The “start-up” phase with a new team is challenging for even the most experienced of leaders. If you’re an “all new” leader…someone hired from outside or at least outside of the team, there’s an inherent degree of uncertainty and apprehension about you. No one knows your style or your agenda, and frankly, while you have authority and respect conferred by title, you have not earned credibility or trust.
One of the fastest ways to ramp up and help people develop some early comfort with you is to sit down and listen to them. Notice that I didn’t say talk. This is an exercise in listening, paying attention, gaining insights and discovering your true situation with your team members. You’ll have ample opportunity to talk in the future, but, start-up is a time for listening.
Set Up Face-to Face Meetings with Your Team Members:
One of the first things that I do in a new leadership role is publicly indicate that I’m going to meet privately with all direct team members. I’ve extended this to indirect team members as well, and I advise including them, unless the size of the group makes this step prohibitive. I indicate that I will pre-publish the agenda, provide everyone with a few days for people to think through their thoughts, and then I will reach out to schedule the meetings.
The public indication is good for morale and pre-publishing the agenda helps people to frame their thoughts and ideas. Of course, to earn credibility here, you’ve got to keep to your commitment, so once public, there’s no backing down.
The Agenda-3 Questions:
- What’s working?
- What’s not?
- How can I help you help our business?
These 3 simple questions provide the participants with a broad degree of freedom to offer company and departmental criticism, identify areas to strengthen and improve, and share insights on the obstacles that they see keeping them from contributing at greater level. I’ve yet to attend one of these sessions that wasn’t rich in input and much needed context for me in my new leadership role. Of course, people feel good that they’ve had a chance to share, and that you cared enough to listen.
What’s Next?
Take good notes, follow-up each session with a personal thank you note (or e-mail), and take care to live up to any commitments that you made during the discussion. Invariably, there are some easy to resolve issues that you can and should commit to fixing. For the more strategic items, acknowledge the input and promise to consider it as you deliberate or pursue broader team discussions on the issue.
I also like to roll-up the broader business and departmental input (not personal or personnel) and hold a larger team meeting where I share the feedback. Much of this content can help to define priorities for improvement or action.
The Bottom-Line for Now:
I can’t take credit for originating these questions or even this approach. I read about it somewhere, jotted it down and have used it for years, while long since forgetting the original source. It’s never failed to help “break the ice” for all parties, and get the discussion focused on the business of the business and off of the fact that there’s a new leader in charge. Use it in good health.
Very concise instruction, my friend. There are way too many people that are put into a position of authority where they automatically become drill sergeants, no offense to drill sergeants, and they forget they are dealing with people. They would do better to follow these instructions. Thank you. God Bless
A very helpful post, Art. At the risk of gilding the lily, here are two questions I always suggest that coaching clients ask when they have the conversations you describe. I suggest that they be the last questions the leader asks.
What do you really want me to do?
What are you deathly afraid I might do?
Ray, thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts. Wally, thanks for the great add-ons! I confess to having laughed out loud at the question, “What are you deathly afraid I might do?” What a great and appropriate and disarming question! Best to all, -Art
This sentence may be the most important in your on-target post: “take care to live up to any commitments that you made during the discussion.” If a new manager does not do this, all of the goodwill developed will disappear into cynicism that “nothing is going to change.” I recommend my clients never say words to the effect of “I will do x…” without immediately entering a task or calendar item into their scheduling system (or at least create a sticky note!). Well done, Art.
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