Any way they can that is legal! Would you prefer to get the result or follow a specific process? If your team member does it differently, but gets the same result, then let them do it that way. As long as it doesn't break any rules or put the team at risk, good job.
With the football season well on it's way, we've seen some great wins and tough losses. No matter how close the game, or how people feel about it, the fans of the winning team almost always say "a win is a win".
At the end of the day we don't care how are team gets it done as long as they win. Remember, back in 2006, when the Chicago Bears went to the Super Bowl? It seemed that the defense scored more points than the offense did. That's not how anyone plans to win games. You have play strategies and game plans for every opponent. You plan to win the game using your offense; running and passing. Why? Because, this is how it's always or most commonly done.
What happens when your offense can't seem to score, but your defense is scoring consistently? Do you tell the defensive players to stop scoring because we are supposed to do that only on offense? Absolutely not! We take every point we can get from everyone that can get them. Shouldn't this be true in the workplace?
It seems that, the workplace is often filled with things that have always been done this way or everyone does it this way. In this changing economy and with so much awareness of "work-life balance" you would think we'd be much more open to trying things a new way.
It seems that people today, more than ever, want to love where they work or like it at least. Why would you, as an employer or boss, not want them to like coming to work? I know, some of of the old school thought that it's work; you're not supposed to like it. Maybe that's true, but what if it's a possibility?
What do you think the outcome would be?
Maybe they will come to work a little earlier and stay a little later to get things done. Maybe things would get get done faster. Maybe people would take more initiative on their own and stay self motivated. Maybe turnover would decrease. Who knows... maybe you should give it a try and see what happens.
Here's a few things to consider if you want your team to produce better results and maintain a happier attitude. Give them some freedom to get it done their way when it's possible.
- Define what makes a win
- Outline the non negotiable things (some things are done a specific way for reasons that matter)
- Allow room for error
- Celebrate the successes!
- Adopt processes that make the job better (define better in advance)
If you want a team that is motivated to win, empower them to try things their way as long as it yields the same result. Who knows, maybe your team will become more efficient in the process or create a better working environment with less turnover.
