Know Your Team
It’s been said many times before, both by me and by those much smarter than me, but you can’t lead what you don’t understand. And if you try, no one will follow you. People can smell a fake from a mile away. So the simple math is that if you want to lead your team well, you have to know them well.
Here are three simple ways to know your team better that you can implement immediately.
Make intentional time. While quality time may not be everyone’s top love language, everyone does enjoy being seen or taken an interest in. To grant people that boost of dopamine, you need to carve out consistent, intentional time for them. I would suggest no less than once a month. This is NOT a work-oriented 1:1, this is strictly personal. What’s going on in their world? Get out of the office and go enjoy something that THEY enjoy doing.
Become a great listener. At a certain point, just making time for your team won’t be enough if they don’t feel heard. In order for your team to not just FEEL heard but actually BE heard, you need to develop or improve your skill of listening. Practice this as you would any other habit you want to develop. It will be worth more than you might think. Just remember how good it feels to be heard and let that motivate you to be that for those that you lead.
Ask better questions. It’s difficult to be a great listener if you're just getting yes or no answers. You need to be a student of asking great questions. Dan Patrick, Oprah, and David Letterman are a few that I study. These legends are great at asking questions thus getting more interesting answers. When the answers are just a simple yes or no, it allows you the opportunity to really get to know the other person and ultimately use that information to lead them better with empathy and understanding.
Which one of the above will you implement this week?