What are your team members really experiencing? Here's how to find out:
Marguerite Orane
Speaker . Coach . Facilitator . Author . Helping leaders get clarity on the leader they want to be, develop the confidence to build thriving teams and produce results, without sacrificing themselves and their families
Welcome back to?Live, Work and Lead with Joy, my fortnightly newsletter where I share simple, practical insights to help you experience true success. I’m thrilled that you are here.?
If this is your first time reading the newsletter, you can learn a little more about me and what I do by?clicking here: www.margueriteorane.com
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Over the last two weeks, Silke, my amazing team member who manages my website, blog, and newsletters, went on a well-deserved two-week vacation.?I had planned to write all content for posting before she left, but wasn't able to, due to other pressing commitments.?Once Silke departed, I realized I would have to do the posting myself.?Of her own volition, she had very kindly created a step-by-step manual for me to follow, so I wasn’t the least bit worried. ?
Friday morning, bright and early, my mind fresh and ready to take on the world, I sat down to post my blog.?4 hours later, with a lot of hairpulling, sighs and groans, I said to myself “Done is better and perfect†and clicked PUBLISH.?Half a day wasted, I thought.?On reflection, it wasn’t wasted at all.?I have a much better understanding of what Silke does to post and make my blogs and newsletters look professional and go out on time, and the skills, expertise and attention to detail that’s required.?Even more importantly, my appreciation for how she supports me has deepened – without fail, within 30 minutes of my sending her the blog, no matter how late, there’s a cheery email from her: “It's all set up Marguerite.?Let me know if there’s anything else you wish me to do.�She is truly a joy to work with.
This got me pondering - as leaders, do we really know (or remember if we used to do it ourselves] what our team members do??And what they go through to get it done when we say: “Send me the report by Friday.†Are we aware of and sensitive to what we are asking of them and what's involved??Chances are, we are busy with our own deadlines, and just don’t have the time, or so we believe.
I am positing that every now and then, you walk in your team members’ shoes – choose to do something that they normally do, not just to get it done, but to reflect on and learn from what they experience.?Here are 5 questions to ask yourself:
- Did what I asked them to do achieve what I intended?
- Are there any parts of the process that are not clear??For example, there were 2 instances in Silke’s manual that I just couldn’t figure out.?Silke and I will be meeting in a few days to go through the process together.
- Is there anything that could be simplified, automated, or even eliminated?
- Is the timeline reasonable??
- Is there additional information or training needed?
You might be surprised that the frustration you feel about missed timelines, complaints of overwhelm and seeming lack of support are replaced by deeper understanding and empathy, and insights to improve efficiency and productivity, and make your team members’ lives easier.
领英推è
Walk a mile in your team member shoes. It’s a great learning experience and a good use of your time.
Marguerite Orane is an expert in living, working and leading with joy.?Her life commitment is to be a catalyst for changing the way people work, so that they do so with joy AND achieve amazing success!?She helps time-strapped leaders prioritise periods of rest and renewal, so that they are able to inspire their teams to excel whilst enjoying the fulness of life.?Amongst many other things, she is a certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher to further help her clients tap into their innate joy.?
Contact Marguerite if you need help living, working and leading with joy: marguerite@margueriteorane.com
Connect with Marguerite on:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/MargueriteOrane
If you aren’t yet part of my email list, sign up HERE – I share more information and resources, including my weekly Momentum Monday newsletter