A very operational daily challenge as a manager: I have a team, a task. And now, what is my task to accomplish the task with the team? How do I best lead the team?
A few thoughts on this, underpinned by actual conversations from our coaching practice.
Step 1: Can’t or don’t want to?
From a conversation with a manager.
- ▶️ Manager: “I just don’t understand it. Nothing comes from the team. I’ve already tried everything!”
- ▶️ Coach: “What is your goal?”
- ▶️ Manager: “They should work better, bring in more customers, organize themselves, achieve more and better results.”
- ▶️ Coach: “Okay.”
- ▶️ Manager: “They have received training and a higher bonus …”
The manager had paid close attention in classic leadership training courses on situational leadership (Hearsey/Blanchard) many years ago. How strong is the ability ? And how high is self-motivation (the will)?
He reflects objectively on whether his employees, his team, are capable. And he has given them suitable training to ensure that they can. And finally, he has encouraged the willingness of the employees on a factual level, with financial incentives.
The team members can now. And they have to “want” to, as there is more money.
Why did it still not work?
Well, as the conversation progressed, it initially became clear that the manager had overlooked the fact that ability and willingness are not only influenced by the factual level – content, money. But above all by the organizational level (are tasks, communication, etc. consistent? Does the framework fit? Is it clear? Are there internal conflicts?) and the emotional relationship level (fear, doubt, anger, trust, closeness …).
Conclusion: As managers, learn to understand and shape ability and willingness on all levels: the factual level, the organizational/process level and the emotional relationship level.
Step 2: Create clarity and transparency
Let’s continue the dialog above ….
- ▶️ Manager: “Why can’t the colleagues in my team hold more discussions with the customer themselves to bring us more projects? Why don’t they do that?”
- ▶️ Me: “What’s happening?”
- ▶️ Manager: “Well, some people do something, but then when I ask or check, I see that a lot of mistakes happen. They approach the customer with the wrong ideas or documents, or at the wrong time. And they don’t understand the customer anyway. And then I have to go back to …. myself and some colleagues are already frustrated when I arrive. I don’t understand it.”
- ▶️ Me: “What mistakes are colleagues in the team allowed to make? What is their freedom?” Manager: “😶 (big eyes)” …
Quite simplified, but a true story. Although this step towards effective leadership and strong teams seems quite simple, doesn’t it?
Conclusion:
- 1️⃣ Create clarity and transparency about the framework and degree of freedom in which your employees should and may operate. Are they allowed to decide whether to network? And who is allowed to? With whom? Or only how? Reflect on whether you want to allow more freedom – this often leads to greater satisfaction and motivation.
- 2️⃣ Stay consistent. If you give your employees more space to act independently, then give them this space. Space means freedom, means being allowed to make mistakes, means not being constantly controlled. Stand consistently behind your employees when mistakes happen – within the given space. You have given the space. Of course you can and must carry out quality checks so that you can learn together.
- 3️⃣ Very important – reflect on yourself. Can you really give yourself the degrees of freedom? Do you have the courage to allow yourself to make mistakes? Even if you take the risk? If not – what is it in yourself that scares you? Fear of losing control? Fear of coming to harm yourself? In our opinion, understanding this fear and letting it go is often the real key to successful, effective leadership and strong teams!
Step 3: Learn to communicate
Let’s continue the dialog from the last post ….
- ▶️ Manager: “In the last coaching session, you made me realize that I need to communicate more clearly what the freedoms and boundaries are, what the framework and playing field are in which my team is allowed to work and make decisions. I have now sent an email.”
- ▶️ Coach: “So?”
- ▶️ Manager: “Yes, nothing. Everything as usual. One person says that we as a company stand for certain values. But we also have to deliver!”
- ▶️ Coach: “Yes?”
- ▶️ Manager: “And then there’s another group that is withdrawing. Even more difficult now with working from home”
- ▶️ Coach: “Yes?”
- ▶️ Manager: “And anyway. The quality no longer fits at all.”
Quite simplified, but a true, recurring story. What happens here? Well, obviously the framework and playing field are now defined. At least that’s what the manager thinks. But is the communication working? Rather no …
- *️⃣ Communication is a lot of work and requires a lot of time and an organized framework (e.g. a regular, structured team meeting with a goal, focus and results, many personal, individual discussions).
- *️⃣ Communication requires a lot of open, active listening in order to understand what the team and employees are really concerned about. For example: Are the employees concerned about factual reservations, do they have input or doubts about the given organization and processes or are they actually concerned about something else? Fear for their job? A longing for appreciation?
- *️⃣ Communication requires clarity and awareness on the part of the manager as to which language is appropriate in each case. Perhaps factual matters need to be addressed, perhaps power needs to be expressed, perhaps meaning needs to be absorbed and honored, perhaps emotions need to be understood.
- *️⃣ Communication requires conscious decisions by the manager about the respective goals of communication. Is it about convincing and controlling? Or is it about weighing up factual arguments together? Or to release energy for something new?
Conclusion: As managers, learn to understand and actively shape these different dimensions of communication (the three levels, the chosen language, the chosen goal). And then create an appropriate framework for communication with and within the team.