Results-Only Work Environment

It may sound idyllic but wouldn’t it be incredible to work in a results oriented environment where your time was your own to be productive as you saw fit? In this world, the team would be high functioning because they are playing to their strengths and passionate about their individual roles as well as their accomplishments.

It may seem too good to be true but Cali Ressler of BNET.com put together an amazing list of 10 things leaders and supervisors can do right now to kick the habit of the archaic time-based management model to get teams focused on results.

1. Make meetings optional. Let people evaluate their need to participate. If they know they can make better use of their time (and the company’s), then they should.
2. Stop judging how people spend their time. Cut the sludge, or office digs and inappropriate slams, according to Ressler about when people show up, leave, or how they spend their time. Judgmental language can hurt loyalty, engagement, and productivity.
3. Reward employees based on results, not how much time they put in at the office. Don’t use references to time positively or negatively. Some people work faster than others and setting up a competitive environment where co-workers are trying to out-time each other is a waste of energy. Focusing on the results will level the playing field and ultimately let people play to their time strengths.
4. Don’t prescribe what work/life balance looks like for your team. Balance should be up to each individual – let them determine if they need to utilize a flexible schedule or work from home options. Again, focus on results and stop comparing yourself to your colleagues.
5. Don’t handpick who gets to be flexible and who doesn’t. If you really want a flexible, results-based environment then the rules must apply to everyone regardless of rank or seniority. Period.
6. Stop managing by walking around. Every time you check in on someone, they have to stop what they are doing, reorient their thinking to deal with your spontaneous visit and then regroup to get back to their work task when you leave. Don’t interrupt work flow unnecessarily but checking up on people. Trust them and they will deliver.
7. Quit using fake crises as a management tool. Dropping a last-minute or urgent request on your employees is like crying wolf. Plan ahead and be respectful of their already full plate of tasks.
8. Don’t think that you are a great boss if you let people leave work early during a snow storm. This kind of behavior reinforces the fact that you have control over your team’s time and they don’t. Let people make sound decisions and judgment calls themselves.
9. Get clear about performance goals, communicate often, and hold people accountable. If your employee is not performing, talk to them. Find out why and ask what they need to succeed. Don’t shirk your responsibility as the manager to hold performance reviews. This tool is important for communication, goal setting and motivation even if a promotion is not at stake.
10. Trust people like you trust yourself. Your goal is to make the work environment vibrant and letting your employees earn your trust is a valuable commodity. They want to succeed and live up to their expectations as well as yours. Create a workplace where trust is expected and revered.