Welcome back if you are continuing from Chapter Four, and welcome if you are new. If you haven’t done the first step in this process, I would recommend you start at Chapter One first. Please also check out Chapter Three and Chapter Two. Just like leadership, this is not necessarily a linear process, but for ease of use, I have organised it this way. You can start from wherever you are.
Chapter Five focuses on leadership and how to align with your team. I am going to assume you have been on this journey because you have a position where you are a leader, or you aspire to be a leader and to work with a team of people. People might “report” to you in the case of a hierarchical organisational model, or you are a member of a collaborative model where the “leader” position shifts depending on the situation. In any case, this chapter focuses on how you and your team align and what you might need to consider as part of your leadership journey.
Much of what I share below is inspired by Patrick Lencioni’s work on teams (and this book in particular) as well as my own experiences working with, leading and contributing to small and large teams. While what I outline is not an exhaustive list of questions to ponder, it is enough to get you started if you are a new team leader. And if you are an experienced leader, this might be a useful refresher.
Chapter Five is the last chapter in this series. If you have been following from the beginning, I hope this process has been of value to you, and my wish is that you learned a few things about yourself that will continue to add value to your leadership journey and to the teams you work with. Leadership is a privilege and a service that can have a lasting positive impact on you and the people you work with. I wish you much success.
And as always, if you invest in yourself, the rewards will be unfathomable.
Chapter Five of Five
The exercise and questions below will help whether you are standing up a new team for a long or short assignment or working with an existing team. It is my belief that if we can address some of the questions below, we will go a long way towards better and more effective leadership and team dynamics.
Please grab a blank paper sheet, journal, or other non-technology-based writing tools (here are some benefits you can read).
Exercise:
What three words would your team use to describe you? What three words would you use to describe your team?
Now answer the following questions.
If you don’t have an answer to the exercise above, then when was the last time your team gave you feedback? What did they share with you? If you have not asked for feedback in the last six months, then that is the task. Go and ask your team.
If you do have an answer, then ask yourself: In what ways do the words (from the above exercise) influence how you engage with your team? Is it how you would like it to be? If not, then what would need to be different?
Do you and your team have a common understanding of your team’s purpose, mission, objectives and outcomes? If the answer is no, not sure or maybe, then please consider scheduling a time with your team and seek that clarity. If it is a strong yes, move on to the next question.
What discussion and agreement have you and your team had on the best way to communicate with each other? The best way is to ask – make no assumptions. Communication is not a one-size-fits-all. You will need to understand what each individual in your team prefers. Some might prefer phone, email, text, or some other mode of communication. Also, check what style they prefer – collaborative, direct, etc. This will save you endless long-loop conversations. For example: if one of your team members likes the communication to be direct and to the point, then having a story-teller style is not going to work for them and ultimately causes frustrations all around.
Bonus: How does this style fit in with your leadership style from Chapter Four? Will you need to learn something new, or can you adapt your style to suit?
Double Bonus: Have you shared with them how you like to be communicated with and what your style preference is?
How have you and your team agreed on how to resolve conflicts within the team collectively? Conflicts include interpersonal, team decision-making and disagreements on WHAT, WHO and HOW things will get done. This is where the values work in Chapter Three can come in handy for you and your team.
Have you and your team agreed on how you will celebrate successes together? And how will you learn collectively from mistakes?
Write down your answers and go back to your day.
Until next time.
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