How to get your team unstuck
The worst feeling for an operator is not failure, it’s being stuck. Here are 11 ideas to unstuck your people:
1) Tools
Sometimes, it really is as simple as "the right tool for the right job." But guess what? Your team in the field or on the floor doesn’t have time to research what's new. It’s your job to stay on top of better ways of doing things.
2) Software
The proliferation of no-code/low-code solutions in recent years can radically change workflows—and even entire jobs. As a manager, it’s up to you to identify work that can be automated. I refer to this chart from xkcd often:
3) Autonomy
A recurring theme in this list: You may be the reason your team is stuck. Have you delegated authority to your team so they can make good decisions in the moment? Or do they constantly have to check with you or their manager?
"The size of your business is capped until you learn how to distribute decision-making. You can’t distribute decision-making without either high systemization or high trust. So you can either build a bureaucracy or hire great people. Or stay small. Your call."
4) Boundaries
This is counterintuitive, but understanding the bounds of the playing field gives your people the freedom to fully play the game. More on that here:
"One of the most freeing things you can do for your team is set boundaries."
5) Permission
Similar to autonomy, but this is about how people feel. You’ve heard the old trope about asking for forgiveness vs. permission. Some folks on your team are permission-seekers. They need to hear from you, proactively, what their locus of control is.
6) Direction
Does your team have a clear heading? Your mission is worth repeating over and over. But please don't misunderstand: I'm not talking about telling people how to do their jobs, but why they’re doing it.
"If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
7) Communication
Are your people connected to each other? Or are questions that could be answered directly routed circuitously? As a manager, you don’t need to play telephone operator. Let them get the answers they need directly from the source.
8) Affirmation
Even A+ teammates have misgivings about whether they're working on the right thing, doing it well, etc. Take the time to thank them for a job well done, even if what they’re doing is part of their job.
"Management hack: Thank people for doing things that are a normal part of their job." — Mark Brooks
9) Funding
Yes, money—but also the permission to spend it. Be specific and proactive. For example: “You have a budget of up to $1000/yr for personal productivity tools.” This is permission plus means, and giving it to them without needing to ask can be a big unlock.
10) Training
People get stuck when they literally don't know how to do something. Similar to Tools, be on the lookout for new training solutions, or, develop your own based on your company's best practices.
11) You
Make yourself available. Make it safe for your team to tell you they're stuck. Tell stories about how great employees have gotten stuck and how you got unstuck together. Identifying and communicating stuckness should be part of your culture.
