Company Logo

As more and more social networking, blogs, twitters and other ways to "connect" become available, it's harder than ever to keep team members focused.  How can you ensure your priorities stay their priorities?

I've run into people subscribing to 25 or more blogs, and even writing multiple times a day in a few blogs of their own - all while still holding down their full-time job.  Some people have such need for connection that they follow multiple friends on twitter, a website that lets you to send 100 character messages that will burst out to all those who subscribe to your "tweet".  Reviewing the tool, I saw people following over a hundred so-called friends - Imagine, if each sends just 1 tweet a day, that's a lot of distraction for anyone.   I can't help but notice some employees' incredbily long lists of friends in their IM window that provide ever more distraction.  A gross generalization, but the younger they are, the more trouble employees seem to have being "offline" to their network.

It's likely a sign that our society has reached the pinnacle of self-absorption that a product like twitter has become so popular, but the reality is that employees are now bombarded with so many distractions from these tools that it could really impair even the best of them from getting their work done.  If you find this happening in your company, you can get upset about the time-wasting, or set "no-twitter at work" rules, or you can recognize that  it's actually your fault this is happening because your goals and timelines may not be specific enough.   Here's what you can do:

In order to create trust in an environment with such fractured attention, ensure that every one on your team has regular goals that are 1) highly measurable, 2) trackable, and 3) time-bound - Not just for their 6-month or annual reviews, but daily, weekly or monthly as the employee level dictates. This means they should provide you, for each to-do item, their estimate of how long they expect the project will take. 

I review the status of goals in one-on-one meetings each week, so we can discuss priorities, new project additions, and adjust expectations as necessary.   It also provides a great opportunity to improve my understanding of how they interpret what I've asked for.  If an employee is so productive as to meet all the goals we've mutually established, I'll make sure they know how great I think they're doing and see if they're interested in more advanced projects to help them with their career goals rather than twittering their time away. 

I continue to be surprised by how few executives make one-on-one meetings a high priority.  Many constantly cancel meetings with their staff because "other things" come up.  These people are the ones really running your business - what can be more important than regular check-ins with them?  Management by objectives is something most companies say they do - but it ususally takes the form of 6-month reviews if they're lucky, and generally to fullfil an HR requirement at annual review time, rather than a method for actively managing regular goal achievement. 

Note these check-ins are not meant to be about looking over the emplyoyee's shoulder - the entire objective is to build trust by having strong lines of communication.  

The added benefit of truly managing to objectives is the ability to manage people whereever in the world they happen to be, no matter the difference in time zone.  If you haven't yet managed global employees, likely at some point you will - and you need to get VERY comfortable at managing what you can't see.  So the next time you get an offer for lunch from a colleague, be willing to change the date in favor of your staff.

Build your personal brand! Do you have a story idea for Vjournal?  Use the Contact Us form and select ‘Contribute a Story Idea’ – If it jives with our audience, we’ll help you put it together under your own byline.