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Put It Into Practice
Step 1: Gain clarity about what your best work is and what the best work of each of the employees on your team is. Using the worksheet on the ForwardFocus website, identify a catch phrase that captures the "best work" that each team member does exceptionally well -- work that energizes themselves, clients and fellow team members. Make every effort to align team member assignments with their best work. Step 2: Acknowledging that in this era of "more with less" everyone must pitch in to do tasks outside their skill set and job description, encourage people to spend some time every day doing their "best work." Support people to take on projects that reflect their best work. Reward efforts to do so with praise and tangible incentives. Tell stories that illustrate how you attempt to view your role through the eyes of your "best work." Step 3: When team members ask you for assistance with issues you feel they are capable of handling on their own, ask them, "What would your best work tell you to do?" Encourage them to ask other team members for assistance, leveraging someone else's best work against their own dilemmas. In team meetings, tell stories that illustrate how a team member worked through a tough issue using this methodology. Put up signs in your office to reinforce what types of interactions you are most open to, including requests for you to do your best work, valuable information you need to do your job better and urgent issues that require your immediate attention. Recognize team members who are able to consistently bring to your attention issues in which you needed to be involved; provide feedback to those who bring issues to your desk they could and should have resolved on their own.
Five Best Work Examples |
1. To solve complex problems no one else wants to touch
2. To move important projects through the red tape
3. To convene people from cross-functional departments to discuss issues that impact their effectiveness
4. To grow ideas into action plans
5. To turn customer complaints into business opportunities
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To access the "Find Your Best Work" worksheet, we invite you to access the Tools section of our web site: www.forwardfocusinc.com
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