YOUR TEAM IS SMARTER THAN THEY LOOK!

Think about a great executive Management member that you’ve had in the past. You likely felt comfortable going to that person with your questions, concerns, and needs, and they were likely receptive to you and worked to address them and make sure that you felt supported. And if (or when) you both had disagreements, they were likely respectful and productive exchanges took place.

That kind of dynamic between employee (head of the organisation) and management is similar to what we encourage couples to create in their own relationships—keeping a positive perspective, validating each other’s positions despite disagreement, and being intentionally respectful, even during difficult times. It’s a dynamic that works. It helps everyone involved feel supported and valued.

And let’s be honest: teamwork between executive management and senior leadership of the organisation, especially when attempting to achieve difficult, long-term, and even lofty goals, can lead to intense emotions, such as (if things aren’t going well) frustration, anger, worry, or disappointment, or (if things are going well) excitement, anticipation, enthusiasm, and shared celebration. For example, look at the vivid displays of emotion from players on cohesive sports teams. They celebrate each other when things go well. They lift each other up when things don’t. Emotions, even on the field, play a huge role in working with others to succeed. Yet all of those emotions, even the good ones, can lead to immense stress under challenging circumstances at work.

But the question is, does this kind of dynamics exist in all organisations? Not really! More often than not we do come across a breed of management who play the role exactly the opposite to described above and we find employees at loggerheads with them.

Here is some food for thought for the executive management to consider – “Your team is smarter than they look.” I promise. If they’re not performing/learning as fast as you would like, stop and consider. What if it’s not them– but you? Here are three ways to make your team, if nothing, but at least 40% smarter.

1. Stop Interrupting

I didn’t get this right away when I first started work here in UAE. I figured these were seasoned leaders above me. If I was busy when they called, I’d tell them.

But I soon learned that despite my best intentions, I was considered “the manager,” not a leader and I should drop everything and do what I was asked to do.

Of course, every now and then that’s EXACTLY what you need. The sky is falling, the customer’s (read parents) really ticked off, or your bosses’ hair is on fire. Got it.

Just remember, creative work and breakthroughs require concentration. No one does their best thinking in a constant barrage of interruption.

Here’s what the management can do- if it can wait, give back some mental energy by making ongoing lists for each person in the leadership team and setting a time to run through what you need. They’ll be in a better space to think and respond, and in the meantime, they got on with their other priorities as Organisational heads. Resist the urge to just pick up the phone and disrupt their flow.

2. Give Permission to Do

I recently met with the founder and CEO of a medium size company who had brought me in to do some leadership development work with the frontline team. I shared the laundry list of amazing improvement ideas that had surfaced as we talked leadership– literally side effects of deeper conversation. These were solid ways to improve revenue and customer service.

His response, “Aishah, what CEO in their right mind would be upset with them just doing these things? If they’re good ideas, why didn’t they just do them?”

His entrepreneurial spirit couldn’t imagine a mindset of “waiting for permission,” but he had not said out loud “if you have it, just do it.”

Be sure if your team is busting with ideas they feel encouraged to share and try them because they know, they need not wait for “permission”.

3. Expose them to MORE

In almost every organisation where I’m facilitating Professional Development, one of the “big asks” is to help the team think more strategically. As I dig in, the number one issue is almost always lack of exposure to the bigger context of the vision, the financial strategy, or how their work connects with other departments. It’s impossible to connect the dots if you only see half of them. The more your team knows, the deeper their thinking will become. If you want to grow big picture thinkers, give them something to think about beyond their current role.

If you take care of the above you would see a steady rise in employee satisfaction along with the development of a great leader—poorly supported leaders’ teams have poor job satisfaction, and great leaders’ teams are much more committed and happy with their work.

This is part two of a four-part series on Growing Smart TEAMS. Part one is here, and parts three and four are forthcoming after my umrah (minor Pilgrimage) to Mecca.