Keeping an ear to the ground…

Often leaders that oversee large organizations tend to rely mostly on their team of level 2 and level 3 leaders to manage their teams in terms of engaging in career conversations, sharing updates, addressing pain points, celebrating successes and the like.

However, increasingly there is enough evidence to suggest that mechanism may not be fool proof, in that, teams may not share all and bare all to their immediate Managers. This tendency can have a multiplier effect where people start to feel a bit left out or disengaged depending upon how well integrated the respective leads are with their teams.

There are a few things one could do to address this issue.

(1) Keeping an ear to the ground

This literally means having informal chats with the teams, having coffee conversations, meeting them in smaller groups and seeking feedback on what is working well and what needs to improve.

(2) Regular check-ins

Having regular check-ins at skip level and with teams cutting across hierarchy helps give people the space and confidence to open up and share their views and ideas.

(3) Involving teams in initiatives

A top-down approach to driving new initiatives and projects is rather old fashioned and needs to be done away with; instead involving teams across different levels of experience and functional expertise in collectively brainstorming and taking up new initiatives will not only bring fresh perspectives but also keep the teams involved, engaged, included and invested in the progress of the business.

(4) Building and fostering the right culture

Above all, building and fostering a culture of Inclusion and Diversity where people from different backgrounds, genders, generations, departments and locations care given the space to bring their true selves to work and are able to express themselves freely without fear of retaliation is so fundamentally important. Ensuring you create the right environment that promotes collaboration where everyone understand the vision, goals and priorities, and where constant communication of progress is rolled out will go a long way in building a resilient and vibrant organization.

(5) Learning as second nature

Encouraging, supporting and enabling continuous learning in the organization is not only essential to keep the teams relevant but also can be a powerful retention tool to retain the best, brightest and most committed people. Celebrating role model learners and fostering a culture of continuous learning is critical for the future success of any organization.

(6) Transparency and Fairness

Maintaining an air of transparency and fairness in people processes and engagements, and going the extra mile in communicating key developments and changes with the teams are extremely important. People judge an organization depending upon how transparent and authentic the leaders and management are and this needs to be ingrained in the organization’s DNA.

The above are some of the key steps leaders need to take in order to ensure the organization they represent is able to set itself up for successful and trailblazing growth and a sustainable and profitable future.