The vital role of team managers in harnessing the power of Microsoft 365
In today's fast-paced digital era, effective collaboration and streamlined workflows are vital to achieving success in any organisation. As businesses increasingly rely on technology to drive productivity and innovation, team managers play a pivotal role in harnessing the power of software tools to foster a culture of excellence, support their team members, and deliver high-quality work.
In today's fast-paced digital era, effective collaboration and streamlined workflows are vital to achieving success in any organisation.
As businesses increasingly rely on technology to drive productivity and innovation, team managers play a pivotal role in harnessing the power of software tools to foster a culture of excellence, support their team members, and deliver high-quality work.
Among the myriad productivity suites available, Microsoft 365, the default platform for Office applications for many organisations, is a comprehensive solution that empowers managers to lead their teams to new heights.
It has become even more important for team managers to know how to use the Microsoft 365 software suite well and execute work with the highest quality, with a focus on corporate culture and their team members.
Ensuring Quality Work Delivery
The pursuit of quality work should be a cornerstone of any successful organisation. Microsoft 365 provides an array of tools that can enhance the quality of deliverables. Previously this may have meant of focus on professional documents in Word or PowerPoint. However, today's tools like Power Automate, Flow, and Power BI can help make processes efficient and automated with transparent reporting to both leadership and teams. By mastering these tools, team managers can set high standards, guide their team members in producing polished outputs, and ensure the high quality of work delivered to clients, stakeholders, and colleagues.
Cultivating a Culture of Collaboration
Effective collaboration lies at the heart of a successful team. Microsoft 365 offers tools like Outlook, Teams, OneNote, SharePoint, and Yammer, enabling seamless communication, document sharing, and project management. By becoming proficient in these tools, team managers can create a collaborative culture where information flows freely, ideas are easy to share, and the team harnesses collective intelligence. This approach to collaboration fosters innovation, boosts creativity, and enhances problem-solving capabilities within the team.
Promoting Seamless Communication and Connectivity
Clear and effective communication is vital for a team's success. Microsoft 365 equips team managers with communication tools such as Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint. These tools enable real-time messaging, video conferencing, email integration, and the managed sharing of information, fostering seamless communication among team members, regardless of location. By leveraging these tools proficiently, managers can ensure everyone is on the same page, address concerns promptly, and build strong relationships within the team.
Streamlining Workflows for Efficiency
Delivering work efficiently and on time is a hallmark of successful teams. Microsoft 365 offers many tools that streamline workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and enhance productivity. For instance, traditional tools like Excel help managers analyse data, make informed decisions, and track progress. Other apps like Planner or Project enable efficient project planning and resource allocation. By mastering these tools, team managers can optimise processes, identify bottlenecks, and allocate resources effectively, improving work efficiency and timely deliverables.
Empowering and Supporting Team Members
A team manager's role extends beyond assigning tasks and monitoring progress. Ensuring your team members are trained and confident to use the powerful new parts of Microsoft 365 supports efficiency, process, reporting, and quality gains in day-to-day work. Powerful tools like Power Automate, Flow, Planner, Power BI, and Microsoft Forms can help to remove the drudgery of repeated manual process work. By utilising these tools effectively, managers can work with team members to provide personalised support, mentorship and identify growth opportunities. This approach to empowering and supporting your team members, in turn, enhances employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention.
Conclusion
As technology evolves, team managers must adapt and embrace the tools to drive collaboration, support their team members, and deliver high-quality work. Microsoft 365 offers an all-encompassing software suite that empowers managers to cultivate a culture of cooperation and partnership, execute work excellently, and respect and support team members.
By becoming proficient in the complete Microsoft 365 suite, team managers can unlock the full potential of their teams, foster innovation, and drive success in today's digital landscape.
How to lead and support an exhausted team
Leaders aren’t therapists and shouldn’t try to be. But people are coping with collective grief and trauma on a global scale, which means leaders have to learn and exercise new skills. HBR
We remain in challenging times. Leaders must be aware of the landscape and issues impacting their teams and the people in their lives as we work our way through this.
Two of the most important things you can do are:
Lead by example - which means ensuring that you are managing your own stress and recovery cycles.
Make sure that your team are having their own downtime and recovery periods.
A great read from HBR with recommended action points for all leaders.
Working remotely using Teams and Office 365
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Like many others, I am now working for home as part of efforts to keep our colleagues and our teams healthy and manage COVID-19 infection rates. As a regular remote worker and user of Microsoft Office 365, this transition has been seamless for me.[/vc_column_text][us_image image="7294" size="us_600_400_crop" align="center" meta="1"][ultimate_spacer height="32"][vc_column_text]Using core elements of Office 365 such as Exchange and SharePoint to power Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, OneNote, and Planner means we have been able to continue without missing a beat. My telephone extension is also a Teams number, so I can still make and receive telephone calls as usual (with the benefit of emailed voicemail transcript and MP3 file).[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]For those who are new to remote work, the Microsoft blog has had several posts to help with this transition.
- Staying productive while working remotely with Microsoft Teams
- Working remotely during challenging times
- The top 9 ways Microsoft IT is enabling remote work for its employees
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]IT leadership and Microsoft deserve kudos for building a sustainable solution for businesses and teams of all sizes. I can work from anywhere with access to the tools and resources I need to deliver[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Where’s your cohort?
One of the talented designers I have worked with once described himself as someone who likes to colour things in. He then described me as someone who likes to manage people who like to colour things in, which just between you and me, I love this description.
The people who get you. The ones who have been through it with you. Who see you. Our life is a series of cohorts, and the special ones connect with us deeply. They raise the bar and they provide a foundation for what’s next. These are the source of our best memories, the moments where we moved forward and felt the chance to make a difference.
Source: Where’s your cohort?
I think it's time that I got back to my cohort of talented people who like to colour things in. Where do you need to be and who do you need to be with in the times ahead? It’s probably time to make a move now.