The manager in the workshop seemed upset that her team wasn’t receiving the message she was sending out during a team meeting.
“Listen everyone. We need to be on a call late tonight to get the information from our colleagues in Asia. Without their input, we cannot finish our report which is due at the end of the week.”
The time for the call came and only the manager was on the line. No one else showed up. Once again she was all alone picking up the information. She shared her frustration with the rest of the participants in the program:
“I can’t figure it out. Why was I the only one that was on the call? Where was everyone else?”
Something did not add up and we all decided to help her identify why she might be facing these challenges with her team. Why was she not being heard?
Here are four reasons why we are not being heard:
1. OUR MESSAGE LACKS URGENCY AND CLARITY
The first thing that the other participants shared with the manager was that her initial message didn’t seem all that important or critical. It also omitted why the data from the call was so necessary for the final report.
- Messages that show purpose and details are more impactful
- Sharing specifics about a timeline can spur others to act
- Choosing words that are clear, direct and simple are more easily heard
- Showing appreciation for staying up late and participating goes a far way
2. NO ONE FEELS ACCOUNTABLE
The initial message did little to empower the team members to feel accountable. When directions are spouted out without explaining how each person’s contributions impact the completion of a project, no one often steps up. To cultivate accountability leaders help their teams understand the value they each bring and without everyone participating, the end result will not be as rich.
[Tweet “To build accountability leaders help others see their value.”]
3. WE ALWAYS PICK UP THE PIECES
What was very obvious here was that the manager allowed herself to continually finish the projects if her team fell short. This happens often and team leaders can get into very dangerous habits and patterns of being “the completer”. A great solution for this is empowering team members not to pass along their work until it is totally finished. Coaching our teams to show up, be focused and honor their commitments is the sign of great leadership.
4. THERE IS A LOW LEVEL OF TRUST
Teams without trust have no foundation to support one another. The manager seemed to have a lack of trust with her team hearing her messages. Her words were not taken seriously or with any concern. To cultivate meaningful relationships and build trust, leaders:
- Get to know their team members’ interests
- Understand why a late night call may be very difficult for some of their team members due to family issues
- Follow through on what they say they will do
- Create a rotational schedule for late night calls so everyone has a turn and the burden doesn’t fall on any one person
[Tweet “Leaders are heard when there is a high level of trust.”]
How do you make sure that you are a leader who is being heard? What strategies have worked for you?
(Photo credit: Flickr cc)
Interesting how you break things down here. Makes it easy to see where the challenges are and make better choices. I’ve found that when I don’t feel like I’m being heard by a group, I first need to have one on one conversations to 1) build our relationship 2) understand our roadblocks. After I’ve done a team tour, we can all get together and talk about our commitments to each other – the team. We may all be individuals but we’re also a part of a bigger entity. Getting the conversation out in the open and replacing assumptions makes a huge difference.
Will share!
Alli
One on ones can be just what a relationship or team needs. Yet I have noticed that even when face to face conversations take place, if there is no trust or value for each person’s contributions, there is little heard.
Commitments is another important piece of the “being heard” puzzle. When team members feel accountable commitments are met and everyone’s ideas are heard or at least evaluated.
Thanks Alli for adding to the dialogue!
I love all your points, Terri, but trust is very important. In my experience, unless the team trusts leadership, team members will not open up about what is really going on. Once they feel they can trust their leader, it makes communication so much easier….
Will share!
Trust is at the center of any relationship. If leaders aren’t respected or trusted there will never be effective communication and messages will most likely not be heard. A great way to begin building trust is getting to know one another in a deeper way and learning what motivates others. It can take time to cultivate but well worth the effort.
Thanks LaRae for always adding great insights!
Excellent & great post. All reasons are true but the reason at point #2 (No one feels accountable) is very critical and is the root cause (of many evils / unpleasant things in the organizations).
Zafarmanzoor, Sr. Executive, Pakistan.
Accountability is critical to being heard and that can be accomplished when everyone on the team clearly understands their roles and responsibilities. In addition, leaders cannot micromanage each person’s job but rather empower each team member to own their piece of the deliverable. That way, when messages are shared, everyone listens with the intent to truly understand.
Thanks Zafar!
Excellent points Terri. #3 is top of mind for me as I help a client hold her team accountable. She is picking up the pieces and doing the work for her team members. When I asked her why, her response was “because I trust myself to get the work done and ultimately the accountability rests with me.” That brings us to #4 trust.
Trust is a 2-way street. A leader has to give trust in order to receive trust. In the case of my client, her team felt her lack of trust in their abilities, so their response to her was “have at it lady and do the work your way.” As you note, trust is the foundation for supporting one another. It is critical to a cohesive and flourishing team environment.
Will share!
Great additions Terri! Yes your client is very similar to many managers in our workplaces who feels that no one else can do the work as well as they can. The result is the monkey is always on their backs and no one on their team is empowered to act. In addition, the level of trust fades and there is a minimum of future leadership building.
Thanks Terri for sharing your story and your insights with us today!
Thank you Terri for provoking a lovely conversation. On accountability, the challenge is to help team members hold themselves to account by building a relationship where each feels valued by the leader. Accountability like loyalty are intrinsic levers that we should avoid pushing onto another person. That said, What would be interesting is to view both these terms from a compliance (extrinsic) lens!
Holding ourselves accountable is so important in being credible and having others listen to our suggestions. Additionally if we want to be heard we must cultivate strong relationships with others and follow through on what we say we will do.
Thanks Allan!