The Leadership Looking Glass – What Mask Are You Wearing Today?

As leaders, we often get so caught up in our day-to-day responsibilities that we forget to think about how we come across to the people around us, and how their actions, communications and concerns may be driven by their perception of the persona we put forward.  When was the last time you took a long gaze in the leadership looking glass? Are you showing up at work as your authentic self or is there a mask that gets in the way?  In honor of Halloween, let’s look at some typical masks a leader might wear. Do you recognize yourself in any of them?

The Super Hero

You have confidence, boundless energy and can seemingly handle any problem that comes your way (“Bring it on, tall buildings!”) You are protective of your team.  In your need for speed you often charge ahead with activities that could be delegated.

While your team may admire your ability to “handle it all,” they’d like the chance to solve issues and take on more responsibilities and, perhaps, risks themselves. They may be hesitant to give you honest feedback or make alternative suggestions as you appear to have it all under control.

The Alien

You’re distracted right now – could be the job, could be personal issues – and your mind seems to be on another planet. You’re communicating less frequently with your team, and you appear out of touch with their projects and issues.

Your team is wondering where you parked the UFO.  They miss their leader, and are frustrated with the gap left by no clear direction.

Your lack of communication has made them stop trying. Some are considering
abandoning ship.

The King

You may ask for ideas and input, but in the end you like things “your way.”

You have tendency to redo your team’s work rather than discuss or give them constructive
feedback because it’s faster and, well, you know how it should be done.  You sing “I Did It My Way” in the shower.

Your team is beginning to lose confidence in their skills and ability to make an impact. They’re hesitant to make suggestions because they know they’ll be rejected or ignored.  Some are beginning to wonder why they show up at all.

Angry Bird

You’re not happy at work right now and it shows in your attitude.  You snap at team members and colleagues, you have no patience for work that is less than what you expected or later than when it was due, no matter the reason. You delegate as much as possible.  You’re frequently unavailable.

Your team is feeling overworked and underappreciated. You appear unapproachable so they’re afraid to communicate their thoughts and feelings to you.  The less you communicate with your team, the less they communicate with each other.  The silos have been built, and collaboration is not a priority.

At Halloween you can put on a mask and be whoever you want to be.  But Halloween is one day. The rest of the year you need to remove the mask and be a strong, dependable, and visionary leader.  Only then will you be able to move yourself, your team and your organization forward.

Till next time,

Karen

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5 Tips for Building a High-Performing Team

Building and leading effective teams is a key leadership competency. But how do you create that special magic that results in not just an effective team but a high-performing team?  Consider these 5 tips as your magic wand…

1. Establish a clear purpose and specific goals. By definition, a team is a group of individuals with a common purpose.  That purpose and the milestones to achieve that purpose need to be clearly communicated and understood by every individual on the team.  For high-performing teams, it’s not just understanding the destination, but also – as team members – being able to help define the means to get there.  This ability to co-create results gives them a deeper commitment to the team purpose and improves performance.
2. Identify and include individuals with complementary skills.  These skills go beyond just the technical and functional skills required to achieve the purpose. Also consider decision making skills, problem solving skills, interpersonal skills and other “soft skills” that are necessary to succeed. Be sure that each individual – and the rest of the team – understands how their role aligns with the team purpose, and how their expertise contributes to team success.
3. Value diversity. Someone once said, “We only have harmony when we sing different notes.”  Include people on your team who are different than you and who represent different personality types.   Diverse teams perform better.  They perform better because they bring multiple perspectives, experiences and approaches to the table, which results in increased innovation, better problem solving and overall improved results.
4. Create a sense of mutual accountability. Be sure everyone clearly understands expectations. Challenge your team to set higher performance goals and establish an environment where they hold themselves – and each other – accountable for results.  Include regular progress reports, open sharing of mistakes made and lessons learned, and team discussions on moving through roadblocks.
5. Encourage open communication and constructive feedback. Perhaps the most important tip in creating a high-performing team is ongoing communication. You to the team, the team to you, the team among themselves. It is the overarching element of all these tips. Communicate the purpose and goals. Communicate to individuals and the team how they contribute. Communicate the value of diversity. Communicate expectations to create mutual accountability. Talk about things. Even the hard things.  And provide consistent and constructive feedback.

People often ask, “How do you know when you have a high-performing team?” If they have to ask…they do not.  Think of a time when you were on a high-performing team. It’s one of those things you just know. The team gels, team members have each other’s backs, the ultimate outcome(s) are for the team, not individuals. There’s fun, hard work and camaraderie. Ya just know.

Is your team a high-performing team?  If not, what’s stopping you from getting there?

Till next time,

Karen

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Valuing Diversity to Improve Team Performance

Someone once said, “If both of us think exactly alike, one of us is unnecessary.”

We all know that any given project, or product development effort, requires a variety of skills sets and experience – behold the cross functional team.  But beyond that, our inclination is to put people together who have similar personalities; who seem to “click.”  We think that their natural alignment will provide harmony and accelerate productivity.  But harmony doesn’t always guarantee the best results. In fact, recent studies have shown that teams made up of diverse personalities are more innovative, better at solving complex problems, and are higher performing overall.

Diverse teams perform better because they bring multiple perspectives, experiences and approaches to the table.  These varying approaches and thought processes create a dynamic that is better equipped to deal with complex problems and challenges. Additionally, diverse personality traits within a team offset one another and build on each other for synergy and innovation.  A diverse team is much less likely to fall into “groupthink” which can actually impede performance.

Every team goes through a four-stage development process – forming, storming, norming and performing (Bruce W. Tuckman).  As part of the forming process, leaders should become aware of their own work and communication style, and strive to identify and understand the styles of those on the team. Create some discussion around individual work style preferences, communication styles and perceptions of the team goal.  Communicate the value that each style can bring to the achievement of that goal. Set up standards that provide for clear communication and sensitivity to the different styles.  Establish a process for dealing with conflict.

Learn from those whose style is different from yours. They can teach you to improve in your weak areas, and you can coach them to improve their skills in areas where you’re strong.   As the team continues to move through the development stages, continue to recognize and value their diversity.

Let them know, loud and clear, that ALL of them are necessary.

Until next time,

Karen