Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

Game time adjustments #1

Does your team disengage?

Fact:  Of course, it does. But how often do they turn you off?

There are times that your team will tune you out.  That is inevitable.  Your goal as the team leader is to keep these disengaged times to a minimum.  And there might be a time that your team ultimately just shuts your voice off.  When these times occur, it might just be time to find a new team in a new location.

But let’s think for a moment why teams do turn us off.  (And for my teacher and school principal friends out there, you may want to substitute students for my use of the term team.)  I think for the most part, this disengagement occurs because our team is just bored.  The team is bored with the routine, they are bored with the assignment or to be quite honest, they are just bored with you and your message.  Perhaps it is just that they are bored with you. Teachers and principals can bore their team to death without ever realizing it.  Please do not get me wrong.  I am not asking, nor do I think the leader has to be a stand-up comic or the host of a late-night television talk show.  But I do think your material and style needs to be fresh.

You as the leader, must also become adept at reading non-verbal clues from your team.  You have to be able to see and sense this disengagement from creeping in.  And perhaps my use of the word creeping may be a bit misleading.  This disengagement can be quite swift and rapid.  It can almost seem instantaneous.  That is why your antennae must be tuned-in to attempt to steer away from this disengagement.  Because once you lose your audience, it is tough getting them back.

Your team could also rapidly turn you off because they do not understand the assignment or perhaps, they do not have the skill set to navigate what you expect from them.  Are your expectations clear? 

Another reason for this disengagement might be that you have not spent the required time building the right relationships with your team.  That is why, you must invest the time needed to build trusting two-way relationships.  Before a team will perform for you, they have to know that you care about them.  Team members seek leaders that are both encouraging and demanding.  The great leader is able to master this element of relationship building.

It is also essential that the team members see that the leader is “all in” with them.  The leader must both figuratively and literally roll up his or her sleeves to help show the team that he or she is willing to do exactly what he or she is asking the individual team members to do.  The leader has to be in the trenches near the action.

Perhaps most importantly, the leader must be genuine.  Elementary students as well as a group of college students need to see that you are genuine.  I believe that an insincere phony will readily be rejected.

So, let us summarize today’s message:

• Eliminate boredom.
• Learn to read the non-verbal cues from your team.
• Your team must understand your expectations and assignments.
• Build genuine relationships with each individual-show that you care about each person.
• Lead from the trenches.
• Be genuine.

It sounds so simple.  But then why is it so difficult?  Now that is the question.  Start searching for the answer by looking within yourself.  Good luck!