Lead the Troop and Build Rapport Remotely
Work Culture Series - No. 3
How we lead our teams through this liminal time has the potential to set the bar for the very best and the very worst leadership. Internationally we have celebrated the down to earth genuineness of New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern. In other countries we have witnessed the horrific consequences of mixed or incorrect messaging; Trump’s bleach statement firmly in contention to top the list. At home we have witnessed the devastating impact of indecisive national leadership - circa early March!
The intention of this article is to outline strategies for leading strong teams and maintaining your resilience. The more resourced you are as a leader the greater your capacity to lead and encourage creativity, collaboration, productivity and success. That means good self care and a commitment to refining the psychological skills of leadership.
In my work with leaders and teams I help individuals assess themselves and the impact they have on others. In the first post in this series, I discussed Professor Steve Peters’ model for understanding how our ‘inner chimp’ is activated (that’s the amygdala in our brains, which is the emotional processing centre and home to our survival responses). When this happens we are less able to focus, think and act from a clear perspective.
In the second post I described every chimp’s core need: to be heard, acknowledged and reassured. When the chimp is soothed, blood redirects from the amygdala towards the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which enables the higher functioning, executive thinking ‘human’ to light up and lead. Ignored chimps will continue to run the show - reactively.
With the social, economic, health and emotional upheavals of lockdown, most of our chimps will be ‘on the move’ far more than usual. In this context, self awareness as a leader becomes even more crucial. Your capacity to recognise your own changing state, and also what you need in terms of self-care and support from others, is how you can soothe your own chimp. This frees you up to serve and lead your ‘troop’.
Listen to Empower
Prioritise listening to your people. Some will be struggling more than others with the immense levels of uncertainty right now. Recent research by Qualtrics found that “one in five (21%) UK workers have admitted that their senior management teams do not understand the general challenges they regularly face.” Commenting on these statistics, Qualtrics’ Sally Winston said: “With the vast majority of people working from home in the current situation, it’s more important than ever to check in with staff.”
You may feel like you don’t have the time to listen to and ‘fix’ things for your troop members, but here’s the gold… simply by actively listening; giving your attention to their challenges and setbacks, you empower people to find their own solutions and rapidly come back to clarity and purpose. So even though it feels like it might take more time and effort, listening actually cumulatively saves time and effort, and helps avoid a build up of resentment and conflict.
Build Rapport
Some leaders are finding that the ‘external threat’ is provoking an increase in togetherness amongst their team. Other teams are experiencing fragmentation, anxiety and distrust. Here are some ways to build rapport:
Foster mutual support so people feel held and soothed when their chimps are scanning for danger. Encourage people to pick up the phone and check in with each other regularly, and consider implementing a buddy system so that this responsibility is shared.
Embolden people to call it out in others if something feels ambiguous or unclear personally or professionally. Clarity and open communication are essential to reduce frustration and overcome the risks of assumptions.
Working online may be eroding some of the more informal ways people connect, and feel comfortable working together. Ask buoyant team members to organise informal time for connection into virtual meetings, e.g. quizzes and meeting openings with a connective warm-up and/or share to help people tune in.
Research into virtual working has shown that a reduction in informal conversations can adversely impact decision-making. Encourage colleagues to pick up the phone if they want to talk something through, or ‘check-in’ before or after meetings. Opting for the phone also minimises the build up of video-conferencing fatigue.
Focus on collective achievements and positive attributes. Be optimistic, and don’t forget to tell your people that it’s their skills, creativity and resilience that will get you through this difficult period together.
Redefining success
As a leader you can play a crucial role in these unprecedented times by providing a ‘holding’ role.
‘Holding’ consists of two main elements:
Providing an informative container; one in which trust and rapport are maintained for team members
Clearly (re-)defining the team’s shared purpose during this uncertain time
A team's purpose can be restored by reframing what success looks like during this time. For instance, if the purpose of a sales team is to generate revenue, in times of uncertainty holding could mean pivoting from pushing new campaigns to building up the quality of relationship with clients. This is not only more realistic right now, it also builds foundations for longer term success.
Once you have re-established your team's purpose - the ongoing ‘Red Thread Question’ for your troop becomes: ‘Does this action / decision help us build our relationships with clients?’
The benefits of redefining success and ‘holding’:
Targets based on effort are more achievable, aligning with present conditions as opposed to unknown futures.
Being agile - accepting what you don’t know, while still seizing new opportunities that present themselves.
Clear and optimistic messaging around the new direction will help your people reorient themselves and take decisive and effective action.
People whose sense of identity and purpose are wobbling will regain clarity about the purpose of their activity, and experience this as neurologically soothing.
Your Wellbeing
It is not always easy to accept, yet even leaders experience setbacks and disappointments - and our current predicament is very challenging.
Another practice to build rapport with the team comes from taking off the ‘leadership mask’ (behaving as we think we ought to, rather than how we actually feel). For example, be honest and ask your team to bear with you if you are feeling overwhelmed. You need space to assess so you can ultimately respond with more clarity and direction. Your honesty will feel consistent to your troop, permitting theirs in turn. This promotes an overall culture of wellbeing and trust which positively impacts productivity.
One simple daily practice that can support you to process emotions, regain perspective, and manage your mindset is to start each day by journaling your answers to three key questions:
How am I feeling?
What is currently most important?
How do I want to be, today?
I have supported both leaders and team members in the crisis, and this golden practice is in all of the strategies I use. It is a gamechanger for listening to your own inner chimp and operating from the best possible mindset for getting the results you want.
If you recognise these dynamics and would like to explore these themes through coaching, or a team webinar to ‘Lead the Troop and Build Rapport’ or ‘Ride the Wave of Uncertainty’, get in touch at tamson@amaralife.com or click here.