Goals vs Impact
August 8, 2023Praise
August 30, 2023Leveling up your Team: Unlock High Performance through Effective Managers
I recently watched a training put on by Bucketlist Rewards and 15Five (and it was eligible for SHRM re-certification credit). I went because I am the team lead of our bookkeeping team leads and wanted to find more ways to help them (and myself) become better leaders. The balance between autonomy and support is an important one. I trust my team and their bookkeepers. They are professionals in financial management. How do I support them in a way that allows them to flourish, grow our business, and take excellent care of our clients?
Tips & Tricks
With these questions in mind, I watched a panel of experts talk about unlocking high performance through effective managers. I came away with a few highlights I wanted to share:
1. High-performing teams come from the ways teams work together. Additionally, it was emphasized several times that it is much more important to have a cohesive team than all the smartest people in the room.
2. Vulnerability leads to psychological safety, which is the most important attribute of a cohesive team. Be open, honest, and ask good questions so your team feels the ability to do the same.
3. Catch people doing it right and acknowledge when they do. This reinforces values, performance, and perseverance. Let them know you noticed how hard they work.
4. Ask how your team receives feedback and acknowledgment, ask them what would be best for them. Do they appreciate correction in writing, face to face? Do they want a bonus, a shout-out, or a quiet pat on the back?
5. Noticing how well people work together will help you to build a flourishing team, high-performing people need to also be able to work together. Generally, how do they deal with conflict resolution, how can you help facilitate better communication during high-tension moments?
6. Once you’ve addressed a performance issue, let them go to do what you’ve entrusted them to do, then follow up. Generally, people don’t want to be babysat, they need to know they are trusted.
7. Lastly, build trust in hard moments by using honesty, and transparency: where we are, what we’re doing, what needs to happen to move forward.
These principles will help regardless of whether your team are experts in financial management or some other field! They are universally true.
–Jess