Leading your team through alert-level uncertainty
In New Zealand we have been considered a success story from across the globe in the way our government and public services have handled the Covid-19 response. Like so many, I’ve been interested in the style of leadership we’ve seen at play. Here’s what I’ve noticed:
Humble: I’m clear about what I know and what I don’t know. I follow advice from others when I’ve reached the edge of my own expertise.
Transparent: I’m clear with everyone about how decisions are made. I communicate regularly and frequently to share key information and the way in which I’ve used it to define a path forward.
Trust: I have high expectations of people. This appeals to the best version of themselves. I build in assurance measures and highlight how these demonstrate that the trust is well founded in most cases and that action is taken where it has been misplaced.
I’m interested in how this style of leadership can apply to every workplace in New Zealand to continue our country’s response to managing our way out of this health crisis into some of our best ways of working for the future.
As a flexible work specialist, I’m talking to a lot of clients right now about how to lead as we move into new and uncertain situations that come with lower alert levels.
This is new for everyone. In times of uncertainty leadership is tough. The traditional heroic leader with the right answers that everyone can follow can’t apply. So, I’m encouraging leaders to follow the model that I’ve described here: Humble, transparent and trust-centred.
As our workplaces move between various alert levels we all need to work out what that means for each team and the people within it. What does that look like in the context of this leadership style?
Taking a team approach, as I’ve written about before, creates more options for the team to explore, takes a lot of the burden away from the manager and promotes compromise between team members. This creates shared ownership across the team and everyone gets some, if not all, of what they would ideally choose. Here is what I suggest you do to give this a go:
Define parameters within which the team needs to operate. Use the government alert level principles and get the team to discuss and agree what needs to be delivered to whom and within what time-frame.
Individuals think about their ideal work arrangement. Doing this after defining the parameters makes sure that people design a way of making their team contribution while also considering how to meet their other life priorities.
Team agreement for work arrangements. Facilitate a second team conversation where everyone shares their ideal work arrangement. Use the discussion to see how close to these ideal arrangements the team can get.
Repeat as new alert levels come up. By making this a regular process the team can learn from what is working well and what isn’t, knowing that there will be an opportunity to adapt along the way. This reduces anxiety and keeps people thinking creatively when it comes to delivering their work commitments in a way that fits them and their circumstances.
We know that people make great decisions about their work arrangements when they are given the autonomy to do so. Productivity rises when we give people space to make decisions about their own work arrangements.
Once you’ve built this way of working with your team you won’t want to go back! As a leader you’ll have a more productive team that’s more engaged and able to manage their priorities inside and outside of work. By proactively discussing work arrangements as a team on a regular basis, you can make sure that you and your team continue to reap these benefits well beyond our immediate crisis and keep the hold of the gold you’ve discovered along the way.