Category Archives: Leading Teams

3 Tips to Spur Diversity and Inclusion By: Richard Hylton

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As an investor, one of the first pieces of advice you will hear from your financial advisor is that you should consider diversifying your investment portfolios to mitigate the risks associated with potential volatility of the stock markets. All around us are examples of diversity—the condition of being composed of differing elements—and the benefits associated with diversification (Merriam-Webster, 1828). In fact, a January 2018 report by McKinsey & Company showed that “companies with diverse executive teams were 33% more likely to outperform their competition on profitability” (Hunt, Yee, Prince, & Dixon-Fyle, 2018). Still, diversity within established organizations has long been a difficult concept to translate and weave into organizational culture, much to the detriment of those organizations that are unwilling or slow to address the issue. By and large, it seems that some organizations are only willing to effect policies that target equity, diversity and inclusion after someone has been slighted by the lack of said policies. Being a member of the Black Organization for Leadership Development (BOLD) program for a financial institution has given me insight into how such policies can take shape, and there is definitely a case to be made for implementing diversity policies that are able to evolve over time with the organization and socioeconomic factors. Let us look at three foundational attitudes that organizations can consider when effecting diversity strategies: acceptance, empathy and longevity.

Champion a culture of acceptance.

Employees want to be affiliated with organizations that are willing to cultivate a culture where they can feel themselves. One mistake that employers sometimes make is using a broad-brush approach to creating a diverse and inclusive work culture, but there needs to be focus on the details and an openness to trying different approaches—“different strokes for different folks.” I recall having a coworker who was disabled, but the organization made concessions for him to overcome any sort of accessibility constraints in the workplace. Our perception of him as a coworker was no less than anyone else on our team, and he was a respected member of our team—oftentimes outperforming the rest of us. The beauty in championing a culture of acceptance is showing a willingness to embrace all the differences that we (human beings) have to offer. In taking this step, organizations poise themselves to move away from having too many homogeneous teams, thus setting themselves up for greater success. When employees are able to be their true selves at work, they will be more engaged and satisfied with the work they are doing and feel more attached to the organization.

Empathy goes a long way.

With a culture of acceptance situated, organizations boost heterogeneity which results in operational efficiencies and profits. However, in addition to these results, diversity, equity and inclusion can now truly happen as all parties involved become empathetic of each other’s situation. Armed with emotional intelligence, executives, managers and all employees can commit to adopting an inclusive environment where everyone can lend their voice and be heard. One of the best pieces of advice I received from a manager was that honing my ability to be emotionally intelligent shows a willingness to build sustainable relationships and commit to making diversity and inclusion applicable to each person, not just effecting compliance because a directive is coming from the executives. As these obstacles are overcome and employees feel they have the ability to make an impact on the organization, there is a greater appreciation of belonging.

Keep it going!

Okay, so we have all experienced the annual unconscious bias trainings, but is this really enough? Absolutely not. In addition to pointing out ways in which employees can avoid unconscious biases, there also needs to be behavioral changes that form new habits. Opportunities to enact these behavioral changes can only be presented when organizations measure and are proactive about diversity efforts. Organizations can set measurable diversity goals like conducting appraisals of labor force composition and setting targets that will improve these results over periods of time. Ensuring that these diversity targets are reviewed and communicated on an ongoing basis will demonstrate to employees that the organization is committed to this endeavor for the long haul.

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It was William Cowper, an English poet and hymnodist, who wrote “variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor,” hinting to us that if we want to have a fulfilling life, we should have as many enriching experiences as possible. This principle is not only applicable to our personal lives, but also to our professional lives. Therefore, it is up to each of us to ensure that we are a part of the solution to equity, diversity and inclusion issues at our respective organizations. Moving away from the status quo to a more enriching work experience that includes acceptance, empathy and longevity will help ensure that we are continually making strides towards equity, diversity and inclusion. The process of making these changes will take time and effort but will prove worthwhile for all involved.

Reflect on whether you and/or your organization incorporates acceptance and empathy as everyday tools during operations or diversity strategy. In your own experience, are there other fundamental tools you have found to have a positive impact on equity, diversity and inclusion?

 

References

Hunt, V., Yee, L., Prince, S., & Dixon-Fyle, S. (2018, January 18). Delivering through diversity. Retrieved from McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/delivering-through-diversity

Merriam-Webster. (1828). Definition of diversity. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diversity.

 

Why You Should Say Good Morning, Every Day By: Lucielle Gallo

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It may seem trivial, or maybe expected, but saying “Good Morning” can make all the difference in how your teams’ day goes.

An opportunity to combat problems before the day begins.

It may feel overwhelming, but giving that opportunity for your team to let you know any struggles they may be facing is a great way to plan your day. Instead of being interrupted in the middle of a project, you can structure your day around the support your team needs, and your own tasks for the day based on what they tell you in the morning. Too often I would be in the middle of my day, and someone would need help or guidance on a matter. While I am happy to help, I would often wish I had known about the problem two hours ago before starting a new project. Understanding problems in the morning gives you an opportunity to delegate, find out more information, and plan out how you want to execute. Additionally, your team will feel supported and comfortable addressing concerns with you.

Where are you?? Your team needs to know.

How often have you gone straight to your office, turned on your computer to get your day started? In today’s environment, leaders may be working remotely, or on a different work schedule than the team. Letting your team know you are in the office or working remotely gives them reassurance you are available when they need you.

Create a space for meaningful connections.

The days can be stressful, busy, and before you know it they are over. Starting your day with interactions gives you a clear and present mind to connect. Teams have higher trust in their leaders when there is a meaningful connection in place.

One day on my morning rounds I went over to a member of my team to say good morning, I could tell they were stressed and not in the mood to be at work. I asked if there was anything I could do to make their day easier or help with their workload. She responded that work was fine, she was just stressed because her car needed to be fixed and she did not know when she would have the time. I offered her the ability to take her lunch early to drop off her car, that way the shop would have time to work on it throughout the day. She was so appreciative, and when she came back from dropping off her car, her mood was completely different. Had I not spent time that morning with her, her mood would have been off all day and therefore affected her work.

 This gave me the opportunity to show empathy, and help my team member which creates trust in her. Without direct interactions and dialogue, how do you expect to create that connection?

The power of positivity is endless.

Have you ever heard a smile is contagious? Try it, smile and those around you will too. Your energy spreads to those around you. As a leader creating a positive space is so important for your team. Your team spends their entire day at work and deserves a positive environment to be in. Going around and saying “Good Morning” with a positive attitude will start the day off right! Creating work-life balance is important, and the environment you are in for 8 or more hours of the day plays a big part. Imagine being in a negative and consuming environment all day, do you think when five o-clock hits, your mood will suddenly change. Most likely you will bring that negativity home, and before you know it you are in a constant cycle of it. Creating a positive space allows the opportunity for your team to go about their day positively, then go home with that positivity, and come in the next day positive. That positive effect will help your team uplift each other, do good work, and be positive with your clients.

 

Challenge yourself to a week of morning rounds and saying good morning! See how your team reacts, and how your day plays out.

Reflect on your mood, around your team and how it affects them. Do you notice your team relying on your tone and how they proceed for the day?

5 Ideas to Build a Cohesive Team and Retain Talent By: Shannon Harrod

Throughout my 12 years of experience in the Information Technology industry I’ve had the pleasure of working with several different leaders that I either reported directly to or had the opportunity to be mentored. I’ve worked for some great leaders and others who honestly weren’t so great, but reality is that I learned so much from both. I learned what I appreciated from the good ones and what I really wanted different from the others. While working as a team leader on several teams I found certain aspects that helped myself and fellow teammates become more cohesive. Along with this, while working for ‘not so great’ leaders helped me really understand what it meant for myself and others to want to stay working for the team. Today my team is one of the highest performing teams where I work and the first to be the most self-managed team within the IT department. Below are five tips from my own experiences that have worked for us and I hope you are just as successful.  

1) Create annual themes based on annual priorities/initiatives to help inspire high performance and bring the members together as a team by having something in common. For example, pirates, sharks, lions, eagles, etc. For example, pirates can promote taking risks, thinking outside of the box. Sharks are fierce, eagles are kings of the sky, lions represent leadership. Use memes and creative ways to incorporate the theme into team emails or meetings. signing an email with RAWR! Get into it. Be cheesy. This can create laughs and allows the group to know it’s okay to have fun while at work. Extra idea (which I do with my own team): Send small theme related gifts to the team to show appreciation and help them to continue the theme going daily such as coffee mugs or pirate flags. It’s a known fact that happy people work harder because this can make work more enjoyable and in result help you retain good talent. 

Photo by Shannon Harrod 

2) Hold non-work-related team events monthly or quarterly for team bonding. This allows the team to get to know each other more personally helping to humanize each member especially if the team if fully remote and from different backgrounds or cultures. For example, coffee/tea breaks for 30 minutes once a month. Hire a company to host a team building event, run a 10K together, or purchase online game packs such as Jackbox to play fun and funny games. My personal favorite is Drawful. These games are good for all ages and cultures as well. Extra idea: Have team members take turns on coming up with a fun activity for the team each month. Go in alphabetical order to be fair.  

Photo by Shannon Harrod 

3) Self-managed team meetings are great opportunities for the team to work together. Randomly be unable to attend the meeting to naturally force the team to decide who will run the meeting. This only works of course if they are very familiar with how the meeting is ran. Such as a daily status meeting. They may take turns on presenting and recording the notes on behalf of the team. The important part is to let it be their decision on who will run the meeting and not an appointment by the manager. It can take time for them to do this very comfortably, but ultimately this helps them to get more comfortable with each other as a team and of course allows the manager to be able to attend other meetings from time to time. This can also boost team confidence because they will be proud, they did it on their own. 

4) Host periodic retrospectives on how the team is performing. Try not to contribute unless necessary or be the last person to provide feedback from the manager perspective. Make it simple asking the team, what went wrong, what went well, and what could they do to improve. Use a shared whiteboard or have someone scribe the responses on behalf of the team. At first it may be difficult to get a new team to contribute openly. Call team members out who aren’t’ contributing to try to get their thoughts. If you notice specific team members aren’t contributing over multiple retrospectives, talk with them in your 1-1s to find out how you can help make it more comfortable for them. Reassure them their contributions to the teams’ goals and successes is valued and that the team would love to know their perspective. Another good idea is to make sure the meeting rules is set from the beginning that there are no bad ideas, and all opinions are considered and captured. When you end up getting action items out of each retrospective make sure to assign them so that they get addressed. Over time you’ll find how quickly the team progresses and makes them more engaged in retrospectives because they experience the changes for the better of the team. This will make the members feel empowered and again more cohesive because they all feel confident in their roles and contributions. Another maturity point is the team will hold each other accountable when certain members are impacting the work of others. You just need to be careful and moderate to ensure the conversations don’t become a bullying session.  

Image by Shannon Harrod 

5) Celebrate as a team for project successes and birthdays. Keep a team shared calendar and asked all members to add their birthdays. Make sure you do something fun to celebrate that person with the team. A fun idea is to create a Jib Jab and send it out to the group with everyone’s face on it singing happy birthday. For team wins, do something fun, such as send snacks/coffee to the team members prior to an all-night project that is planned. Another idea is to allow the team to leave early on a Friday unexpectedly so they can relax and start the weekend early. It is very likely they will talk about it amongst each other and sharing their appreciation of the support and ‘free’ time off.  

Photo by Shannon Harrod 

HOW TO LEAD A TEAM DURING PANDEMIC By: Sevil Harika

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By Sevil Harika

The COVID-19 pandemic touched and changed everyone’s lives in one way or another, and it has also made leaders’ jobs more difficult, especially those in healthcare. Leaders working on the front lines to fight COVID are faced with challenges that are greatly affecting their role as a leader. Being a leader on one of these teams, I have personally experienced how tough it is to lead my team day after day. How can we, leaders motivate team that had faced so much suffering and saw too many deaths? How are we able to get our team to perform at a high level, day after day? How do we do it?

 

A key to successfully leading a healthcare team during these difficult times is Awareness: awareness of yourself, awareness of your surroundings, and awareness of what your team feels. Tweaking your leadership skills to actively listen, support, and inspire, are the important components to a great leadership.

 

LISTEN – ACTIVELY

One of the most important skills of a leader is the ability to actively listen. During difficult times, especially during unforeseen times like the pandemic, this skill has become a necessity for us leaders. Mastering the skill of listening, will open the door to understanding what is not said. The ability to listen with an open mind in a way that you, as a leader can hear, see, and feel. Also, listen to read between the lines, and understand your team’s feelings, is the key that opens the door to the path of leading your team successfully.

 

SUPPORT – ALL HANDS-ON DECK

            During any difficult time, all hands-on deck is vital because we all need support, or a shoulder to lean on. So does your team. You MUST be the leader who will step in, pull up your sleeves, and be hands on. Your team needs your support! Being on the front line, next to the patient in bed, and doing it together with your team will boost the team’s morale. Your presence, even if it is silent, will speak very loudly and will have a great impact on your team performance. Besides the physical support, your team is also in need for emotional support. As a leader you must be strong and be that shoulder in need. Your team looks up to you and depends on you to pull through the difficult times. So, be that strong shoulder for your team to lean on.

 

INSPIRE

            Inspiring is the most difficult task of all. We all can guess the morale of a team who has seen so much suffering and death, despite their best efforts. The ability to inspire is critical in these moments. As a leader, you already know the power of positive feedback. Starting and ending the day with an inspirational quote and a simple thank you for each team member’s effort goes a long way. Acknowledging the bad outcomes but placing the main focus on the positive ones is a great approach to remind the team that their effort is well worth it. Celebrating each patient’s success as a team success marks the positivity to motive the team to continue towards success.

 

These simple steps: active listening, all hands-on deck and inspiring, can help all leaders to have a positive impact on their team members. A positive impact that is especially needed in these difficult times during COVID. Our country as a nation is dealing with the biggest challenges we have faced yet, but as leaders we need to be able to step up and help our team to lead the way into positivity. I know, I am not alone in this and there are many other healthcare and non-healthcare leaders that are faced with this challenge. What do you think? How would you lead your team through the pandemic?

4 Tips to Manage a Virtual Team and Succeed By: Sofia Mastrodomenico Rodriguez

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Author: Sofia Mastrodomenico

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Are you managing an agile virtual team? Is this starting to be difficult? Well, you should keep reading this blog. COVID-19 has arrived to change our lives. This pandemic has revolutionized the way how we see life, and hence the way human interactions are made. The COVID-19 outbreak affects almost every single aspect of human life. The global economy, human socialization, travel worldwide, and the corporate work dynamic are part of the main aspects affected by this contagious virus. Due to the lack of an accessible vaccine, the way we used to live before seems to be a good memory in our minds. Wearing a mask, stay 6 feet apart, and work from home are part of the new habits followed by almost all citizens of the world.

The COVID-19 outbreak has forced multiple companies to re-allocate their operations and change the way they work. Thousands of companies worldwide are now allowing their employees to work from home.  That was not really popular among traditional companies a few years ago. Telecommuting has existed for decades, but it was not until the quarantine that people considered it as a legitimate way of working. Big and small corporations worldwide have closed their offices to avoid the spread of the virus among their employees. A fact that has forced them to establish a working from home norm. This “new normal” has revolutionized the way  managers lead teams, and how employees execute their normal daily tasks. As with any imposed change, this new way of working has not been well accepted by all managers, as it requires them to reorganize the way they manage and lead. However, no matter your position about the topic, you can always make it work.

1.Accept the new normal

The first thing that a manager should do is to accept that this new normal will stay for more months or maybe a whole year. By accepting it and making it work, managers adapt their teams to keep competitive and efficient. Managers have to recognize that working from home can also offer a lot of benefits. By taking leverage on these benefits, managers can improve the way how their teams perform.

2.Maximize Flexibility

Managers should understand that working from home can be challenging for some employees, specifically those who have their kids at home. Homeschooling is also one of the new challenges that people are facing due to this pandemic. For example, employees could have trouble joining meetings or speaking during them just because their children are around them. Employees could also have trouble joining a meeting because something important is taking place during their kid’s zoom classes or because they have to feed them. As all this will occur unexpectedly, managers should be flexible and emphatic. Managers should maybe try to reschedule those meetings to a time when all can attend. They should also accept if their employees can work in a different schedule, maybe during the evening (Open Door Policy). This act of flexibility will help managers to improve their relationship with their employees as well as maximize their performance and keep their level of motivation high. By managing interruptions proactively, managers will demonstrate respect and empathy. Of course, employees should also be proactive and responsible.

3.Communicate, Communicate and Communicate

Daily meetings, chats, and emails are part of the channels that managers can use to keep active communication with their employees. Talk to them about what are they doing, what they are going to do, and ask them if they have any blockers to finish their tasks. Ask them how they are, how everything at home is. This will help you to know if that person will be able to finish their tasks. Be clear about the goals and deadlines. If they have to work during the weekend accept it, considering that your main goal as a manager is to accomplish the goals of the project. Try to schedule virtual meetings so you can talk to them directly. Try to use video so you can see their body language. Sometimes chats or emails can cause misunderstanding that during a call you can avoid. Communicate what you need from them and also ask them what they are needing from you. As a manager, you need to facilitate the whole work, and also make it work. In the end, you are evaluated over their performance results.

4.Work Smart and do not micromanage

Managers should avoid micromanaging as they can make their employees feel that there is a lack of trust. It can be also stressful for them as they could be going through one of the issues expressed in point #2. Managers should focus on outcomes rather than visible hours worked. If employees are getting their work done and on time, why do you need to have them seated in front of the computer for 10 hours per day? Nowadays, the work style is irrelevant. Managers should focus on timing and results. Just make it work, for them and for you.    

Conflict Resolution for Food Service Managers By: Zohaib Tahir

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Conflict Resolution for Food Service Managers By: Zohaib Tahir

 

Conflict Resolution for Food Service Managers

When humans interact, conflict will inevitably arise, and it does not have to be all bad news. Some situations can end up becoming essential to team building. The impact of conflict on an organization can either be functional or dysfunctional. The minor conflicts have created opportunities to address employee concerns that otherwise would be overlooked. Employees having a shouting match during a rush is one such example of dysfunction conflict. Unresolved work-related issues are not suitable for business. Workplace friction of any kind will have a negative monetary impact down the road. To properly handle such situations, follow few rules of thumb I have picked throughout the years.

 

 

1- Location Location📍

Before any resolution can happen, pick a location where both parties feel relaxed to be themselves, so take them away from other coworkers’ ears and eyes. that gives people time to scale back their emotions. You cannot have any conflict resolution during the heat of the moment arguments.

 

2- Alpha 🦁

Recognize your position as a leader in the room. Do not try to be their friend. It never works. Set rules of exchange, no insulting language or inflammatory remarks.

 

3- Listen👂

Let them speak uninterrupted one at a time, that includes you only listening.

4- Shared Needs

Focus on employee shared and individual wants and needs. Try to get to the bottom of the problem. There are times when the anxiety and pressure of interacting with people are too much to handle. It can be as simple as letting people cool off and focus on operations rather than conflict resolution. Do they need more help on the floor or another cook? These can also because of indirect conflict.

 

5- Be Patient⏲

Allow time to absorb the information presented. Remember, you are not making any decisions until the very last step. Do not focus on past failures; that is not the time to bring up past grievances.

 

6- BrainStrom🧐

Create options that work to enhance the work environment for all involved. Use a brainstorming session if need be to come up with ideas.

7- Commitment

Remind employees of their shared commitment to a healthy and safe workplace.

 

8- Finish Line🏁

The end goal should always be a beneficial agreement for the organization, resulting in greater cooperation between employees when there was none before.