Go beyond the obvious!

In my leadership journey, I've valued moments when I deeply understood my team members’ motivations and goals. Sometimes, what they said was just a hint at what was actually underneath.

Here's how to make this practical:

Next time a team member shares something with you, take a moment to dig deeper:

🗨️ “You mentioned you want X. What's the bigger picture you're looking at?”

🗨️ “What's the endgame you have in mind with this?”

🗨️ “If you get X, how does that set the stage for what's next?”

Here's an example conversation to illustrate this:

Team Member 💬: I'd love more autonomy in managing my projects.”

Leader 🗨️: “Got it. How do you see that autonomy shaping things up for you?”

Team Member 💬:“It'd let me roll out strategies faster and adapt without waiting on multiple sign-offs. I also think it'd give the team a sense of ownership, boosting their drive.”

Leader 🗨️: “Interesting perspective. So, it's not just about quick actions but fostering a proactive team vibe. Any moments when lack of autonomy threw a spanner in the works recently?”

Team Member 💬:“A few times, yeah. Launches got delayed waiting for pro-forma approvals. Sometimes, by the time we got a go-ahead, the market had shifted, making our approach less impactful.”

Leader 🗨️: “I can see where you are coming from. Staying agile is key. How about we brainstorm a way to balance autonomy with the checks we know we need?”

Team Member 💬: “Sounds good. I know there are boundaries. Thanks for really listening and trying to get where I'm coming from. It means a lot.”

Leader 🗨️: “You are welcome. Let's meet next week and spend some time on the details.”

In a Nutshell:

Peeling back the layers to understand the core objectives behind our team's 'wants' can make all the difference in our leadership approach. 🔎 Stay curious! 🔍