Career & Office

Become a More Collaborative Leader

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Effective leadership, especially during times of change and uncertainty, requires collaboration. Here’s how you can develop this crucial skill.

First, look for clues about what works (and what doesn’t) in your organization’s culture. In meetings, pay attention to the most influential leaders and observe how they communicate. Is their approach different from yours? When you understand the “rules” of the game, you’ll be in a much better position to play it.

Next, when advocating for a project, choose your battles wisely. Pick a project, workflow, or area where you have strong allies and expertise. Those are the areas most ripe for effective collaboration. As you pursue your initiative, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. Seek input and suggestions from your colleagues and reports to understand better how your approach is being perceived—and what you can do next time to be more effective. Your goal is to build coalitions to gain support for your ideas and create a sense of shared ownership over the project.

Finally, be open to others’ perspectives. Remember: To gain influence, you must also be open to being influenced.

Make Time to Connect with Your Colleagues

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You’re busy at work, but it’s important that you make time to connect with your colleagues. Here’s how to build connection opportunities into the flow of your workday.

First, take some time at the beginning of meetings for an unstructured catch-up. You don’t need to spend the whole time on personal updates, but reserving even five minutes to ask about a coworker’s recent vacation, new puppy, or child’s graduation can make a big difference.

Next, use your transitional break times to informally socialize: Grab a bite to eat with colleagues over your lunch break once or twice a week; set up a 15-minute virtual coffee chat with a coworker you rarely get a chance to see in person; or make informal phone calls during your commute to work. Even a five- to 10-minute conversation with a colleague can increase your rapport and, more importantly, show them that you care.

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of virtual messaging. Consider pinging your work buddy at times when you would have said “Hello!” in the office—like when you’re waiting for a meeting to start or taking a break for lunch.

Identify the 5 Types of Problem-Solvers on Your Team

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Are you frustrated with your team’s ability to solve problems? If you consistently feel like your team isn’t working together effectively as decision-makers and problem-solvers, it could be because you don’t understand their problem-solving styles. To set your employees up for success, start by categorizing them into five profiles, and recognizing their unique strengths and weaknesses. Then you can pair them accordingly to optimize their performance.

  • The adventurer. This employee confidently and optimistically follows their intuition, making decisions quickly—sometimes too quickly.
  • The detective. This thorough coworker is methodical, and driven by data & evidence. As such, they may undervalue intuition and collaboration.
  • The listener. This collaborative and trusting decision-maker works well with their colleagues. However, they often find it challenging to tune into their own opinions or express viewpoints that might be at odds with others.
  • The thinker. This is your colleague who thrives on identifying multiple paths and possible outcomes. They’re thoughtful, cautious decision-makers who like to know their options. The downside? Their desire to understand the “why” behind a decision can slow things down.
  • The visionary. This creative coworker sees pathways others don’t. They have a big vision but may fall prey to scarcity bias, overvaluing outside-the-box solutions and undervaluing the obvious ones.

Do You Have the Skills You Need to Be the Boss?

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Transitioning into management for the first time is a significant career milestone. To identify which skills you might need to develop before making the leap, ask yourself these five questions:

  • What’s my leadership style? Reflect on your strengths, personality, and values, then decide what you want to be known for. Remember, you can adapt your approach over time as you continue to learn and advance.
  • How will I help my team grow? Understanding how to measure performance and assess gaps and growth opportunities on your team will be essential in your role as a manager. Take time to think about how your promotion may impact team structures and dynamics.
  • How will I prioritize and delegate work effectively? Ask yourself what you’d need to stop doing, keep doing, and do more of—and how you’ll provide oversight and accountability for the work you assign to others.
  • Am I a good public speaker, and can I lead meetings? Do an honest appraisal of your communication skills and assess your comfort with leading meetings and presenting to larger groups.
  • Am I comfortable delivering feedback and resolving conflict? Providing helpful direction, addressing performance gaps, and solving interpersonal problems are essential managerial responsibilities. Consider issues you may have witnessed with coworkers regarding processes, projects, or interpersonal dynamics. What did you learn from what you observed?

Leading Your Team Through Uncertainty

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Whether it’s winter season, layoffs, or geopolitical tensions—there is a lot happening in the global economy. How can you make sure you’re successful as a leader through uncertain times? Here are some strategies.

  • Create a humble, “company-first” culture. This entails leading by example and doing what’s right for the business and your people, instead of driving individual agendas or objectives. It also means recognizing that your role extends beyond the individual unit you manage and requires communicating across teams and units.
  • Focus on reinventing the business. When things aren’t “business as usual,” it’s time to look for opportunities to innovate. Be sure that the right minds are assigned to this reinvention—and that the more routine, day-to-day work is delegated to employees you trust to execute it.
  • Be more inclusive. This means prioritizing not only the diversity of your team in terms of gender and ethnicity, but also in terms of viewpoints, backgrounds, and skill sets. The more diverse and inclusive your team is, the more adaptable it will be through uncertain times.

Write Notes of Appreciation to Your Team

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Expressing gratitude to your employees can feel awkward or uncomfortable. But celebrating your team members, especially around important holidays, can be a powerful, generous, and motivating gesture. Try writing a card or email that goes beyond a simple thank-you note.

To write an impactful note of appreciation, focus on your employees’ strengths.

Start by highlighting a specific characteristic that you admire about them. Then, explain why you value that attribute, and provide a real-world example of how it positively impacted the team. For example, you might write: “I value your ability to creatively solve problems, turning challenges into opportunities for growth. This ability routinely helps our team unlock innovative ideas.

For example, you found an opportunity to create an entirely new product when our subscription numbers were down.” Notes like these will help your team members see their own abilities through your eyes. They also focus your employees’ attention on what’s going well and signal to them that they really matter.

Does Your Team Vibe Feel Off?

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Is your team feeling stuck, stymied, or just a bit stale? Maybe you’ve lost your collective sense of purpose. Maybe interpersonal tensions are building. Or maybe it just doesn’t feel quite like a team anymore. How can you intervene as a manager? Understand that it’s normal for team dynamics to ebb and flow over time and reflect on what exactly feels off. Then decide whether your team ultimately needs to be realigned or revitalized.

To realign your team, start by resetting mandates and goals. Ask yourself and your team: What external trends do we need to adapt to? How should our team’s role and value shift as the organization evolves around us? Adapt your targets and metrics accordingly—and reevaluate your strategies, workflows, and individual responsibilities to optimize for these new goals.

To revitalize your team, start by auditing your communication habits. Your ultimate goal is to establish new ground rules that make collaboration simpler and more respectful. What’s working? What’s causing friction? Don’t be afraid to redesign your communication channels and expectations to reflect the needs of your team. (This includes rethinking your team’s meeting culture, too.)

Solicit Feedback from Your Team—Gracefully

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As a manager, it’s not enough to give feedback to your direct reports. It’s also part of your job to solicit feedback from them. Still, it can be awkward to ask your employees to evaluate you. Here’s how to do it gracefully.

Start by telling your direct report that you’re open to feedback and want it. Explain to them that by giving you feedback, they’ll be helping you meet your goal of improving as a leader.

Next, diffuse any fear of retaliation by demonstrating humility and honesty. Try saying something like, “I know that it can feel uncomfortable to give feedback to your boss. I have the same hesitation when my boss asks me for feedback. Let me reassure you that I see your willingness to give me helpful, even negative feedback as one of your professional assets.”

Demonstrate self-awareness by giving yourself constructive feedback first, which can mitigate their fear of offending you or hurting your feelings. For example, you might say, “Others have shared with me that I can be slow and methodical in my work, often prioritizing accuracy over action.”

Finally, tell your direct report what you plan to do with the feedback they give you. Laying out a plan of action will help them trust that you want to implement their input.

How to Build a Personal Brand

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In today’s world, everyone is a brand, for better or worse. Whether you’re applying for a job, asking for a promotion, or writing a dating profile, your success will depend on getting others to recognize your value—so you need to get comfortable marketing yourself. These seven steps will help you better manage your image and the impact you have on the world.

  • Define your purpose by exploring your mission, passion, and strengths. What difference do you want to make to the people you care about? And how?
  • Audit your personal brand equity by cataloging your credentials, doing a self-assessment, and researching how other people view you.
  • Construct your personal narrative by identifying memorable, resonant stories that will best convey your brand—and then tell those stories.
  • Embody your brand by paying attention to the message you’re sending in every social interaction.
  • Communicate your brand through speeches, social media, the press, and other channels.
  • Socialize your brand by getting influential people (influencers, promoters, groups, and clubs) to share your stories.
  • Reevaluate and adjust your brand by doing an annual audit to find deficits to fix—and strengths to build on.