Improving Team Productivity by 50%

Cathie Leimbach • October 1, 2020

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A leadership coach friend of mine, recently helped a client increase his department's productivity by 50%. The process was simple.


The department supervisor needed an urgent solution. Since his two staff members had started working remotely, their productivity had slipped a lot. They weren't keeping up with client needs. Their output had to be turned around, and now!


My coaching friend advised the supervisor that employee productivity is based on skill, will, and capacity. If their skills and capacity support strong performance, the bottleneck is likely their will, their interest in doing the job.


When we enjoy our workplace tasks we are self-motivated to get them done and do them well. However, we have a limited amount of will power. We can only push ourselves for long to do work that doesn't inspire us, even if we have the skills and the capacity for excellence. We cannot simply suck it up and move forward.



The supervisor asked his staff to share which parts of the department's work they would they like to be doing. Both indicated a preference for many of the tasks the other was assigned. When the supervisor reassigned their responsibilities, productivity promptly increased by 50%.


A serious problem was solved by the supervisor having collaborative conversations with his staff. Poor productivity wasn't a training problem nor a wrong-hire problem. It was an emotional problem. Once the employees were responsible for tasks they liked doing, their productivity skyrocketed.


The clients are now being served well and the company's bottom line has improved.


The supervisor had caused the bottleneck by not knowing what made his employees tick. What is frustrating you at work? How might a collaborative conversation with your downline or your upline be a valuable tool towards enhancing your workplace satisfaction and productivity?


Accountability Without Drama

By Cathie Leimbach • March 3, 2026
Accountability doesn’t have to feel tense or awkward. When done well, it’s calm, clear, and supportive. Most leaders avoid it because they don’t want conflict. But avoiding it creates something worse — inconsistency, frustration, and missed results. Strong accountability is simple: What was expected? What actually happened? What needs to happen next? When leaders address issues early and clearly, drama fades. People know where they stand. Follow through improves. Common mistakes: Waiting too long B Being inconsistent Attacking the person’s character These patterns can change. With the right habits, accountability becomes predictable instead of stressful — and work gets better fast. 👉Download our Accountability Without Drama Checklist to practice these conversations with confidence. 

Communication Gaps

By Cathie Leimbach • February 24, 2026
Most communication problems don’t happen because people aren’t listening. They happen because leaders assume clarity instead of checking for it. “I think they get it” isn’t the same as “they really do.” When people don’t clearly understand what’s expected of them, they make their own assumptions to fill in the gaps. That’s when rework, missed deadlines, and frustration show up. Strong leaders ask better questions: What do you see as the top priority? What does success look like to you? What could get in the way? These don’t slow work down — they prevent costly resets later. Try a simple weekly habit: Think about one key conversation. What did I mean? What did they hear? Where was the gap? Small awareness leads to big gains. 👉 You’re invited to a Leadership Conversation with other leaders to discuss common leadership gaps and how they quietly influence results.