Preparing your team for the final dash!
As a team you always the team to not slow down when reaching the finish line, instead you want them to push harder because the effort at the finish line defines the final outcome. It might seem to a few that this is the last quarter & they have proved enough over these last 9 months and now it’s time to relax. However, it’s upto the leader to push them hard for the Final Dash!
So as a leader it’s imperative that you get your team back into action & motivate them to capitalize on all the efforts put in the entire year & finish what was started at the beginning of the year. So here’s what should be the leaders approach for pepping up the team to not slow down & go hard for the final dash.
ALIGN ‘WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE TEAM’ WITH THE BIGGER PICTURE
It’s that time of the year when the team has to accelerate & not press the brake. The leader has to help & motivate the team to improve & enhance their performance so that they put their best foot forward. He/she has to make the team realize that the situation is; either ‘You miss out if you don’t go for the final dash’. It’s the managers responsibility to use his team members potencan tial to the fullest & play on his/ her strengths. In this last quarter with the correct motivation the leader can get the team member to even move from a ‘Meets expectations’ category to a ‘Far exceeds expectation’ rating. Bringing in the right focus is imperative so as to drive results.
DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY
The 4th quarter is not the end but it’s the prime-time. In this last quarter, the leader should have a quick recap on how the past 9 months have been and what has to be done differently in this final dash because there is always scope for improvement.
Managers should look at some specific areas that needs to be definitely done differently:
REVIEW STRONG
The manager should set up a strong review mechanism with the team. Review your teams work periodically & provide more constructive feedback so that they can improve. This phase also provides scope for development as everyone is performing under pressure & wants to deliver the maximum. Have one-on-one meetings with team members as that can result with understanding challenges faced by the team & creative ideas to cope up with it. Such meetings also help you re-energize your team.
ENCOURAGE
This is the perfect time to provide recognition to the employees. People work harder & are positive when they feel valued. Employees need to feel that their efforts are being observed hence, instant recognition is very important in this quarter so as to ensure employees give their 110%.
CREATE HEALTHY INTERNAL COMPETITION
Create healthy competition within the team members. This is called ‘Gamifying’ in the industry. In this competition the manager has to ensure everyone is a winner and not losers so that the manager and the employees both remain in the win-win situation. This way everyone does their best & manager gets the best results as well.
In this entire journey of keeping the employee motivated to do more, the managers are the one who are looked up to for motivation. So, the manager himself has to be an example for his employees as action speaks louder than the words & everyone has to roll up their sleeves for the Final Dash!
The author is executive director - HR & admin, Motilal Oswal Financial Services