At Impact 360, I have the great opportunity to work with students, and sometimes staff, who are placed in the position of leading a project team for the first time. As many find out, running point on a project team can sometimes feel like “herding cats.” It’s easy for this task to feel like it can get away from us. In my experience, it’s often because, early in our careers, we are still unsure of our leadership style. This uncertainty can create insecurity, pushing us toward one of two leadership extremes: over-controlling the team or becoming too hands-off for fear of seeming overbearing. Neither of these approaches will produce the outcome we want.
So, how do we find the best balance? In every team leadership endeavor, the single most critical aspect is communication. Clear communication about objectives and expectations can lead to clear outcomes. Unclear communication regarding the objective and expectations will ultimately lead to confusion, frustration, and a lack of success. Here are five steps any team leader can take to help make sure everyone is on the same page and working toward the same results.
- Clearly communicate the objectives and the underlying mission. This is the most often overlooked aspect. It’s easy to assume everyone on the team gets it and knows what’s important. We tend to forget everyone takes in information through their own lens. Those lenses are shaped by individuals’ perspectives and experiences. We can’t assume anyone hears or reads information as we do. It’s best, in fact, to flip the narrative and see yourself as the one with a unique perspective, and it’s up to you to communicate that to the team. As you share the objectives, be sure to undergird it with the missional “why” behind it. The team needs to be able to connect what they are doing to the larger work of the organization so that they best understand why it is important.
- Clearly communicate expectations regarding deliverables. Clearly describe, in the most detail you are able, exactly what the end product looks like, the team is working on, when it is due, and in what format. The more details you leave unspecified, the greater the risk that the team’s work will differ from what you expect. If you share this verbally at the beginning, be sure to follow up with a written version, preferably via email, later. This is important because some people learn best by hearing and others by reading. Having a written copy also preserves a record they may refer back to in order to make sure they are pursuing the desired objectives.
- Clearly communicate expectations on consults and updates. This is often the defining line between a micro-manager and a team leader who is responsible for managing accountability. The micro-manager is a menacing presence that may swoop down at any given time on the team member, wanting immediate updates. Setting expectations upfront for when and how updates should be provided allows team members to prepare reports on a predictable schedule. Communicating the format of response, you want clearly allows them to provide the details you want without you having to chase them down. This builds confidence for the team members and allows them to do their best without worrying about whether you think they are working on the right things. An important note here as well: It is at this stage that you also want very clear definitions on when they need to consult you and when they don’t. If they are unsure, then you risk them taking too much time with details they should manage, or, on the other hand, they make decisions that aren’t theirs to make. You want to find the right balance in empowering them to do their job within the proper guardrails.
- Recognize and reward behaviors you want repeated. As the project moves along, look for the practices and behaviors that bring value and be sure to note them. A mix of public and private encouragements in both verbal and written forms is a good practice. This accomplishes two things: it affirms the team members doing the good work and assures you they will continue to do so, and it illustrates to other team members the practices and behaviors of the team’s values. Both of these outcomes serve to produce a “virtuous flywheel” that will help move the work forward and produce higher engagement from the individual contributors of the team.
- Don’t personalize behaviors you don’t want; refer back to values driving the work. Every team leader is going to have opportunities to help their team members improve. This may manifest itself in their behavior or their quality of work. This is where the practice of Step #1 pays off. If you have clearly communicated and reinforced the mission and objective, you can point back to them as the guide without over-personalizing or insulting your team member. “It’s important for our team to…” and “Our objective is to…” type of language is the goal over “You need to…” type of statements. As the team leader, it’s your objective to coach someone up, not tear them down.
Leadership guru Patrick Lencioni rightfully emphasizes in his books, such as “The Advantage,” the importance of high communication between a team leader and their team. A paraphrase of what he famously reminds leaders in many of his books and videos is to communicate, then communicate again, to the point beyond your comfort level. This is important because we live and work within a very fast-paced world of communication. It will take your clear and consistent leadership voice to help keep what’s most important and expected out in front of your team. You must own this responsibility to lead your team well in the work ahead.