When you set the pace at work you are establishing a speed and a standard for your employees to produce at, while working towards a common goal. Establishing the speed and standard is important because it will engage your employees in what they are doing, how they are doing and how fast they are doing; ultimately allowing them to be conscience of their own progress as well as that of their teammates. Once you have an activated employee who is producing according to speed and standard requirements, you’ll have an employee who is engaged in reaching goals, finding solutions to common obstacles and thinking up ways that will allow him/her to perform more efficiently. For example:
A former client of mine in the party rental industry supervised a department whose main objective was to wash chairs. Every weekend the chairs were rented out and every week my client had the same ultimate goal: to get all the chairs clean before the next event. His dilemma was that he never knew if all the chairs would get washed in time for the weekend because he had never set a production pace. His best worker was washing about 150 chairs in an eight hour work day and his weakest worker was doing half of that, resulting in unwanted overtime and disgruntle employees who felt they were working harder than others…Upon establishing the speed of 100 chairs a day in an 8 hour workday and setting the clean chair standard, employees understood that in order to reach their ultimate goal of having all the chairs nice and clean before the weekend, they would have to each finish a daily goal of 100. This activated the employees to keep to the set pace and make note or point out obstacles that interrupted the pace of production, rather than working without being conscience of how much could be produced in a day and how much time was spent fixing errors or working through obstacles, they were now paying attention; activated and motivated. Setting the pace eliminated unwanted overtime, resulting in saving the company money, made employees feel satisfied that everyone was pulling their own weight, eliminating turnover and activated expectations, motivation and production.
Setting the pace in your department whether you oversee a team in an office, retail or industrial setting can make a drastic difference in production, here’s what you can do to set the pace:
Start at the Finish Line Reiterate your department’s ultimate goal and set clear expectations on speed, standards and success. Show your team the Finish Line and what it will feel like to cross it.
Run at Top Speed Figure out what your team’s best speed is, without jeopardizing quality and standards. For example, a call center’s top speed may entail answering 500 calls a day even though its average pace is only about 425 calls a day.
Slow it Down Set the pace a little lower than your best speed so that your employees are comfortable and relaxed enough to perform and produce without jeopardizing quality and expected standards. Don’t forget to factor in safety and break times to prevent injuries on the clock. For example, the call center mentioned above might decided to set the pace at 475 calls a day, a number in-between their average and their best speed yet.
Pace yourself Make sure that your team is running at a speed that matches both the pace you’ve set and the plan you’re following in order to meet the department’s ultimate goal. Make sure your department can keep a steady rhythm at the set pace and that there is always room for breathing (breaks & lunch).
Stop Watch It Measuring your team’s progress is crucial! Show them how much they produce and how much they improve. Ask them to point out their weaknesses and production obstacles and encourage them to come up with creative solutions. Make it fun and keep it positive and most importantly, always say “Good Job”!
Take Action: Set the Pace. Establish a speed and standard for production
Keep On:
communicating. Consistently remind your team what they are working towards and why.
looking back at what you’ve done; evaluate your progress.
being Proactive rather than reactive
communicate the vision, state direction, involve and challenge the team to go for it!
acting out and aligning your values with your company values and those of your employees. Walk the talk.
delivering the VIP Treatment
being the Expert Extraordinaire
giving and continue to establish a good reputation
copycatting the SuccessfulSUPERvisors of your past
telling yourself that you’re a Super SUPERvisor!
believing. Remember, you’ve made the conscious decision to lead
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