Please don’t be intimidated by what appears to be a long post. There is a certain amount of humour in here that will get you through the 3 – 4-minute read.
This is the week when everyone is supposed to be back at their desks. Notice I didn’t say, “Back at work”? Depending on whose research you read, and I reviewed several articles and spoke with a handful of HR people prior to writing this note, somewhere between 30% – 52% (yes that is a really big range!) of employees work at less than half capacity the first week back after the Christmas holidays.
If your team is slow to rally after the break, taking time to reflect on their roles, and your own leadership, can be a good way to help the team to re-engage and start performing again at their pre-holiday season pace. (Mind you, if there were previous problems with that performance level, that’s a whole other conversation. )
Here are three simple steps you can take – starting the first morning back, if you’d like.
Stage Setting with Snacks
This is a good time to revisit the company’s long term vision and share its current goals. Take the time to explain why the company is headed in the direction outlined, and which goals have the greatest priority and why.
Get the team to help author the path forward: Share the challenges at hand and seek their input. Don’t restrict people to their functional areas, either. If you really want your direct reports /teammates to think critically, and be committed to the progress, resist the urge to offer your ideas on how to approach the challenge(s). The results might astonish you.
”Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead
“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” ~ General George S. Patton
So, invest in some muffins or bagels, get your team together and see what magic is created.
Monday Morning Quarterbacking – With Permission, Tolerance and Appreciation
For people to feel free to share recommendations they feel will truly help the company, they must believe that nothing is off limits. That includes their leaders.
They also need to know that you will listen to the input objectively, and act upon the feedback as appropriate. This means you should commit to letting your team know the timeframe within which you will be responding – and not just to their appraisal of you.
Two quotes I like to remember in relation to this idea:
“Feedback is a gift. Ideas are the currency of our next success. Let people see valuable feedback and ideas.” ~ Jim Trinka and Les Wallance
“The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have.” ~ Sheryl Sandberg
Munchies and Mentoring
This is another occasion best served up with snacks: Let your team know that you trust them, and expect great things of each of them. Renowned author, John Steinbeck, once said: “It is the nature of man[kind] to rise to the greatness that is expected of him.”
I found that to be true with my own kids. More telling, however, was an experience I had as Brown Owl (Brownies are part of Girl Guides of Canada).
The entire Brownie troop had spent the weekend in 10 tents pitched in my backyard. On Sunday afternoon, the parents arrived to collect their charges. As one little girl was getting ready to leave, I asked her to do something. Right away she said, “Okay, Brown Owl” and ran off to perform whatever chore I had assigned her.
Her mother’s jaw dropped – literally. Stunned, the woman asked, “How did you get her to do that? I can’t get her to do anything at home, let alone behave so nicely. What’s your secret?”
My answer: “It’s because I expect that she will.”
That was true in the moment, but has proven to be true with my own kids, students, employees, stakeholders, and even clients and the occasional man I’ve dated. We teach people how to treat us and how to work with us. We owe it to ourselves, and them, to do so in a way that is good for all.
As important as it is to let your team members know you have faith in them and their abilities, it is also important to take time to recognize – specifically – when they do well, and to coach them (not reprimand them) on how to improve when necessary.
The more time you invest new people, the stronger they will become, and the better your department will perform. This means you will be able to delegate more – and that will reflect well on you.
“Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” ~ Sam Walton (WalMart)
“No executive has ever suffered because his [her, their] subordinates were strong and effective.” ~ Peter Drucker
“Leading by example is not the main thing in influencing others; it is the only thing.” ~ Albert Schweitzer
Whether we intend to lead or not, our actions and words shape how our teams perform. Not to mention how the people in our lives treat us.
So, instead of begrudging the grumbling of this first week back, try to embrace the positive gains you can make if you recognize that people may not be performing at their peak, and help them ease back into things.
On that note, we all wish you a very happy and productive 2024!
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