Efficiency versus effectiveness in your team

I recently had coffee with a client who was looking for advice on how to improve the efficiency of her marketing department. There had been some upheavals, maternity leave and skills shortages, and things had begun to fall off the rails. She felt she needed someone to step in and “just get the work done”.

Her focus was on finding an experienced, operational marketing manager who would dive in, run with the work and manage the team. Her focus was on efficiency, so that her general manager would have peace of mind that there was a capable, hands-on person at the helm – “We don’t want any more surprises”.

When the topic moved to issues around why the team was not performing, her stress was apparent. Her response was along the lines of: “I honestly don’t have time to think about all that other stuff now. I just need to get the work done.”

I am constantly aware of how easy it is for managers to start acting like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, constantly aware of how late they are, running to meet deadline after deadline, and feeling an overwhelming need to go, go, go with no permission to rest. As an outsider, the tempo does seem much like the craziness of Wonderland, and yet from the inside it is all very serious.

I see many managers so wound up with efficiency of delivery (meeting the deadline) that they gloss over the effectiveness of outcomes (measuring and meeting the marketing objectives).

The staff is often caught up in the rush-and-tumble of change, responsible for getting the details right, yet never fully in the picture. Then in rushes the white rabbit again with a new plan and few directions, leaving the team even more frustrated and unsupported.

As a coach, one of the most challenging things I am faced with is providing feedback to a manager that the reason their department is not working effectively is not necessarily due to poor staff skills (although there is always room for improvement).

The biggest reason is often the manager’s inability to duplicate their own expertise within their team. They have not encouraged team members, shared their knowledge, or allowed the team to think through and set up agreed systems and processes that will enable them to take charge and manage change when it occurs. And so the white rabbit continues to run.

Here are some suggestions for duplicating your expertise within your team.

Objective: To create a self-managed department with leaders who can think independently, adapt to change, and operate efficiently and effectively without you having to hold their hand.



1. Identify the ambitious people in your team. These will be the ones hungry for your attention and eager to take on more responsibility. If there are no obvious ambitious people, look for the ones with the most potential to grow.

2. Book a one-on-one short meeting with each one. Acknowledge their strengths. Tell them you are looking to mentor and develop key people in the team to work with you more closely over the coming months to improve team performance. If they are keen, diarise an hour with each one.

3. When you meet, reaffirm their key strengths and what they bring to the department. Tell them your objective. Explore their ideas on how the department could run more effectively and efficiently. Listen and ask questions. Be open to their ideas. You are looking for opportunities to develop their skills at managing fast-paced change and, in so doing, duplicate your own expertise (instead of having to find and create the solutions yourself all the time). Invite them to write up one idea for improving the effectiveness of the department.

4. With their well-thought-out idea, question them on why they see it as a good solution. Ask questions that encourage them to see it from different perspectives; for example, what would X think of this? Or Y? What problems might be encountered? How would they overcome those? How will we know it is successful? How can we make this measurable? What’s the next step? Share your expertise to ensure risks are addressed and that they can learn how you think.

5. Give them the authority to implement their idea soon.

6. Follow-up regularly and ask for results. Ask for their concerns and their solutions. Share your expertise to ensure risks are addressed.

7. Move to the next idea.

The most successful people and companies duplicate themselves. They share their knowledge, coach their people, and help them set up simple systems and processes that others can follow. It is a short-term sacrifice for a long-term gain but, in so doing, you can create teams that are self-managed, effective and efficient.

Juliette Robertson AFAMI CPM is owner of The J Factor – Focus on the Journey. She is an executive and business coach who consults, coaches and provides coach training for professionals responsible for marketing and sales and service.

Email: juliette@thejfactor.com.au

Website: www.thejfactor.com.au



Efficiency versus effectiveness in your team - To learn more about this author, visit Juliette Robertson's Website.

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