I think the traditional approach to setting objectives for team members is back to front. Most managers set out the what when of the task. They monitor progress and provide feedback at the end.
But this doesn’t mean that the job will be done right, let alone right first time.
So, rather than waiting to spend time afterwards debriefing what happened and exploring how to improve next time, surely it is better to spend time beforehand setting up the team member so they succeed?
Managers who prepare, don’t need to repair.
This doesn’t have to be complex or time-consuming. I’ve trained many managers to use a quick and effective technique, based on Kluger and Nir’s Feed Forward approach, that creates a win-win:
- Team members gain confidence that they can achieve the objective set.
- Team members know what to do to deliver right first time.
- Managers can relax, as through the conversation they understand the colleague’s approach, can agree or improve it before the work starts.
- Remote and hybrid-working teams benefit the most, as this structure enables high quality autonomous working.
Follow these steps for effective task management in just 10 minutes
Start with these questions and be prepared to ask some follow-up open, non-directive, questions to make sure the team member is thinking analytically.
- Could you think of the last time you did a similar task successfully?
- What were the conditions that made this possible? First think about what you did, your capabilities and strengths.
- What did other people do to help you?
- What was the organisational context that led to the success?
- What can you replicate from that past success so that you can deliver this time?
Finally, offer to put in place the management and organisational success factors that the individual has just identified, where possible and appropriate.