6 Tips on How to Become a More Engaged Leader for Your Team Through Change
This unprecedented crisis is pushing us to reassess our leadership skills and abilities to manage our teams through change. And particularly at this time when individual and organizational concerns are exacerbated by the stress of uncertainty about the future. If you are familiar with change management, you already know that developing a contingency plan – where learning to plan for failure is as important as hoping for the best – will be key in addressing challenges ahead. A “contingency plan” is designed to align with your organization’s and your team’s values and mission. Having that clarity beforehand is usually the basis for any decision that will be communicated in a structured, consistent and clear manner to all team members. If you haven’t had the chance to plan or think about change or crisis yet, this certainly is a wakeup call to challenge yourself to do better and take this opportunity to develop your leadership skills. There are a few things that you can do right away to better support your team(s) and emotional intelligence will be key in how you, as a leader, will handle this crisis. Let’s take a look at some of the ways that you can make a bigger, positive impact on your team and on your colleagues.
TIP #1 – See People before workers.
Human connection is essential in these times when people feel even more isolated than before due to remote working over an extended (an undefined) period of time. Being an “engaged leader” will mean being even more present for others, and truly showing that you care for them and their family.
Being physically distant doesn’t mean that we need to be emotionally distant. Take the time to contact individually each member of your team to check in (phone is better than email if that’s possible), ask how they and their family are doing – physically and mentally. Reassure them that you are here to listen to their concerns. Basically, great leaders show their teams that they care about them not just as colleagues or workers but as people. Also never presume or take for granted your employees’ abilities to handle this crisis - they may be facing some extraordinary challenges that they haven’t shared with you yet (such as having a sick or vulnerable family member, experiencing mental health issues, etc.). This leads me to my second tip: establishing trust.
TIP #2 – Build Trust and nurture it.
Trust needs to be established from the start when you take on a new leadership role (or lead a new team). But it is never too late to start building that trust if you are not quite there yet with your team. And if you think that you already have their trust, think again. It’s better to overdo it than making assumptions. You need to continue building up that relationship and nurturing it. See this crisis as an opportunity to make sure that your employees feel comfortable to reach out if they need to.
But remember that trust goes both ways: your staff needs to trust that you will offer them a safe space to voice their concerns and worries. But you also have to trust them: trust in their brilliance, creativity and resourcefulness. Encourage them to think outside the box and offer solutions and ideas to face work challenges. People can and will surprise you when you give them an occasion to shine and rise above difficulties.
TIP #3 – Leverage talent in your team.
Now is the time to really lead by example, encourage creativity and leverage talent among your team. Truly LISTEN to your team members and colleagues and take their opinions into account when you make group decisions. Acknowledge by name who made the suggestion and share it with the rest of the team. This will encourage and inspire people who gave you some feedback, inspiration and/or solutions to continue to help everyone moving forward.
Also, think about ways that you could re-structure and re-organize workload and priorities depending on your team’s talents and assets. Maybe this crisis is an occasion to give someone on your team new challenges or to offload some work if you notice that another person is overwhelmed. Leveraging talent can only work if it is in tune with being present for your team on a more personal level and frequently checking in with them.
TIP #4 – Provide a framework for accountability.
After checking in with your team members/ employees and their ability to handle some of those tasks at this time, you may want to ask them about their needs in terms of accountability and progress tracking. While being flexible is important to allow your team members to work from home while caring for kids or other relatives, you may want to encourage a support system to keep everyone motivated and empowered to take action. In my previous article, I provided 10 tips to telework efficiently that you are welcome to share with your team. But your team still needs your leadership and clear tasks to achieve their goals. Thus I would suggest planning for frequent bilateral meetings where you will decide together with each team member what goals and tasks should be prioritized. Ask them also what type of accountability they need from you to keep the motivation going and what other support they might need to make this work. Pairing team members who bring different strengths and who can hold each other accountable could also be a great solution.
TIP #5 – Communicate clearly.
In your communications – individual but also collective messages – you need to be both CLEAR and CONFIDENT. Basically, when people already feel anxious about the future, an unclear message will add to your team’s confusion and uncertainty. Try to be as specific in your guidance and in your instructions so that your team knows what to do and what is within their control. Exuding confidence (even if you may be anxious yourself) is essential, simply because you are their leader! They need to know that someone (YOU) is not freaking out and is offering a direction as well as resources for the rest of the team.
If you re-assign tasks and restructure priorities, they should still feel aligned with your “WHY” as a company and/or as a team. Don’t lose sight of your mission and your vision for your group. In times of change or crisis like this one, having defined values will help build a growth mindset and more adaptable team players and employees. Thus, communicating collective decisions should always be supported by a common understanding of why working on these tasks still matters. Aligning your organization’s values with current goals will motivate your team to continue working hard in spite of difficulties.
TIP #6 – Be patient with others, and most importantly with yourself.
Finally, remember that these are exceptional circumstances and particularly stressful times. You are dealing with people’s emotions, anxieties and concerns on a whole new level. And that also means being patient with yourself and allowing yourself to practice some self-care too. Mindfulness and meditation can be instrumental in your mental wellbeing right now – not only to let go and relax, but also to create space for self reflection. On my website blog, you will find two articles to support you as you practice mindful meditation and manage anxiety in these challenging times.
Remember that this crisis creates an opportunity to know yourself better as a leader and to discover your strengths under stress. What you are implementing right now to manage your teams through change will be incredibly useful for the future.