Solve Time or Lose Your Team :: A Leader's Guide to Retaining Top Team Members

You are responsible for results in your role. 

If you lead a team, someone (maybe you) has invested a lot of money in you and your team to deliver those results. 

You've exerted much effort and energy to build and train this team to make the results happen. 

And you are absolutely driving them away with your issues with time management. 

"What am I doing?" you might ask.

More on that below, but let's start with what team member turn-over is going to cost you. 

Team Member Turnover - You Might as Well Light Dollar Bills on Fire

The cost of losing a talented team member is brutal, very obviously to your bottom line. Replacing a team member can cost you 1.5 to 2 times their salary, considering recruiting, onboarding, and lost productivity.

More damaging than dollars, it impacts team morale for those that remain. Imagine I'm an A Player on your team. If another A player next to me leaves for another role, and the pressure only increases on me to deliver the same results with less resources, the first question that crosses my mind is "Should I leave too?". 

And even if you can hire new solid team members, if you don't solve time management for your team, it's a matter of time before this crop of team members move's on as well, and you're right back where you started.

Common Team Issues with Time Management & What To Do About it

Issue #1 :: No Capacity Planning Leads to Overwhelm

Your team is overwhelmed, with more to do than they have time to do it. This creates an ongoing feeling of "I'm behind" which, left unattended long enough, lead to a sense of overwhelm. This strains team members, leading to poor work, missed opportunities and decreased productivity.

Solution :: Get Clear on Capacity & Priorities

You must understand your team's true capacity, clarify priorities, and empower team members to focus on what's most important, giving them permission to set aside lower-priority tasks.

Issue #2 :: Overvaluing Constant Availability 

You think of constant available as being "helpful" to the team, but frequent interruptions from you, the rest of the organization, or clients can significantly hinder focus and increase stress levels among team members. Constant availability is bad for everyone. 

Solution :: Protect Focus Time and Establish Whirlwind Hours

Creating structured times for deep work and designating specific times for handling interruptions (Whirlwind Time) can protect your team's focus and productivity, allowing them to be responsive without sacrificing important work.

Issue #3 :: Lack of Shared Time Management Structure

Without a common framework for managing time, team members must fend for themselves to get their priorities accomplished, often at the expense of other's ability to focus. This plays out in interruptions, last minute meetings, and "emergency" requests that upend each other's schedule.  

Solution :: Implement a Unified Time Management System

Adopting shared strategies and tools (such as Whirlwind, Calendar Blocking, and Backlogs) can help align team efforts, create empathy between the team members for how time is managed, and improve efficiency and collaboration.

Drive Team Retention Through Effective Time Management

A well-structured approach to time management does more than improve individual productivity; it fosters a sense of unity and mutual respect among team members. When everyone is aligned on priorities and equipped to manage their time effectively, team cohesion and collective performance naturally improve. This creates an environment where team members are set up for success, deeply invested in their work, and supportive of one another's schedules and needs. 

Put simply: why would they ever leave? 

How to Get Started with a Time Operating System

To further explore how to implement these strategies and transform your team's productivity, consider checking out the Time Boss Operating System Masterclass. This program will provide you with the tools and insights for you or a team member to transform their relationship with time, and get more done with less stress. 

These strategies can easily be applied to full teams via Time Boss for Teams. If you're curious to learn more, schedule a time with me to see if a good fit.