Posts tagged “resilient teams”

Life and work are busy. When we’ve a long list of things to do, it is easy to make assumptions about how duties will be handled, who will handle tasks and other little details. However, when you make a lot of assumptions, you can also create a lot of mistakes. Here are three reasons why it’s always better to take the time to clarify.

1. Everyone’s perception is different. Many words leave room for interpretation. For example, your definition of “clean” or “busy” might be very different from mine. When you don’t spell out what you mean in detail, you leave lots of opportunity for someone to truly believe they did what you asked, but have fallen completely short of your expectation.

2. You create extra work. When something must be done over again because the task wasn’t clarified properly in the first place, productivity is lost. Avoid tasks having to be performed twice by ensuring that everyone understands the expectation from the beginning.

3. Work goes undone. One of the biggest assumptions made is that “someone” is going to handle something, without clarifying who that someone is. Making sure everyone understands their responsibilities is key to ensuring nothing is missed.

4. You foster ill will. When employees feel as though they completed a task, only to find out that they fell short of expectation, they feel frustrated. Most people are more than happy to do a job well the first time, as long as they understand the requirements. Over time, when people are told over and over that expectations weren’t met, they will become disgruntled. Before you get upset with someone for not performing to your standards, ask yourself if you made your standards clear.

When you learn to clarify projects, expectations and tasks you will find that there are many positive results. Relationships with employees and customers will improve. Your workplace will become more productive because there will be a reduction in work that has to be repeated. In addition, you’ll find that people have greater satisfaction in the work they complete.

It can be very easy to assume that everyone understands requirements the same way. But, when you learn to clarify every time, you’ll find that getting work done right the first time gets much easier.

Everyone needs a little motivation now and again to help meet important goals and stay on track for those plans we have. There are many things you can do to help you stay motivated, from visualizing your goals to writing goals down and posting them where they are visible on a daily basis.

One great way to help stay motivated is to have a buddy who helps you work toward your goals. When you work in tandem with someone else, you’ll likely find yourself staying on track more easily and feeling more motivated to stay the course. Here are three ways a buddy helps.

1. Buddies share your vision. Your buddy should be working toward the same goal or one that is very similar. When this is the case, you can count on your buddy to help keep you motivated by reminding you of the goal and of how great it will feel to reach that goal. When you have an off day, they will help you, and you will pull them up when they are down.

2. Buddies hold you accountable. It’s much more difficult to ditch your commitments to the goal when you know someone else is counting on you. In addition, you can count on your buddy to call you out when you aren’t putting in your share of the work.

3. Buddies help you celebrate. Victory is all the sweeter when you have someone with whom you can share the celebration. Working together toward a common goal makes reaching that goal even more rewarding.

There are many rewards to sharing your journey with someone who is walking the same path. Your buddy can be a motivator and a shoulder to cry on when times are tough. At the end of the journey, your buddy can share in your victory with a full understanding of the work and sacrifice you have both contributed. When you’re working hard to reach your goals, a buddy might be just the ticket to improving your motivation and your results.