What prevents our team to go to next level? Barriers and blockers that we need to be quick to identify and solve.
A large part of the manager’s role is to identify and remove the blockages that are encountered so that the team can achieve the expected results: you should think about yourself more as an enabler, cleaning the way forward. Clearly it is not an exclusive activity: the whole team must be able to identify them and take action responsibly to overcome the obstacle.
The first step to be able to remove a problem is to be aware and identify them. There are many possible types, but these are the main ones that can be encountered:
A) Lack of information: Information is often segmented and difficult to find; the lack of them not only involves a waste of time and a useless effort but also the risk of making incorrect managerial decisions. To remove this block, always share what you think will impact other teams and strongly request that everyone do the same.
B) You do too many meetings and they are of the wrong type: The tendency of many teams is to work in meetings, which consumes a lot of precious time. The meeting is an opportunity for discussion and decision-making which should be used as a synthesis and comparison but not as operational work. Which doesn’t mean you cannot work together but is a different kind of activity which should be clearly separated. When you meet, you are calling for a sum up point.
C) You miss those that decide. This is typical of large companies. If a decision is on your critical path, try to talk about it with those who have to take it. Miss someone and you risk to derail.
D) You don’t know what comes first. We often have the feeling of “going around in circles” because priorities are constantly changing. The only way to overcome this situation is to communicate and clarify in an ongoing process along the hierarchical scale as soon as urgencies change
E) You miss time. It may happen that there is not enough time to carry out the activities. Good planning and responsible acceptance of priorities helps avoid falling into this trap
F) You miss resources. Perhaps the most common situation for us in our daily life. Here too, the simplest way to manage the problem is collaboration with colleagues, the one to prevent it is careful staffing planning.
