There are lots of ways leaders attempt to measure productivity. They measure a team’s output, the people’s busyness, or how many meetings they attended. If anything, using such metrics as a measure of productivity can be counter-productive as people might focus on achieving a metric rather than doing what’s right.

Productivity isn’t something you can measure scientifically. Productivity is a feeling in the person doing the work. The traditional measures of productivity are only a sign that someone might be productive.

Spend time with your team every week, exploring how productive they feel. Bring forward the metrics as a discussion point, but never as a measure. Be curious about the relationship between the numbers and how they’re feeling. Your curiosity will help them find ways they can improve every day.

You’ve got this.