Have you heard the phrase ‘Knowledge is Power’? Personally, I think it is rubbish. There is something about it that just does not ring true for me. Perhaps it is the little used Physics degree talking quietly to me – power is about energy. Knowledge is a form of ‘potential energy’ – it has the power to do something if it is used correctly – or used at all.
Why the discussion about knowledge and power?
A question we are asked at Kameleons – Developing Leaders is ‘Why have a leadership coach?’ and ‘What can a coach bring to me and my business?’.
I often answer the question by asking ‘Name me a high performing sports star, athlete, singer, dancer or artist that doesn’t (or didn’t) have a coach?’
To answer the question properly, we sat down as a group and discussed what our clients had told us in regards to the benefit coaching brings and the impact that it has on a business.
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Ever wanted to know what your supervisor / Managers expect of you, the boss? Having facilitated hundreds of Managers in leadership training courses and focus groups, the answer to the simple questions ‘What skills and qualities do you expect of your Manager?’ and ‘What skills and qualities do your people expect from you?’ are remarkably consistent.
From banking to printing, military to Government Departments, manufacturing to telecommunications, the expectations of supervisors are clear and consistent.
Jake is the newest member of our team / family. He is an 18 month old labradoodle (pictured) and the last 15 months have been an exercise in joy, commitment, frustration and persistence. When I think on the impact our new member has had on the rest of the family, I have realised that it is not very different to a new person entering a team in business. I have also realised that animals know an awful lot about being in a team – they have existed and survived in packs for thousands of years.
Here are some of the lessons learnt with Jake on being a good team member and being a good leader of a team.
Listening and Being Present are Important to you Team
Having a team leader that is motivated, passionate, driven and excitied by making change are all wonderful things to have when you are in a team. Equally, it is very comforting to know that your Team Leader is there to listen and provide advice when you need it – it provides the ‘steady hand’ that is required to guide a team through difficult times.
Greet your team members like you are meeting them for the first time every day.
This lesson sounds over the top and cheesy, but give me the opportunity to explain.
I am sure that you have seen dogs like Jake before; as soon as I get home there is a huge wag of the tail, more jumping than I would like, and a desperate need to be patted. There is no doubt in my mind that he is happy to see me. Jake also has the advantage (or disadvantage?) of having a tail that completely reflects his mood – if the tail is wagging he is happy, wagging furiously and he is excited.
Trust is built over months, not seconds.
It took me quite a while to realise this, but the relationship between a dog and its owner is all about trust. There are certain things that I expect Jake to do, and there are certain things that he expects of me. When those expectations are met and not broken, we have started to build trust. For me, trust is a fairly simple thing to define:
Trust – the knowledge that someone is going to do what they say they are going to do.
Lesson 7 – Learn the things that you shouldn’t do in the team
There are many disadvantages to running your own business, but one advantage is being able to work the way you want; particularly when the subject of this blog is asleep at my feet.
Lesson 7 follows on from Lessons 1, 5 and 6, and relates to behaviour that is not accepted by the team.
A different style of post today. I thought I would include one of my favourite inspirational video clips on Youtube. I use this video as a basis for discussion on team coaching, development, goal setting and personal leadership style.
I think I love this video so much because of a question the coach asks an individual player on his team – ‘Are you going to give me your best?’
Remember that each team has different rules to live by.
Working with a large variety of teams under development has reminded me of one small but crucial detail when working with teams – they are all different.
This was highlighted with Jake on the weekend at the beach. While we were happy to let Jake frolic on the dog beach, other dog owners were not. While just is scolded when he tries to jump up on people, other dogs were not. While there are some common sense rules to follow when owning dogs, the nuances are what makes each of us different.
I was reminded of the concept of resilience when working with the great Managers at GE last Thursday. Resilience is a value that is being promoted (along with others) and it struck a chord with me, as it seems to be a weak point with so many Management groups (let me say now though, the resilience of the GE group I worked with was pretty good).
When I think of resilience, I am thinking of the ability to recover from setbacks; to be able to get back up when you have been knocked down; to try for something again after being rejected or not succeeding. It is why I have linked this Video – a great sequence from Rocky 5.
Show respect for your team in ways that they appreciate.
At the end of a hard day at work, it always good to get home. Not only because I get the chance to relax, but also because Jake (our dog) has a way of making your very presence feel special. As soon as you get home, he is there waiting, wagging his tail, hoping to greet you in the most excited way possible. He has the ability to make an average day feel pretty good (even if it gets excessive at times!). Jake shows his enthusiasm in a simple yet effective way, and it demonstrates to the rest of the family that they are appreciated.
Jake’s appreciation leads me to ask: ‘How do you show your respect and appreciation for your team?’
Understand the unique behaviour and skill set you bring to the team
Having Jake in our home has forced everyone to consider what role we have in the family. Jake looks to each of us to provide different things for him; what he expects from me is different to what he expects from my two children. Each of us has roles that Jake expects us to fulfil, just as we expect him to behave and act in a certain way. Each member of our family has a unique set of skills and characteristics that are appreciated and recognised by other members of the family. In fact, we wouldn’t be the family that we are without those skills and behaviours.
The topic of this blog post was borne from the vast differences in culture that I experienced working with two different clients in the recent past (names and references to the specific businesses are not necessary).
Have you ever walked into a room and felt that the ‘vibe’ or culture just wasn’t right? When first walking in to work with a client, you get a feel for the interactions between people, the discussions that take place in the corridors, the set up of the office spaces and the general demeanour of people as they interact with you. From first impression, something about Business A just felt ‘off’.
Look after your team and they will look after you.
While the concept of looking out for your team is not new, many people seem to forget that the process is ‘give and take’ rather than just ‘take’. A common mistake amongst new team leaders / supervisors is to assume that they can ‘take’ from their new team without giving anything in return.
Breaks in discipline / performance can’t wait until later to fix.
Discipline has become a dirty word. The word itself brings up connotations of punishment and detention (at least in my mind anyway!). A new dog in the house has forced us to look at discipline in its truest form, that it, correcting behaviour that is not at the right standard. The same behaviour change process applied with Jake is also used by successful leaders managing successful teams.
Leading the Team is Not a Part-time Responsibility.
Owning a pet, much like deciding to have children – is not a decision to be taken lightly. You are responsible for the welfare, care and protection of something / someone other than yourself. This task requires you to perform many different roles requiring many different skills – some of which are innate and others that you learn as you go. All of these tasks require responsibility and dedication, and are not dissimilar to the requirements for leading a team.
About 6 weeks ago I wrote a short blog post titles ‘Where have all the role models gone?’ It was born out of frustration at the lack of values and clear decisions being made by political leaders in my country. In my last blog post I put forward that there are several things you need to consider to fully assume responsibility as a leader for your team.
Have you worked for a leader that truly inspired you? Made you feel like what you did was worthwhile? Alternatively, have you worked for a leader that made you feel worthless?
What have you based your leadership on – emulating what a good leader has demonstrated for you or making sure you never repeat their awful mistakes?