It isn’t unusual for leaders to complain that their team members are lazy, work harder at avoiding work than actually doing the work, and have no sense of urgency when it comes to completing tasks.
The pace of work in any environment is important because the more you can produce, the better the results.
So, why don't employees work as fast as their supervisor or manager wants them to?
Here are a few possible reasons.
1. There are no standards, or the standards haven't been communicated properly. Have you really determined what the right amount of work and pace should be for your team, and have these expectations been communicated?
2. We may be tolerating slow work instead of correcting it. If we don’t enforce the standard, they're going to think it's acceptable and continue with the same trend.
3. As the leader, you aren't leading by example and have no sense of urgency yourself. Being laid back and easy going can be a good thing, but unfortunately, it can also communicate to your team that it’s acceptable to drag things along.
If you want to close the gap between your most and least efficient team members, notice how much work your fastest employee does and the difference between them and your slowest worker.
Then you need to communicate the standard to your slow workers, ensure they understand the amount of work that’s required, and how far along they are in the process. It’s important to coach them to meet the standard pace of work.
Finally, set the example with your own pace of work.
If you tend to hustle a little more as a leader, your team picks up on the fact that it's important to work quickly, safely and with high quality.
As a leader, what’s one thing you do to promote efficiency and urgency in your team?
