3 ways to continuously engage your team(s)
I’ve been holding to a few teams for awhile, namely Design, Content, CRM as well as Web Development in Circles. Many have commented - this is a broad portfolio, how do you manage…etc. While I completely acknowledge the fact of matter that it IS alot & I’m working on fixing it, I’ve taken some time to reflect on how I grew these teams & how I sustained my energy (lol) spanning across them.
I’m no where near perfect in my methods & ways, I’ve so much to work on myself as well (both hard and soft skills!), but if I may share a few approaches I’ve taken so far in my journey.
Respect all members, from interns to leads
When I talk about respect, it includes not just listening and empathising, but also learning. Respect is always a two way street. I believe that all managers & leads still need to be able to diverge and converge at the right time, and one of the ways in doing so is to ensure that you have the right amount of knowledge of your respective domains. While you don’t need to be a zoomed-in domain expert in everything, a certain level of technical knowledge to be able to rightly guide when needed will greatly aid in the process. And your members will also respect you for it.
Am I a full fledged domain expert with all my teams? Nope. But I’ve been expanding my knowledge, and hopefully fast enough to be of good help for my respective teams. For content, it’s delving into the world of SEO, content keywords, trends, backlinks etc…and CRM its about the platform, the automations, segmentation & more. Web development is the interesting arm that delves deeper into technicalities of the CMS, site processes, infrastructure etc. And I guess there’s no need to mention too much on Design, where the learning is constant for patterns, trends and tools in the industry.
This also brings me to a point that all levels of our teams matter, and we should not take it for granted. In my experience of working across the levels, I often find myself inspired and refreshed especially through interactions with our interns and freshers. There’s a different perspective that they bring to the table which we tend to overlook as more experienced individuals in the working force, so make sure we give them a voice!
Enable autonomy in decision making with an open path to escalate
One interesting development across the years for myself is that I have recruited and brought in leads that are more experienced than myself, and I’ve thoroughly been enjoying my time working and learning with them.
In my first few years of management, I’ve spent alot of time coaching and grooming the younger talent, but the new challenge really came when I had to work with my experienced counterparts and leads. How did I go about it?
Set context from the get go
Even during the interview process, I’d make it very clear that I acknowledge that he/she is more experienced than myself and I respect them for that.
My role is then to partner, enable, unblock, and to set them up for success in their respective role
I don’t dictate nor push forth a specific process that they must adhere to
Provide them with resources & tools to run, without the need for you to step in all the time
In order for them to succeed, they need to be supported in the right manner with adequate resources, processes and tools
Each team is different and it’s about pushing for what is needed for them (might be team members, or a specific tool, or in some cases, linking them to the right people)
Enable a clear line of escalation for any support and help needed
One of my roles for them (and all my managers really) is to ensure they are protected. Not to overprotect, but to provide the needed support & space in the environment to push the envelope.
I’ll always give them the option to SOS myself for anything needed, be it making a decision, backing up a choice, or to escalate any difficult situations
Trust in the members you bring in!
This is the most important step imo, where they need space to perform and really thrive in their role.
Thats really it!
Engage and understand each member’s motivations
Everyone has a different motivation for what they do, and it’s important as a lead to be able to decipher the Why from the members. It’s not the easiest to fully understand it, but in order to pull a tight ship together, understanding is an integral part of the process.
This creates a common ground of expectations and you’re able to provide the support and opportunities that will best suit them in their development. Alongside the alignment of their scope of work, the level of understanding of what motivates them really helps bring the teams together on another level! By being present and genuine about the approach, it creates a safe space for members to learn, fail and shine.
TLDR- Be real!
I’m still learning as I go along with great mentors and guidance from senior leaders, on how to continue growing and developing in my own personal journey, but hope this gives a little glimpse into my leadership journey, with so much more to go from here.