Corporate down-sizing and lay-offs have left many managers wondering how they can possibly get all of the work done without causing burn-out in their remaining employees. Take a hard look at everything that is on your department's plate and eliminate anything that isn't crucial to your company's success. After you've reduced the sheer volume of work that must be done focus on creating an environment that encourages productivity from your team.

One of the best examples of a high performance team that I observed was in a little coffee shop whose primary business was serving a quick, hot breakfast to busy people on their way to work. The team consisted of only three people, a cook and two waitresses. There was no boss in sight. I sat at the counter and was highly entertained as I observed them work. One of the waitresses focused on customers at the counter, the other waitress served the tables. This team knew their product and their customers. For example, the cook didn't wait for an order to start scrambling eggs or cooking bacon. Knowing these were popular items, he just kept cooking them and significantly reduced the customer wait time. It also freed him up to focus on special orders or items which had a longer cooking time. Even though the waitresses had their assigned spots, when either area got busy, they would double up until each customer was served.

Your mission may be more complex than fixing breakfast but you can learn a lot from this little team of professionals:

1. Pick the right person for the job. If your employee is a great cook, don't force her to be a waitress and vice-versa.
2. Define and communicate a shared purpose and goal. In the coffee shop, the goal was to have satisfied customers by producing made to order breakfasts in a timely fashion.
3. Tie your measurements and reward systems to your goals. If your goal is on time project delivery
    reward your team if they produce those results. If reducing errors is key to your success, reward those team members who produce the least number of errors. This may seem like a simple idea, but I've seen many reward systems which bear no relationship to the day to day work the employees are doing. Ensure that there is a clear-cut connection in your employee's minds to the job they are doing and the reward system.
4. Provide ongoing feedback. This is about building trust both in your relationship with the team and in their views of their own abilities.
5. Delegate assignments and empower your team. Ensure that each person knows their role and why it is important to the team's success. Help them develop by giving them responsibilities, not just tasks and encourage them to make decisions on their own.

When you implement these strategies your staff will be more engaged and more productive.