Facilitative leadership

It’s been several weeks since my last post and I’m thrilled to be back. This week, I share excerpts from my chat with an exceptional leader whose superpower is team building.? This is a leader who learned her superpower very early in her career and knows how to use it in high-stakes situations. Not easy to do!

In addition to the 5 themes/practices I mentioned in my earlier posts (links to posts - https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/bonnie-kantor-491b2a1/recent-activity/all/ ), I observed that all 15 of the exceptional leaders I met had at least 1 internal sponsor—a senior leader committed to their advancement and gave them a pivotal leadership assignment.

Sponsors can greatly boost your leadership career

According to research by the Center for Talent Innovation, people with sponsors are 23% more likely to advance their careers than those without sponsors.[1] This is especially true for women, who, as a recent McKinsey article suggests, tend to be chronically over-mentored but under-sponsored.[2] “I understand having a sponsor is crucial to my career advancement, but how do I get one?” is a question we often hear from leaders we coach. https://www.lri.com/resources/useletter/whos-leadership-sponsor/

My chat with KJ

KJ is an exceptional leader with the superpower of team building*.? She’s been building teams since she started her career over 30 years ago and continues to build to this day in her role as an industry leader for a large global consulting firm.

A bit about KJ

• Senior Partner and industry leader for a large global consulting firm
• Over 25 years of leadership experience
• Based in NY Metro area
• A highly facilitative leader - comfortable leading while not always knowing all the answers
• Deeply curious
• Favorite cocktail/mocktail – Jalape?o margarita on the rocks w/salt. This is a twist with a kick on the traditional margarita.? I recommend using Blanco (aka "Silver") or Reposado tequila. They both mix well, they’re light and the Reposado is slightly sweet. I also recommend the following Rob Baldwin recipe – it’s easy, quick, and delicious (please don’t forget to double strain!).? Please note that ginger beer is not required but it works! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUVIKqp-Lks

Power of team building

“I started with the firm as an intern for one year while I was finishing school.? I worked on several teams, including one run by 2 incredibly talented managers… this was my first impression in the working world …both leaders set the bar …at the time I didn’t fully understand what it takes to build strong teams…but I was in touch that I was having a very positive experience …this was a team that was doing great work… I was learning, it was a fun work environment, and these managers were genuinely interested in me…they made the work that I was doing relevant not only to me, but to them. … I also remember working with another manager who was very different…difficult may be the better description. This manager didn't care that I was an intern and had 5pm intern events and training sessions. This manager only knew that we had work to do, and the work had to be done and that was that!”

KJ went on to say

“When I officially joined the firm, I immediately chose to work on a project led by the manager who had overseen my initial internship project. Her exceptional team-building skills left a lasting impression on me and guided my leadership aspirations."

Strayboots, a global provider of corporate team-building events, workplace activities, and organized company outings states it best – “Leaders need to be working towards developing great teams every day. In fact, the ability to build teams is a valuable leadership quality. Leaders who are effective at this have a few essential characteristics. They are good communicators, trustworthy, and they nurture relationships with their employees. Leaders also must be keenly aware of what their team needs to do their best work. And importantly, they understand the strengths and weaknesses of each member and give them each a role in which they can excel. These kinds of leadership qualities can help build motivated and efficient work teams to increase productivity and workplace happiness.” ?https://www.strayboots.com/blog/team-building-is-essential-for-leadership/

KJ is a facilitative leader*

I learned from my chat that KJ is all about guiding and inspiring her team members, encouraging collaboration, and enabling each member to leverage their expertise. She told me that she focuses on empowering her team to find solutions collectively. “It’s my job to care about, engage, empower, and inspire… this is how I spend my time as a leader…. doing all I can to create high performing and effective teams where members complement and bring the best in each other… making sure they appreciate each other's strengths …. and it’s ok for me not to know the answers or what’s around the corner…. this is not always easy to do…it requires a lot of one-on-one time, authenticity, and integrity.”

*“Facilitative leadership is a leadership style that promotes and encourages teamwork. This helps to transform not just the followers, but also the entire group or community led by a facilitative leader. The facilitative leadership style emphasizes the adaptive changes that individuals make while performing their work; it also helps to cultivate and foster a community that seeks to achieve goals through establishing strong relationships.” ?https://louiscarter.com/facilitative-leadership-style/ .? This article also highlights the key characteristics and pros/cons of a facilitative leader.

KJ shared an example of facilitative leadership

“Several years ago, I organized an offsite to bring industry leaders together to strategize how we would achieve and sustain major revenue growth.? I truly did not know the answers and struggled with an agenda that would be effective, such as who would be the ideal speakers and how do we structure the break-out sessions? I decided simplicity was best. Let’s answer as many variations as possible of the same “How to grow” question…. such as: what do we need to do differently, how are we going to drive the growth, what is it going to look like, what do we sell, how do we sell, where do we sell? And, then let’s double click on all these questions. Forgot the exacts. I informed them that that I didn’t know the answers, but I was very confident that everyone invited to the offsite would be able to figure it out.? It took me years of practice to get comfortable with this approach, especially keeping my confidence up when I had to stand in front of many highly experienced partners and tell them I didn’t know. Knowing that I know how to build strong teams is what kept me strong and centered.

How did KJ develop this high degree of confidence??

KJ talked about great people in her career that supported and sponsored her.

“I had great sponsorship, …3 specific leaders come to mind because they each shaped my leadership style, supported and advocated for me, and while I didn’t realize it at the time, they also gave me challenging assignments allowing me to build up my confidence ...hone my strengths.”?

KJ’s sponsors

• “One was a no-nonsense leader – he took the time to get to know, teach and make me feel important…he steered me to become a good, efficient, and no-nonsense worker….to cut to the chase in what I was trying to achieve. He was very smart… ?made leadership look easy, even though I know he worked hard. He was always taking notes. …I’ll never forget his (8 ? by 11) notebooks… he organized the notes with paper clips…to this day, I’m a full out notebook taker. I knew he was listening...
• Another leader was my guide to becoming a confident female leader – she was a successful partner and a mom of 3 children. When she had her kids, she continued to work …. went on a reduced schedule. She showed me and many other women in the firm a different playbook to being successful and build a family. ?When I had my kids, I found a way to take a one-year maternity and when I returned, I went on a 40% schedule for several months. ?
• Then there was the sponsor who taught me all about the importance of people, having patience, empathy, and compassion. He was a leader who saw the best in everyone. From him I learned to make time for people and provide them with opportunities."

The sponsor/'sponsee' relationship

All the data out there supports the idea that having an internal sponsor can significantly enhance your career – sponsors provide support, guidance, and access to opportunities that may not be readily available otherwise.? KJ told me that “it’s super important to maintain open communication with your sponsor, especially in the event of a failure”.? So true as this relationship is based on trust, respect, and mutual understanding. The ‘sponsee' therefore needs to take responsibility for any mistakes, be transparent about what went wrong, and demonstrate a willingness to learn from the experience. Keep in mind that a sponsor may have to cut through an organization’s hierarchy to create an opportunity for their ‘sponsee'.

Here’s the link to an article posted in The Muse that includes 10 tips to identify and establish a relationship with a potential sponsor. https://www.themuse.com/advice/sponsor-vs-mentor

Please let me know if you found this helpful, have questions, suggestions, and/or a have story to share about facilitative leadership, team building, sponsorship and, of course, cocktails ??.

See you next time at the bar. Cheers!