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Directions: March 2009
Tips for the Times: Help for Leaders and Managers
by
Tommy Davis, aka “Robin Ready”
For many of our
readers, Robin Ready of Team Manager Development Center fame is an
old friend. And no one plays
the role of Robin better than Tommy.
For that reason, Tommy is starting his column offering
Robin’s “take” on critical competencies for team leaders during
challenging times. Whether you are a front line team leader or a
senior manager, as Robin would say, “Listen up!”
As a team leader it’s a big part of your job to help the team remain
positive and productive.
Team members need an environment where they experience confidence,
trust, and satisfaction if they are going to perform effectively.
They’re counting on you to help build and maintain that environment.
They will take their cues from you.
So, if your own confidence levels are a little wobbly, take a step
back, and revisit your personal belief system.
You know that as bad as
things seem right now, most good people and good organizations
adjust, survive, and go on to thrive. Your team is much more likely
to rally behind you if you can be steady and positive and can find ways
to motivate and build their confidence in spite of all the turmoil
and change.
Let’s review a few TMDC Leadership Competencies and offer some Tips
that Robin thinks good leaders might be able to use right now.
-
Performance Standards. (You should know that Robin never focuses first on the warm and fuzzy stuff.)
Provide clarity to
questions of effort, performance and outcome. Help others feel and
see that the efforts they are undertaking will achieve the expected
performance and provide satisfying outcomes. Take time to meet with
the team and engage in dialogue that leads to objectives the team
will support with confidence, trust and satisfaction. Clearly
reinforce performance expectations. (Write them down, post them,
chart results and get people focused.) If there seems to be
confusion or a problem, stop quickly and ask what is going on; help
everyone get back on track as quickly as possible.
-
Communications. (Always a biggie, communications skills are a top priority in stressful periods.)
Please keep the team
informed, involved and engaged. Ask good questions (open-ended and
thought provoking). Examples of such questions are: Can we outline
together the steps required to achieve these expectations? What
skills sets will we have to build? Do you have the resources and
authority you need to proceed?
How can I help?
Coming up with positive solutions to these questions will
also build confidence, trust and satisfaction - but be careful to
not jump the gun and run ahead to solutions before knowing what the
root causes are.
Focus on your listening,
questioning, verbal and nonverbal communication. Remember to
maintain eye contact. Do not interrupt. Repeat back or paraphrase what you think was said. Express
your thoughts and ideas without rambling -- be clear and to the
point. Allow people time to think and respond to you when you raise
questions – don’t just immediately fill in the void with your own
answer! Drawing others out usually gains their support and buy-in.
-
Flexibility & Adaptability. Flexibility seems to be the name of the game during challenging times. (And many of us are beginning to feel like pretzels about now – right?)
You’re going to have to
help the team through all that flexing. When things feel out of
control or are about to reach a crisis, try to take a deep breath
and communicate about how everyone is feeling and then call a quick
“time out” to gain control of emotions and the situation. Seek
information to determine what others are thinking about the issues
before stating your viewpoint or giving a lot of directions. Then
focus on objective problem-solving (Assess, Plan, and then Act).
When others are able to
see you are adaptable and in control, they are more willing and able
to forge ahead with confidence, trust and satisfaction on their own.
-
Situational Sensitivity & Responsiveness.
Look for every opportunity
to provide supportive feedback and encouragement. The team may be
feeling unsettled and fearful.
They need to learn to cope with the new order of things. Show
sensitivity and responsiveness by allowing some time for closure to
the past, transitioning from that past, getting familiar with the
new, and building a new routine. Find ways to spend more time close
to your team members, looking and listening for cues about how they
are feeling and reacting. Be proactive in demonstrating interest in
them as people, not just as extensions to their machines or tasks.
Make it easy for people to talk with you and if things appear to be
different, check it out - ask!
In summary, stay focused on your team’s need for confidence, trust
and satisfaction and your own role in helping make it happen –
especially right now. Stop and think about these few tips and Robin
believes you will handle things much better.
Robin (Tommy) is interested in your
thoughts and questions about leading teams, and will continue to try
to address your challenges with useful tips in upcoming newsletters.
Send your comments to
info@ecdavis.com.