COMMUNICATION
Hobbies and dedicated time for silent reflection are a good way to explore this . All work and no play makes Jack and Jane dull .
Modelling positive attitudes , work habits and your organizational values : This could be as simple as starting meetings on time rather than keep your team waiting for you , acknowledging birthdays and - one important aspect of communication - reframing challenging situations within the team . E . g . ‘ We are in a bad situation right now ’ could be reframed to ‘ we are up for a great opportunity to fix a situation and contribute to positive change in our organization , but this will require a little more from us at present ’.
Enhancing meaning through repetition
In communication , we know that embedding a message and its meanings requires repetition in varied creative ways . A MEMO does not get people to genuinely modify their attitudes , if they at all read it ! In this context , this would mean :
Taking your brand values back to the team for auditing : what do the values mean to them , how do they understand and interpret these values , how well do they feel these values are alive . In The Bigger Deal , Bindra explains how feeling emotionally connected gives people the impetus to want to contribute more . At the same time , it is possible that the values may not connect to some individuals in the team and perhaps bringing that awareness to them will enable them to thrive in another setting outside your organization . Holding people hostage to your values would afterall be a disservice .
As much as words are my comfort zone , we know that the new world is all about speed and people require things on demand . This has made visual information more compelling as it is easier and faster to get through but also because we are evolving into a generation that is visual in how we prefer to communicate hence the success of platforms such as Instagram . Visuals also provide quick reminders while one is focusing on other tasks at work . These visuals could be posters , infographics and videos that one can play and replay at their convenience . McKinsey & Company found that
“ No one feels motivated or inspired from watching their manager burn out . If anything , that is the starting point of your team planning their way out of what could be their miserable future . Taking time to recalibrate enables you to be fully present for the team ”
organizations which did well in product / service design performed twice as better than those that did not within the respective industry ; how something looks matters more than what we simply read or hear about it . Well-designed visual media offers a friendlier mode of sharing complex information such as your team ’ s or organization ’ s performance in a way that everyone can better understand and appreciate their contribution to the bigger picture .
Repetition of messages and meanings could also be embedded into team rituals e . g . how you start and end meetings .
Focus on influence not power
Through power one can enforce cooperation but that is not sustainable nor great for leadership even when one feels pressured to take a stand , say , during a crisis . By building influence within your team you create influencers who then grow the meaning around your brand and are able to articulate and share this with others as well as link this to their personal values . In the Model Thinker , data applied to the group selection model showed that high performing groups contained more co-operators .
One individual may benefit from not cooperating but the whole team performs better when most cooperate . Through influence , noncooperative members are sanctioned without intervention because the co-operators will not want to be associated with the contrary . The fact that people can cooperate for a negative outcome such as a war and successfully execute this , is evidence enough that cooperation achieves results , good or bad . But to be a positively influential manager you should be able to :
Demonstrate to your team the reward / the meaning of the bigger picture and the ‘ what ’ s in it for me and us ’. It could be an outcome that impacts larger / global socioeconomic components such as climate change or access to education and not necessarily a monetary reward . As seen in the example of religion , people find it rewarding to give offerings in the form of a proportion of their own hard earned salaries and the ROI is intangible - meaning to life !
Able to truly connect with the team by expressing yourself authentically and being consistent in your work approaches and value system , as well as encouraging diversity of thinking and experimentation . Room to learn from mistakes promotes growth and enriches the meaning one acquires from the work they do .
Able to practice emotional intelligence : at the start of this article we took a scenario of what may be going through your team ’ s mind at any given day . Emotional intelligence allows you to be aware enough to tune into the unsaid , sense intentions behind a gesture , facial expression , an email or a statement and practice active listening in your communication style . Feedback allows someone to know that they have been heard . The belief that active listening implies staying silent and subtly nodding your head is misleading . One way of doing this could be paraphrasing what has been said to show that you understand or are attempting to accurately understand them , “ What I am hearing is …”
Last but not least , ensure wins , small and big , are announced and celebrated . One in for the team ! ■
Katya Nyangi works in education management as the Communications and Marketing Director for Makini Schools . Engage her via mail at :
Katerina . Nyangi @ gmail . com
MAL 44 / 21 ISSUE 77