Before you ask your team to push harder, consider what might need adjusting.
Think about a planning meeting where everyone left feeling good about the direction.
- Priorities are clear (Check!)
- Responsibilities are assigned (Check!)
- You’re ready to get moving (Check!)
Then the work begins.
Someone waits for approval that another person didn’t realize they needed. A deadline shifts, but the people downstream find out too late. Two capable people deliver different versions of what they thought “done” meant.
It’s tempting to look at those moments and think, “We just talked about this.”
You probably did. The question is whether the agreement was as clear in practice as it sounded in the meeting. (that is worth reading again!)
As you settle into Q4, this is a useful time to look at what the work is teaching you. You don’t need to throw out the plan or schedule another strategy retreat. You may just need to revisit a few assumptions before they become habits. (that is also worth reading again!)
Look at the friction before asking for more effort
When a team hits resistance, asking people to “work through the problem” can feel like the responsible leadership move.
But take a moment to consider where that effort is going.
Are people doing the work, or spending time figuring out who can make a decision? Are they solving a customer’s problem, or redoing something because expectations changed without a conversation?
Here’s a question worth reflecting on:
Where am I asking for more effort when my team really needs a clearer agreement?
Look back over the past week and pick one moment when work stalled, a conversation had to be repeated, or someone was surprised by an outcome.
Be specific. “We need better communication” is difficult to act on. “We changed the delivery date without checking with the team responsible for fulfilling it” gives you somewhere to start.
Get curious about the gap
In racing, you can be committed to the finish and still recognize that the setup needs attention because track conditions are changing. Making an adjustment doesn’t mean you’ve lost confidence in the objective. It means you’re paying attention to what’s happening.
That’s a useful way to think about alignment.
Bring the people involved into a short conversation and ask:
- What did each of us understand the agreement to be?
- What happened when we put it into practice?
- Where would greater clarity have helped?
Consider the phrase “keep me informed.”
To you, that might mean a Friday update. To someone on your team, it might mean checking in before making a decision. Both people can believe they’re honoring the agreement while creating frustration for the other.
That’s a conversation worth having before you conclude that someone isn’t listening or asking them to work harder!
Where could one clearer agreement help your team perform better next week?