I recently started working with a client who was a new department Director. They inherited a department that for various reasons wasn’t looking so good. They were worried that their team wasn’t performing well. And they were worried about what the Leadership Team would think when things didn’t go smoothly. Sheesh what a way to start a new role and a new year.
Spoiler alert, the solution for both of those issues turned out to be communication.
When talking about their team the common refrain was that they weren’t delivering what was being asked of them. And if they were, they were doing it late. So why was that?
They were understaffed. And new things kept coming in. So people weren’t necessarily agreeing to the initial timeline. And then they were also reprioritizing but not always correctly. My client was upset that they kept being surprised. When we talked about communication, like how were they discussing priorities and deadlines, the systems that were initially set up weren’t being honored because everyone was too busy.
But here might be the surprise. Setting up communication systems and making time for them can save time in the long run. (Sidenote, there are likely things we’re all not doing right now that will save us time.)
When we looked at the situation with the Leadership Team they were concerned that they were going to be disappointed based on expected performance. In addition to their team, they were responsible for coordinating elements from many other teams, teams that they didn’t directly manage. And the other teams had issues too.
Once they put together a prospective plan and sat down with their manager it turns out that by clearly understanding the goals and priorities and setting realistic expectations they could jointly go into problem-solving mode. What were the risks? What resources did they need? What were the options?
So with a few systems in place, everyone was already feeling more comfortable.
- One-on-one meetings with their team including clear goals and understanding of issues
- Daily standups to check in with the team on priorities, timing, and any blockers
- One-on-one meetings with their manager to touch on expectations and strategize approach
- A Leadership Team presentation with annual goals, resource needs, and risks
- Status meetings with other department heads
- A consolidated status report and biweekly meetings
Taking the time to think through initial planning is critical. And from there a system to understand and deal with any surprises along the way. With clear communication, problems don’t have to be your failing.
What communication systems do you need to review and set up?
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