Team Leadership - Sharing the Spotlight
“Well, this new manager certainly has a way about her!”, Barb said. “I have to admit though, I’m a little overwhelmed with all the changes and the new direction.”
Barb and I had just settled down for a chat over coffee, and she was eager to talk about all the changes after the company reorg.
“I wish I could have that confidence - to just say precisely and directly what I thought was the right course of action” She sighed.
“Well, here’s me just being curious”, I said, “but how much air time did you and the others have in the meeting?”
“Well, you know, I could see we were all eager to impress, and after Tom and Peter droned on about their histories and accomplishments, I just drew back a little. The clock was ticking too…”
“Sounds like everyone was vying for the spotlight to keep their jobs! But what do you think the team really needed at that first meeting? Hey, let’s imagine it was you - what would you have done?”
Barb paused, and then said, “If it was me, and it was a team I was meeting for the first time, I’d be pretty curious about what they each thought, and to be honest with me - what’s working, and not working, you know?” She laughed and shook her head. “We were all so keen to impress the new boss about our individual skills, I’ll bet she could tell we were hiding something”.
“Well, I think your instincts are right. Discussing pain points can be a powerful motivator for what the team doesn’t want, and figure out together how to move forward. Better to rip the bandage off now, rather than later when the new manager starts to experience it first hand”, I mused.
I went on; “You know, if you thought outside of the box, I’m sure you could wield a lot of positive influence on your team, from where you are right now. But, you need to develop some understanding of what the team needs; to get past the individual ego and think more about the team as a system. A lot of it is common sense, and you already have that!”
Barb brightened at the possibility of what I was saying. “Yeah, I would love it if we could all share the responsibility of leading, rather than us all jockeying to be the “star performer!”
If you are all about contributing and finding ways to make a difference in your team even if “boss” isn’t your job title, I can help you, and have fun along the way!