takes the all assuming stance that while nature plays a significant role in the workforce productivity, nurture has the upper hand!
We can agree that Effective Leadership may very well be the catalyst to creating more conducive atmospheres for teamwork and creation of new leaders.
Excellent leaders know that identifying and nurturing leadership qualities in the team helps to increase productivity and presents people who are ready to step up to the plate when organizational changes occur, making new leaders necessary. Within the workplace, a good practice is to identify a number of people to whom certain functions can be delegated, these may include leadership roles.
With this in mind, it is important that leaders seek to avoid the trap of the “Crown Prince Syndrome” where the focus is on the development of only one individual. The development of all team members is important to the success of the workplace and will provide the organisation with a talent pool while also ensuring a viable succession plan in the event of unplanned employee departure.
Here are four characteristics of essential leadership qualities worthy of nurturing for continuity of the work plan and increase in workplace productivity:
Good Interpersonal Skills:
Excellent interpersonal communication skills are essential for a leader of any size team. If you notice that an employee is able to communicate effectively on different levels and adjust the conversation to the needs of the person they are communicating to, you have a potential leader among your staff.
Good Time Management Skills:
Leaders must be able to manage their own time and meet deadlines, especially those that impact on other team members’ tasks. Give your staff tasks and see who manages their own time effectively to complete the tasks. These are good leaders in the making.
Ability to Take the Initiative
Leaders must be able to respond quickly to solve problems and to take the initiative to prevent problems proactively from occurring. Anyone who not only can work unsupervised and still produce excellent work, but who will take the initiative to come up with a solution or solve a problem is well worth nurturing.
Ability to Work with Others in the Team
Every leader has to work with a myriad of personalities in a team environment. If you have staff members who consistently produce their best work when collaborating with others, you could have potential leaders. Good teamwork is a key leadership skill.
Now it is time to Nurture! Identify the potential leaders in the team, encourage the individuals to take on some small leadership roles, mentor and support the person to grow their leadership skills, and provide training in specific areas of leadership. Identifying and nurturing potential leaders in your team takes some time and dedication, but in doing so the workplace is provided with skilled individuals who are ready to take on the challenges of leadership when needed!
In a world of increasing global competition, many businesses are progressively working towards increasing their levels of competitiveness. Competitive business enterprises are those firms that manage all of its resources and competencies to increase profits. It is therefore important to learn important lessons from other businesses that have successfully increased their level of competitiveness in both the regional and international markets. These lessons can be tweaked to suit the conditions of other up and coming entrepreneurs or businesses in the local economy.
Entrepreneurs usually start out with a brilliant idea, product or culture that they hope to be different and stand out among the many. While it is important to take small steps at a time and to focus on the job at hand, they can envision their venture becoming one of the greatest ones that has the potential to become highly successful.
Unfortunately, it does not always turn out this way. Even a brilliant idea may not materialise the way intended. Even viral successful businesses or entrepreneurs have fizzled out in time. For example Henry Ford, ruined his reputation with a couple of failed automobile businesses. However, he was able to find a partner who had faith in him. Ford learnt from his mistakes and went on to establish the Ford Motor Company that went on to change the automobile industry.
The truth is markets can be brutally competitive. Therefore, entrepreneurs need to ask the question: What distinguishes the few entrepreneurs that make it over the long haul from the thousands that don’t? There are some actions that entrepreneurs can take early to set the stage for successful competitive businesses in the future. The following are some fundamental principles for competitive businesses:
Be passionate and make sure you enjoy what you are doing. The most successful entrepreneurs love working on their ventures; they cannot imagine themselves doing anything else. These are the type of people who respond to emails from their clients at all hours of the night and cannot help pitch their company to every single guest at a party. Inspiration creates a drive to take the business seriously and to keep focused when there are moments of doubt, especially when they come from you or others.
A closed mind is a death sentence for your business. When entrepreneurs have poured their energy, life savings and untold hours in the business- it is hard to stay open-minded about where it needs to go to be better. Entrepreneurs usually start with an idea and thematically it is correct and makes sense, but there may be flaws in some way. Therefore, adjustments must be made to the business model. Entrepreneurship is a discovery process, not one of failure so mistakes are to be expected.
Focus on the customer. The business should be all about your customers or clients. The customers are the people that will ultimately decide whether the business will be successful or not. All aspects of the business must be customer focused, including policies, warranties, payment options, operating hours, presentations, advertising, promotional campaign and website. In addition, the customer must be known inside out. Consider Zappos one of the world’s largest online clothing and shoe stores founded by entrepreneur- Nick Swinmurn. The company uses call centre technology to track average call time per agent. However, the goal is not to reduce this average, but more importantly to create an emotional connection with the customer, rather than quickly getting off the phone.
Hire people who are smarter than you. There will always be people who are smarter than you. If you are lucky enough to find these people, hire them. Focus on the things that you are best at, and give them the freedom to do the same.
Entrepreneurship is considered an important activity in increasing a country’s competitiveness and growth. New and unique business ventures have become important to many countries because they contribute significantly to job creation. More importantly, entrepreneurs play a key role in creating value in a unique way through creative business ideas and innovation in the market. Entrepreneurship contributes to competitiveness by introducing innovation, bringing about market changes, enhancing rivalry and creating competition.
The National Competitiveness & Productivity Council (NCPC) was established to recommend and coordinate reforms that would boost Saint Lucia’s level of competitiveness. The NCPC has provided recommendations to the Government on ways to increase entrepreneurial activity. Additionally, the Council is looking forward to coordinating a few reforms and projects to boost or support entrepreneurial activity in the local economy in the near future.
Continuing their efforts to enhance productivity in Saint Lucia, the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) in collaboration with the Trade Union Federation (TUF) have organised a two day productivity workshop, the objective being to educate members of the TUF on the subject of productivity. The event, which is set to take place on the 25th and 26th February 2015 aims to work towards the formulation of policies that can be advocated by the trade union movement towards enhancing the productivity of its members. In doing so, the workshop intends to aid in sensitising members on the role that needs to be taken by trade unions in an effort to drive productivity.
The first day of the workshop will focus on exploring the concept of productivity. Activities will concentrate on defining the notion and clarifying misconceptions. The day’s undertakings will also draw reference to the findings of the first National Productivity Study ever conducted in Saint Lucia. The study which was commissioned by the NCPC last year, measured productivity levels in the economy from the year 2000 through to 2013. The second day of the workshop will relate directly to the Trade Union Movement and productivity. The latter part of the day will focus on prioritising ideas which were discussed earlier.
The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council’s Marketing Analyst/ Productivity Officer Geraldine Bicette-Joseph states, ‘The NCPC is elated that the Trade Union Federation has taken the initiative and made the decision to collaborate with us on this project. As a major stakeholder in Saint Lucia, they are leading by example in showing their willingness to work at and discuss productivity issues with their members. This in turn demonstrates that they recognise the importance of productivity development and the need to make continuous improvements within their workplaces.’
She continues, ‘The two day event will not only work towards the formulation of ideas which can be advocated by the TUF, but also on the development of personal productivity which is a must when starting the process of change.’
Speakers at the event will include Mrs Fiona Hinkson, Technical Co-ordinator at the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council’ Technical Secretariat, Mr John Pilgrim, Head of the Barbados National Productivity Council and Mr. Janai Leonce, Deputy Chief Economist at the Ministry of Finance. The workshop is scheduled to take place at the Pastoral Centre in Eastwinds, Gros Islet.
Few would dispute the benefits of a good education. The attainment of high academic achievement helps in furthering careers, aids in informed decision making and allows for the obtainment of better pay. Whilst education plays a significant role in personal development from a young age, extracurricular activities are also key.
Recent reports indicate that extracurricular activities, such as basketball, baseball, tennis, debating, chess clubs, student council, band practice, drama, choir and computer clubs aid in the rounding out of a students’ academic career. Besides being fun and a great way to socialize with peers, extracurricular activities can enhance a students’ time management and stress management skills, helping to improve their overall productivity.
Within the online article, “The Importance of Extracurricular Activities for Teens”, on the ‘I Have a Plan Iowa!’ website, school counsellor Kenny Smith states, “Studies show that students in extracurricular activities have higher academic scores. They learn to manage their time, relieve stress and learn to strive for excellence in more than one thing. Students who are involved in team sports learn to work in groups. Their written and oral communication skills also improve. These things cross over into real life.”
The development of social skills, improved academic performance, and the ability to build strong supportive relationships with adults (other than parents), can also result through extracurricular activities. However, what is learned through the experience depends largely on the age of the child. Benefits to younger children include social and academic skill development which can lead to improved conflict management and better school attendance. Pre-teens become more engaged at school and more attentive in class. They are also less likely to be involved in violent behaviour during school time. Benefits to adolescents are the most significant however. Older teens need guidance to grow into productive adulthood. They need to be deterred from anti-social behaviour and steered towards positive practices. With most extracurricular activities being held straight after school, teens remain engaged during hours usually associated with adolescent misconduct. Also, activities engaged in provide extra time for career exploration, skill development, service learning and internships, which are vital aids to those about to leave school.
Presently extracurricular activities also bear some importance within tertiary education establishments who look to the activities listed on college and university applications when determining whether an applicant would be a productive student.
As Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz states in her Huffington Post article ‘What College Admissions Offices Look for in Extracurricular Activities’,
“Admissions officers look first at test scores, the rigor of the courses you take, and your grades in those courses. After that, they are interested in a student’s extracurricular activities — in other words, how you spend your time outside of classes. Colleges care about the character of people they admit; therefore, what you do after school, during weekends and over summers tells them a lot about the kind of person you are.’
She goes on’ “Extracurricular activities are the major way students can demonstrate how unique they are, possibly more interesting, even “better” than other student applicants.”
There are certain skills that need to be developed over time which will aid in the shaping of a productive individual. Yet, it must be remembered that the development of an individual is measured not only in terms of intellectual capacity but also in character and social skills. Therefore, to allow for a well-rounded development of the youth, students should be encouraged and properly guided in all of their activities (curricular and extracurricular). Productive extracurricular activities that do not undermine academic performance should be encouraged and utilized as avenues to teach the qualities of ethical leadership, team work and so much more.
There is no such thing as a non-mobile professional anymore. From lunchtime meetings and conferences to international and regional events, working outside the office is nearly as common as being behind an office desk.
To stay informed and connected, you need the right tools for the job. Here are a few that will help you stay productive regardless of your location:
- Keep your notes in order with Evernote.
With Evernote one can keep notes, pictures, important documents, websites, to-do lists, and voice reminders synced across many devices. Organize notes by notebooks, and search by keywords, tags, location, or date. Evernote is available for virtually every device you own (yes, even a BlackBerry), so you’ll have access to take your notes wherever—and whenever—you need them.
- Access Microsoft Office documents on the go with Quick Office
Read, create, or edit Office documents, regardless of what device you’re using. While it’s not a replacement for the full Office experience, Quick Office is incredibly useful when you need to access a Word, PowerPoint or Excel document away from your desktop.
- Get reminded by Google Now
Rather than checking a dozen different apps, Google Now reminds you of important things with a simple glance or notification. No matter which device you use, Google Now can help you keep track of nearly everything.
- Access files from anywhere with Google Drive.
When we travel and work across multiple devices, keeping track of the latest versions of files and collaborating with co-workers can be impossible without a good cloud solution.
Google Drive is available on any device and, backed by the power of Google’s servers, virtually never goes down. You’ll barely notice a difference between files stored on Drive and files stored locally.
Developing Habits to Work Smarter, Not Harder
If the long hours you work are always a topic of conversation, you are probably a victim of working harder, not smarter. All the tools in the world will not help you if you’re not strategically using your time. Here are some simple habits to help boost your productivity when you are on the move:
- Don’t forget what the word “urgent” means. This doesn’t mean you have to respond to everyone who demands your attention, but urgent phone calls and emails should not have to wait until you’re back in the office. People should know that they can reach you if they need to—no matter where you are.
- Be your own Trapper Keeper. Keep your calendar pristine and synced on all devices so your team knows where you are. Take good notes during conference calls so you can keep track of what’s urgent and what can wait. Recording things on your device (so they’re searchable) is helpful when it comes to recalling important details and prioritizing tasks.
- Bond over drinks, delays, and proximity. Being productive on the go doesn’t just mean reacting to what others are asking you to do. Take advantage of networking opportunities throughout the journey. Grab a drink, a cup of coffee/tea at the airport, introduce yourself to a stranger in the hotel reception and always say hello to the people seated next to you on airplanes. Seize & create networking opportunities.
While we’re always trying to squeeze more work out of our minutes, we could be missing out on other things, like potential business relationships. Carry plenty of business cards with you so you’re ready when opportunities present themselves; one benefit of not being chained to your desk is being able to meet new people who won’t serendipitously wander through your office.
Working outside the office doesn’t automatically mean losing productivity. You can still collaborate with your team, access your work files, and stay secure across your devices. With the right tools and the right approach, you can work from anywhere!