Expanding Minds / Increasing Performance

A recent study in Harvard Business Review found that PROGRESS was the number one motivator of performance. It was noted that on days when workers have the sense they’re making headway in their jobs, or when they receive support that helps them overcome obstacles, their emotions are most positive and their drive to succeed is at its peak. On days when they feel they are spinning their wheels or encountering roadblocks to meaningful accomplishment, their moods and motivation are lowest.

The great news is that you, as a manager, have control over this! An easy way to implement this idea is action Item lists. We have all used them one time or another. Maybe you might be using them now, but are you using them correctly. There are some simple rules that can help the team support them during meetings.

Action Item List Layout

Who – the owner of the action item. An action item must be agreed upon by the owner.

Does what – specific task that has a measurable result.

By when – the owner agrees on a date to complete the action item and report back.

Completed date – the date the action item was completed.

Specific Notes – add a specific note section to keep track of status and details when the item is completed.


Tracking

It’s important to see results. This can be done by tracking the number of created action items and completed action items are valuable to track over time on a weekly or monthly basis. The easiest way is to use an excel spreadsheet. Simply charting the data showing the number action items created and completed every month reinforces progress.

A few things to remember:

• When reviewing the list during a meeting use very brief status reporting: yes - complete, no-open; a brief statement on the plan for completing it; and for upcoming items simply whether it's on track or behind schedule, and who the owner needs to work with to get it back on track.
• Action items cannot be assigned to someone who is not aware of the responsibility; they must agree to do it.
• Post the action item list and charts in a common area.
• When an action item is complete move it to a completed action items list.
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Harvard Business Review Article - http://goo.gl/TffOY

Action items list template – goo.gl/UCaSP