I once led a great team, but it's no longer smooth sailing. How can I chart a new course for us?
Maynard Webb
Founder, Webb Investment Network; Author ‘Dear Founder’; Board member Visa and Salesforce.
Arrrgghhh! I thought I had a great team in place, but they are not performing at the level we need. What should I do to reset?
-CEO
Dear CEO,
It is great that you thought you had a great team—and you might—but if they are suddenly not performing as expected we need to figure out why. Perhaps there’s room and reason to explore how you’re leading before we vilify the team. If the team was performing well but now is not, it’s important to examine what has changed. Have you properly delivered your expectations, shared what success looks like, and stayed in close communication?
When it comes to managing a team, I don’t advocate micromanaging, but I do believe in adhering to a practice of “trust and verify.” It’s best to approach this with air of wonder instead of criticism, which can cause people to shut down. Staying engaged helps build a collaborative environment that prizes learning and ensures everyone is focused on achieving success.
It's time for an honest assessment. Ask yourself the following questions:
·?????Can I trust the team?
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·?????Have we had discussions about what success looks like?
·?????Does the team know what they need to do and by when?
·?????Do we need a different kind of attention from me or do we need to put someone else on the situation?
·?????Do we have monitoring check points? (Personally speaking, if I find that someone is not doing something I also ask someone else to check on it. I prefer too many cooks in the kitchen rather than having no one minding the stove.)
·?????Do we have the right culture set up? Do people know that early notice is better than late notice? Are people encouraged to ask for help?
Sometimes people don’t meet expectations, and everyone makes mistakes from time to time. Typically, things can (and should) be reset with the current team as it’s much more burdensome to bring in others and start from scratch. Getting back to smooth sailing comes down to gaining a fuller awareness of how you got here so you can move forward faster and in the right direction.
Every week I respond to a new question. Ask me your question in the comments section.
I make intelligent machines | MSc Computer Science
2 年I agree that sometimes people make mistakes or fail to meet expectations, and it's important to approach this situation with an air of wonder instead of criticism. It's essential to foster a culture that encourages open communication, asking for help, and early notice of issues.
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2 年Maynard thanks! Is this really a monthly internalized leadership question: "Have you properly delivered your expectations, shared what success looks like, and stayed in close communication"? Agreement on what success looks like, comfort in asking for help, and knowing that "good-news" and "bad-news" should travel at equal speed are essential elements to both trust and progress.
There was the wickedness of the poor man and the perfection of the master man? ?? ??? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???? ??? ?? ???? ????
2 年Morality and Motivation in true respect! Leaders tell practically! Well post!
?International CMO ? McCann ? FCB ? Strategy ? Advertising ? Marketing ? Media ? Award-Winning Creative ? High-stakes Negotiations ? Company Launch ? Team Leadership ? Startups ? Branding ? Digital ? Direct
2 年People overlook the simplest, most human solution: talk to the damned team!!! Find out what changed. Who changed. Write it down with NO judgement. Let the data guide you.