Team Health Check Action Guide

QUESTION 1
My performance is measured against outcomes and metrics that are clearly explained.

Watch a brief video that walks you through Gallup’s take on their version of this question.

Defining and clarifying the outcomes that are to be achieved is perhaps the most basic of all employee needs and manager responsibilities. How these outcomes are defined and acted on will vary across business/work units, depending on the goals of the business/work unit.

Key Insights

  1. The need that sits behind this question is “Focus Me”

  2. There is a direct link with clear expectations and right reward and recognition

  3. There are two types of expectations a. What's (Priorities) b. How's (Behaviours).  Both are required to optimise performance

  4. Only 40% of people agree their job descriptions accurately reflect their roles

  5. How you onboard a team member is critical.  Ensure you have some form of induction process, which can be a simple check list with key elements to be done

Team Activity to Unpack

  1. Create a list of the top 4-5 situations in which employees feel conflicted about priorities

  2. Put this on a notice board and then ask the team to add ideas to the list of ways they can help each other communicate needs and priorities during this time

Additional Questions to Ask

  1. How can we be clear in terms of the expectations we have of each other?

  2. What are the best ways for us to communicate what we expect?

  3. What does the organisation expect of us?  What are our essentials?

  4. How can we communicate better when work is busy and we have to quickly move from one task to another?

Suggestions for Action

  1. Communicate each team member’s role and responsibilities and ensure the entire team knows everyone’s responsibilities.  Ensure there are clear job descriptions for every role co-created by the people who do them.  Review these job descriptions on a regular basis

  2. Explain to each team member how his or her role contributes to team success and brings value to customers

  3. Meet with each team member to review performance metrics and set performance expectations

  4. Regularly clarify expectations, especially when demands or situations change

  5. Routinely ask team members about their priorities and how those priorities align with their performance goals

  6. Be clear on both the What Expectations (priorities) and the How Expectations (behaviours) PLUS leverage the Rule of 3 i.e. our brains can only remember three things at any one time.  Check out this video for further explanation

  7. A good question to have with a team member is "What do you expect of me? and then ask "What do you think I expect of you?"  Keep asking "What else?" until they have exhausted their thinking then check and adjust

  8. Have a clearly documented onboarding programme