It’s Okay To Make Things Easy On Your Teams
Just because you had it rough coming up, doesn’t mean others need to feel that pain.
Just because you had it rough coming up, doesn’t mean others need to feel that pain.
I was at a Cleveland Browns game a few weeks ago (lifelong fan, which probably explains some of my personality), and I noticed on the sideline a defensive coach holding up signs that gave a clear indicator of the offensive package (11 = 1 Running Back, 1 Tight End; 21 = 2 Running Backs, 1 Tight End and so on).
Any defensive player worth their salt is able to determine the offensive package. If you give them that information quickly and freely without them having to recognize it, think of the extra time saved. Suddenly defensive backs are able to think through their coverage and spend fewer cycles wondering about the package.
College sidelines, NFL sidelines, holding signs. Not a lack of trust, but available information in case they forget. What if we took that to our teams?
Make Information Easily Accessible
A common mistake by managers is not codifying team rules/behaviors by writing them down. Instead, they rely on rules to be spread by word of mouth, leaving new employees scratching their heads about the status quo.
By writing down rules and expectations, managers free their employees from memorizing how the team should operate. If they forget, the information is easily accessible and they can check in quickly to course-correct.
The other benefit is if someone is consistently missing the mark, you can point them to the information for future reference.
Don’t bury information or make it tough to access. Putting it out in the open, reminding teams the information exists, and rerouting it when it’s forgotten will build muscle over time.
Give Information Freely
Don’t try to trick your direct reports. Forcing memorization, or wringing your hands wondering if they’ll remember the one oddity you’ve requested does not make for a good relationship.
Review action items together, answer a private question publicly (when it’s not a sensitive question), and most importantly, get the answer written down somewhere.
Do you have to re-post the work plan at the beginning of a sprint or cycle? No, but does it hurt to re-post? Absolutely not.
Over-communicate, especially on important items. Taking an extra two minutes to re-post links as a manager can have exponential returns.
“Well, they should know”
Stop it. Get rid of this attitude altogether. Did you give them a nudge? Is it really something that needs to be memorized? I’d bet it’s not.
“But I posted the link in the agenda, so they should have it.” Post it again. And again. Posting links is free.
If you’ve normalized a hub of information where they can look for these things, post the link to the hub. You can also try pinning it to the top of a Slack channel or whatever communication tool you use.
Chastising or gatekeeping when asked for information is a great way to get folks to stop asking questions.
Ask, “How Can I Make Your Job Easier?”
It’s a simple question but often overlooked. When I’ve asked this in the past, it revealed stupid mistakes I’d made, misunderstandings of a request, or glaring issues in processes we’d followed forever with no real reason.
Another variation is “what part of your job do you hate/dislike the most?” Diving deeper into this question could reveal bigger problems or something outside of your purview.
Work with your team to identify what can be adjusted and show progress along the way as you fix things.
Final Thoughts
Our employees want to do good work. With so many things to remember, why not make things easier for them by making information easy to find?
Ask what you can do as a manager to continue making things easier. I guarantee no one will ever stop you and say, “no more! Things are too easy now!”
What are other ways we can make things easier on our teams?