![]() If you enjoy these posts, or my previous posts ( Networking, Small Things, Trust), please comment, like or share. Yes, there are times when we need to lead autocratically, but the majority of the time - we need to get out of our teams way & let them debate the issue at hand (remember, you are supposed to hire people smarter than you). A solid foundation of trust, followed by the elimination of fear around conflict are the first steps toward a high performing team. The new leader didn't quite know what to think until one of the team members explained that passionate/healthy/professional debate made them a better team & by operating this way, they almost always worked out the issue, supported each other in the final solution & the solution was better than any of the original proposals.Īs leaders, it is our job to coax the best out of our team members. I was lucky enough to experience this as someone took over one of my teams & a fierce/bitter debate occurred in the new leaders staff meeting. A person not versed in this leadership style will assume that your team hates each other & may believe HR needs to be engaged. Success will look and feel very odd to outsiders. You must remember - the minute you exert your opinion, positional authority takes over & it is no longer a debate. "Why?" or "Can you help me understand?" or "What about xyz?" or "Bob, what do you think?". You get to ask questions, but not give your opinion. Note, this is NOT the time to inject or reinforce your opinion. This means coaxing the quiet ones to speak & convincing the type A's to stop & listen (instead of thinking about what they're going to say next - you know who you are!). Your role in these debates is to ensure it remains professional & that everyone's opinions are heard. This can not be accomplished without a reasonable degree of trust from the team members and that there won't be negative repercussions as a result. When someone challenges you, seize that as an opportunity & don't let the proverbial pin drop. You must be willing to hear other opinions and accept that you might be wrong. You will have to resist the urge to "take this discussion offline". You will definitely have to ask the opinions of the more quiet members. Sometimes, you have to raise controversial items in the group setting. The art of cultivating conflict starts with you - the leader. Sounds easy enough, but most leaders (and most team members) fear conflict. ![]() You just need to give people permission to disagree - and permission to disagree with YOU. Wouldn't you like to change that? You can. ![]() How many things do you actually solve in staff meetings? Is there any controversy raised? As Tom Mendoza would say - "How was the candor?" (Check out his blog here) Unless it is cancelled (and then most rejoice at the productive time they just gained). To illustrate my point: I suspect many of you have the same format for the staff meetings that you attend or that you lead - A "too-long" monologue by the chairperson, followed by a guest speaker, or two, followed by an "around the room" where one or two people bring up items that aren't relevant to the group and everyone else says "nothing from me this week". The good news is you don't have to wait for that before embarking on the next step in the journey to a high-performing team AND as the trust level improves, it will continue to contribute to the success of the team. It is absolutely necessary, but it has a long time horizon to realize success. However, the art of building trust is similar to brand awareness marketing. Trust is a fundamental component of realizing the benefits of a high-performing team. In the last post we talked about building a foundation of trust on your teams.
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