Start by Learning Their Names

If you want to earn the trust of individuals within a team in order to lead them with the purpose of successfully accomplishing a certain task, operation, or project, you can start by learning their names.

Subject matter expertise within an organization will only get you so far. There are many subject matter experts that have plateaued in their careers because of a lack of understanding of the different leadership styles and how to implement them based on the individual in order to develop a successful team. This concept is universal, and these interpersonal skills in building relationships can be used to manage and successfully lead a team in the training and real world execution of (but not limited to): prosecuting or defending a case, shipping and receiving goods, building infrastructure, maintaining a fleet of vehicles, operating on a patient, winning a Super Bowl or fighting in combat.

In my experience (academically and professionally) authoritative, participative, and delegative leadership are the three most commonly used styles of leadership in project management. Why not include micromanaging as the fourth? It is intentionally left out because, if you’ll notice, it is the only style of the aforementioned that fails to use the word “leadership” in its definition. However, it is included due to the fact that it seems to be frequently utilized as a default means of leading when the trust managers have in their subordinates (and/or vise versa) has broken down.

Trust is only earned when the individual members of the team believe that their contribution, growth, and well-being matter. When their view of an organization and its leaders stop being a lifeless entity that cuts them a check, and starts being an extension of their own inner circle that can help them reach their full potential personally and professionally. There have been “good” managers who have led their teams by primarily using the tool that is most aligned with their own personality. Most do so because it comes to them naturally, but great managers know when to effectively use each of these three leadership styles to lead their teams depending on what motivates each individual team member.

Every single one of your employees has a different DNA thread, so it only makes sense that using different leadership styles based on what motivates the individual will lead to the greatest level of productivity from your entire team. Where some may need a “swift kick” in the rear end, others may need a “pat on the back”. Where some may need to see their managers get down in the “trenches” with them, others are motivated by the opportunity you afford them to take on a greater amount of responsibility, and the chance to make managerial decisions on their own (sink or swim).

To accomplish this, you may have to get out of your comfort zone a little as we as managers are also individuals who were engineered with different God given skillsets. All of us were mentored and raised to manage projects and people a certain way based on the skills we were born with, and how we were brought up and mentored within our respective industries. Not all of us were born with or taught to nurture the relationship between manager and team member; however, interpersonal skills are the corner stone to team building when leading a group of individuals and the most important intangible to establishing trust and leading a successful project or operation.

Below are a few examples in leadership you can utilize to help you instill confidence and build trust with, develop, and nurture your team from its core, the individual:

·        Start by learning their names. It’s simple, easy, and the most basic form of flattery and respect a manager can reward their employees with. Knowing the names of your team members is the easiest conversation starter ever, and is the best way to open the floodgates of information you need to know about how, or what, makes this particular individual tick. Introvert? Extrovert? Loner/individualistic? Family/team oriented? Goal driven? Self-starter? Follower? Leader? Virtually every question you want answered can be gathered by spending a couple of minutes (or even a few seconds) engaging with your team in small groups or individually at the outset or close of every business day.   

·        Be selective in the use of authoritative leadership. Authoritative leadership is most appropriately used when time is non-existent, and critical decisions that will determine the success of a project or the safety of a team member hangs in the balance. If you as a leader are building the proper trust within your team and use opportunities to act on authoritative leadership discriminately, the team will be more likely to follow your guidance recognizing the severity of the moment, and less likely to push back against it. 

·        Be direct and impartial when recommending reward and or corrective action. Be firm and fair with both, and never show any positive or negative favoritism to any one-team member. Always distribute reward and or corrective action equally to every individual because both actions are extremely visible. Failure in maintaining discipline through this aspect of leadership is the fastest way to lose credibility within your team.

(Side note: Authoritative leadership can be very dangerous when managing. Be careful not to manage with such a heavy hand that you end up unintentionally disenfranchising the team as a whole.)

·        Involve your team members in operational planning and execution. Although we’d like to think we are, we’re not always the sharpest knife in the cutlery set. Ultimately, we as managers know that the final decision is ours to make when executing a plan, but that doesn’t mean that the members of your team are incapable of significant value if given the opportunity to share ideas and opinions (time permitting). You may even be surprised at what feedback they offer in that it might provide you with an alternative way of achieving a more desirable outcome. Take everything in as food for thought and remember, you can always say, “Thanks, but no. We’ll stick to doing it my way.” Just the fact that you afforded them an opportunity to participate in the development and execution process builds morale within your team.

·        Conduct After Action Reviews (AARs) following completion of all critical steps within the project, including the completion of the project itself. Grab representatives from low, mid, and senior levels of your team and have each team member give at least two examples of what to sustain and improve upon for the betterment of performance and outcomes of future projects. The goal is to obtain maximum effort on the part of your team members, and to get them thinking about how to improve upon their own performance, as well as the performance of the team, project, and the organization. Establishing a culture of accountability and putting your team in a position to take ownership of their contributions is the quickest way to achieve this goal.

(Side note: Participative leadership can be very dangerous when managing. Be careful not to get so involved with one aspect of the work that you end up unintentionally disregarding the project as a whole.)

·        Identify potential leaders and let them lead. Knowing the members of your team will give you the best idea of who is ready to take on greater responsibility as a first line manager. Get them in the habit of disseminating information to both subordinates and leaders. The flow of information and communication at all levels of leadership is vital to the successful execution and outcome of any operation or project. It is also the means by which you may lead by delegation. One of the greatest forms of trust a manager can display to a team member is when they delegate a task, allowing an individual to lead an operation with little to no guidance or supervision.

(Side note: Delegative leadership can be very dangerous when managing. Be careful not to get so uninvolved with the work that you end up unintentionally impacting the project negatively as a whole. Trust but verify the work, always!)

·        If you are micromanaging, call a timeout. Chances are you (not the members of your team) are failing. Identify what areas you can improve on as a leader, and then identify the individuals within your organization that is best equipped to help you get yourself and your team back on track. Asking for help is a sign of maturity, not weakness.

Roughly eighty percent of hours spent awake for full-time employees are spent at the workplace among their teammates and leadership. It is their home away from home. Therefore, cultivating the team through individual relation building by using the appropriate leadership style is the key to leading a successful project. Leaders who get stuck trying to manage, motivate, teach, recognize and/or discipline by only using the style of leadership they are most comfortable with will find that only a small percentage of their team will be fully receptive, and the rest will remain, for the most part, solely focused on punching a time card. Taking the initiative to build a team through interpersonal leadership and the personal and professional development of the individual is naturally reciprocal, and will lead to the growth and success of yourself as well as your organization.