Hello
everyone! Our current post is a bit different from the traditional photography
related posts we usually post on this blog. Today, we will discuss about the
most important element of any business (for e.g. a services business like
photography) i.e. People and teamwork!
Yes
my friends, whether it be a services business like photography or a
manufacturing business, whether you are an employee or a self-employed
entrepreneur, there is always one constant issue that we continually face,
which is to manage our workforce effectively.
The
following is a list of basic pointers to keep in mind to address the complex
area of people management:
a)
Knowing your team's knowledge base and key competency areas:
Make sure you are familiar with the key knowledge areas of your team and ensure
your team has a right mix of members having different and complementing skill
sets necessary to complete the assigned tasks. This helps ensure that the
overall knowledge base of the team is optimum for the task execution and
ultimately towards achievement of business goals / objectives.
b)
Assigning defined tasks within defined timelines:
It is very important to assign clear tasks along with a reasonable timeframe
for completion. The clearer the task is defined the easier will it be for the
team members to carry them out.
c)
Being approachable and monitoring the team's performance regularly:
It is very important that the team leader is approachable and gives off a
"positive air" so that any difficulties in performing the tasks are
resolved on a timely basis. Moreover, the team's assigned tasks should be
monitored on a regular basis so that they can be completed within the stated
timeframe.
The delicate balance between too
much micro management and trusting the team members for the assigned tasks must
be achieved and carefully handled to ensure that there is no demotivation in
the team. If your organization is small and there is only a single team then
the performance appraisals can be done easily, but if your organization is
multi layered and has multiple businesses then a proper performance appraisal
system is a must.
d)
Communication of business needs' linkage with the task:
It is very
important that the business needs of the organization which led to need of
assigned task to be performed are communicated and understood by the team
members. There may be times when such information may be required to be kept
confidential, but where confidentiality is not an issue, such clear
communication will motivate the team as it links their task to the "bigger
picture of the organization". Thus, for e.g. explaining the importance of
an editing requirement for a client will help ensure that the editor
understands that exactly what and how his / her assigned task will
contribute to the organization as a whole.
e)
Rewards / promotions, counseling and letting go:
Once the
assigned tasks have completed conduct a performance review of the team members.
For those who did exceptionally well, praise them well but mere lip service is
not enough. Ensure that you have made arrangements to adequately reward their
extra efforts by promotions or performance bonuses.
As for
those members whose performance was not up to the mark, conduct a counseling
session with them highlighting their weaknesses and how they can improve upon
those areas. In the next tasks, monitor their performance for close compliance
and see how whether the weaknesses are being resolved or not.
If not,
conduct more sessions and if the team member still doesn’t perform then one
must question if the non-performance is due to any valid personal reasons (for
e.g. sickness in family) or that the team member is deliberately avoiding work.
If the latter is the case and it is established that the lack of performance is
deliberate then the difficult task of letting him / her go must be done to
ensure that the team performance is not affected.
These were some key pointers to ensure that the projects and the businesses do
not go off track via improper people management. We at Pi Studio hope all of
you succeed in delivering quality results to your clients every time!
