Theories about teamwork management often involve thinking of the group as cohesive entity. And to be sure, how a group works together is important to the team’s success. But in HIGH OUTPUT MANAGEMENT, co-founder and longtime leader at Intel Andrew Grove points out that the best managers don’t treat the team as a group. Instead, each member must be managed as an individual.
Grove’s insight is that a given team’s ability to deliver depends upon each person striving for his or her personal best.Your strategy to elicit team members’ personal bests needs to be able to flex and adapt to meet each person’s needs. Some team members will be most motivated by money or the potential of promotion. Others will be motivated by tasks that appeal to their interests and values. Understanding who needs what will help you support each person as an individual—which will lead to the success of the team.
For more advice on developing your skills as a manager, consult our Instaread on HIGH OUTPUT MANAGEMENT.
