It’s inevitable — your team will lose focus. It might be because you’ve had to work extra hard to meet an important deadline. Or maybe it’s just because it’s 3 PM on a Friday and everyone is ready for happy hour. Whatever the reason, you need tips on how to keep your team from losing focus.
1. Set Up a Time Limit for Each Meeting
Nothing will send your team running for the door faster than sitting in a 2-hour meeting. If you need to get down to business, let your team know how long you expect to be there and how much time they’ll have to wrap up after you’re done. One of the best ways to keep your team together is by encouraging them to work as a team — even if it’s just for that one meeting.
2. Use Private Forums for Group Emails and Chat Rooms
Instead of sending emails to the entire team, use a private forum where everyone can log in and instantly chat with each other. This internal communications methodology is far more effective than locking information away in an email inbox – click here to learn more.
3. Have Small Rewards for Hitting Key Milestones
Set milestones that your team can reach every hour or so and offer small rewards for reaching them. Let’s say you’re putting together a new website. Tell your team that they can take a break after every 3 pages of content, or every time they add a new feature. Keeping your team motivated through little rewards is one of the easiest ways to keep them from losing focus — and from flagging morale.
4. Reward Teamwork Instead of Individual Accomplishments
One of the easiest ways to encourage your team to work as a group is by rewarding teamwork instead of individual accomplishments. For example, if you want to encourage collaboration, offer prizes for the team that comes up with an innovative solution or produces the best report. If you want to encourage innovation, then pay for the first person who can come up with the best idea (whether it’s a new marketing strategy or a new sales tactic).
5. Break Projects into Small, Manageable Chunks
If you and your team are working on a big project, break it into smaller pieces. If a report is due at 5 PM, check in with your team at 3 PM and tell them that they’ll need to turn in an outline, or possibly the first draft by 4:30 PM. That way you can avoid the 5 o’clock rush — just make sure to follow up with each person immediately after he or she hands in his or her chunk of the project.
6. Encourage Casual Check-Ins
If your team works remotely, it can be tricky to track everyone’s progress. In this case, encourage them to check in with you every morning or after lunch. For example, set up a daily text thread that all your employees sign up for, and then at the end of every day send them a quick note on how they did that day and what they need to do tomorrow to improve.
In the end, the best way to keep your team on task is by keeping them focused. With these tips, you’ll be able to do just that.