There is a range of leadership effectiveness, and as an investor, founder, manager or project lead, it is put to the test more than usual during times of high growth, great change, and uncertainty.
Many people recognize this intellectually but fail to remember and leverage one important truth: The change and uncertainty that put the leader to the test are defined by the team…not solely by the leader.
Said another way, sometimes things don’t seem that momentous to the leader, but they are quite important to the team. Closing the gap between what they see and what leaders see (or vice versa) requires a few things:
Understanding the way your business works and flows and knowledge of your people, stakeholders, employees, etc.
If you don’t know their roles AND them personally, then close that gap. Ask questions: What makes their day difficult? What’s working well? What’s on their minds these days?
Work and people change…often. Checking in to stay close to people and their perspectives must be done often to get leadership and communication as right as possible as the business grows and the team changes.
Knowing what is on people’s minds and having a forum for discussing that privately and publicly compresses the time between them having thoughts and needs and you knowing about it, so you can factor it into communication.
This concept in action:
I recently had a founder share how frustrated and boggled he was that something big was going on with their funding, and no one seemed to care, but the teams were all wound up about some changes in branding and logos. We discussed how this is illustrative of understanding people’s perspectives and agreed a few things should be done.
First - talk more about the ‘why’ behind changes that are tied to the company’s identity and ways of working. Be sure the ‘why’ is tied to the customer as much as possible. The customer is the north star, the ultimate point of focus we should have collectively. That helps changes in the company be viewed more through the lens of an objective, shared goal. Things like logos, packaging, shipping a product or feature, partnerships, and creative are visual and are seen by the general public and taken personally by teams who care - and their emotions show accordingly.
Respecting this and having frequent points to let “air out of the ballon” through questions and discussion keep the energy flowing and the team engaged. These check-in moments not only help the team feel heard and stay in flow, but they also serve as a reminder that some things that start to seem small to the founders or leaders are actually quite big to some people on the team, and that’s a good thing.
As teams grow, the natural distance between the leader and the team and customers grows, and respecting and understanding the team’s connection to the work is foundational to keeping them respected, motivated, and engaged during change.
Second - have a regular town hall or team meeting to review big things going on that are less connected to their day to day work. In this case, that was their equity plans and the fundraise, discussing how the team adds value and what the raise meant to them now and later. Use this as a time to elevate the overall education level around how the company is financed and the ownership and responsibility each person has within that construct.
Another way this dynamic of empathy and communication in leadership shows up is when new people start joining the original team at a faster pace. I’ll go into this in more detail in a Subscriber post. Navigating these bigger moments of culture and team change is full of nuance and landmines, but also deep opportunity to elevate the company.
Understanding and appreciating this dynamic, that change, crisis, growth is greatly defined by the perceptions of the team, is one hack that has helped me lead teams and communicate in a more effective way. The times I’ve missed, forgotten, or not pulled forward this understanding have resulted in disjointed dynamics on the team, sub-par engagement, and sub-optimal outcomes (at best).
Summary:
While the leader knows what’s going on, the perspective is different from team members and other stakeholders. Something big to the team can seem small to the leader, and the reverse is true.
Having check-ins to create appropriate respect and understanding of the experience and needs of others helps keep energy focused on the work instead of stress and distraction.
Being intentional about communication: asking, listening, and acting on what you learn drives business performance and is a sign of a strong and caring leader
I’ve learned to check myself anytime I have the moment where I think, “how do they not see this is not a big deal, or is a big deal?”, I reframe it into “how have I missed that this is (or isn’t) resonating with the team, and what can I do to help that?”.
If these tips are helpful, share them with your team and friends. Become a Full Subscriber to get access to deeper lessons and techniques on navigating complex business decisions and team leadership.
This is so timely and helpful Kat - thank you!!
I'm currently trying to write a book for my customers which covers some of these topics ("The Social Leader's Handbook - a practical guide to aligning and inspiring teams in the social media age").
Every time I listen to or read something from you, I feel a tingling mix of inspired and imposter (for opining on a subject where you've likely forgotten more than I will ever know). Please don't stop :)