What’s Holding Your Team Back and How to Move Past It

As a company leader, perhaps one of your greatest responsibilities is keeping your team on the path to success. You do this by setting goals, keeping the lines of communication open, reviewing progress and motivating each employee to do his or her best work. But sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may still end up encountering some roadblocks.

If your team's progress seems to have come to a screeching halt, it's time to do some troubleshooting. Here are a few possibilities to consider that will help you to root out the source of the problem and fix it as quickly as possible.

Are Your Employees Overworked?

Everyone loves a hard worker and perhaps you've got yourself a team of over-achievers who put in extra hours to get the job done. There's nothing wrong with encouraging your team to go the extra mile, but it's important to keep an eye on them and ensure that no one is pushing themselves beyond their own limits.

Burnout is a real problem and can strike at any time, causing employees to miss work while they recover. This not only disrupts the employee's personal progress but can have a ripple effect on the team as well. If your team seems to be stalling, do a wellness check to ensure that everyone is operating at their peak performance and no one is running on fumes.

If you find that your team is in fact running out of steam and is close to burnout, try working some self-care time into the work day. Allow employees to get outside for a walk on their breaks or designate an area for meditation and relaxation when tensions are running high. This simple step can go a long way to helping your employees feel their best, so they are ready to do their best work.

Are Your Employees Under-Appreciated?

It should go without saying that your employees need to know they're doing a good job. Positive reinforcement goes a long way to developing a healthy company culture where employees feel motivated, supported and empowered to do their best work.

If your team seems to have hit a roadblock, it might be a good idea to think about when you last gave them a much-deserved pat on the back. Take stock of all the accomplishments within your office and make a point to publicly acknowledge jobs well done. A little bit of acknowledgement will help your employees feel valued and respected, which in turn will motivate them to go the extra mile for the company.

Create incentives for the team by offering fun prizes for members of your team who demonstrate the core values your company supports and who are consistently putting in their best effort. It is true that a little can go a long way, and sometimes a stagnant workplace just needs a little infusion of fun to break up the work day.

Are You Micromanaging?

There's a reason you hired each and every employee on your team. You recognized their talent and value to the company. But if you're micromanaging them, you're not allowing them to do their very best work, which could become a major roadblock to success, while also leading to your own inevitable burnout.

Let your employees shine by embracing delegation. And once you've committed to delegating tasks to your team, trust them to do great work. Standing over your employees' shoulders and observing their every move creates tension and stifles creativity and productivity. Trust that you've hired the right people for the job and allow them to do their jobs. Check in on a regular basis to ensure that they have everything needed to work efficiently and monitor their progress during team meetings or reviews. You'll not only feel better by lessening the load you're carrying, but your team will thrive as they are given the space, respect and trust to do the job you hired them for.

No matter the issue holding your team back from reaching its goals, it's your responsibility as a company leader to root it out and set it right. Turn a critical eye on yourself to see if your management practices are the culprit before you point the finger at your employees. Company culture is often a reflection of leadership and making just a few small adjustments can have a dramatic positive impact on how your team functions.

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