Plan to Work 2-3 More Hours per Week to Lead a Team
I claim that leaders must work 2-3 more hours per week than they originally planned to lead their team. This is time not accounted for in the job description, if there even is one. This is time spent preparing for difficult conversations, drafting correspondence, being pulled into unplanned meetings. This is time spent helping team members mitigate conflict, or worse yet, if the conflict is unaddressed, it is time wasted by the team not collaborating and you having to do all the planning.
If your team is collaborating effectively, then you should still be spending 2-3 more hours per week to lead your team. Leaders of collaborative teams should spend more time delegating to team members and working with team members outside of meetings. Conflict on highly collaborative teams is a good thing, but it can cause paralysis by analysis, which requires highly effective facilitation skills. Highly effective facilitation requires good planning. Good planning requires time.
The following is a categorized list of the many things leaders must do if they want to lead a team. This list is the culmination of responses to a survey from over 100 people in my recent workshops, Leading Effective Teams for New and Aspiring Leaders. Many things on this list, you might find on in a job description, if your role even has one. But, even if these items are on that list, you can’t quite appreciate the time it takes to prepare for a difficult conversation or to effectively delegate to a peer until you have actually done it.
Time to Reflect
Being more reflective and deliberate on my own biases and assumptions when going into difficult conversations.
Reflecting and reporting on work completed each term.
Identifying problems encountered from working interdependently and seeking better solutions.
Reflection on how we run meetings and why. What can be improved to enhance our team.
Time to Learn
Familiarizing myself with policy documents, the employee handbook (non-negotiables: the work team members must do and the standard to which that work must be done), communication protocols/process documentation, approval processes, vision and mission statements, WASC reports, curriculum guides.
Maintaining a routine to ensure personal development.
Develop trainings throughout the school year for my team.
Share the leadership practices that I experienced in this workshop with other department heads and launch some delegation practices in my department.
Providing opportunities for team members to lead
Communication
Pre-planning and being aware of assumptions before having difficult conversations.
Be well prepared before a conversation and have a back-up plan.
Introduce school policies and ensure a common understanding.
Organize the framework to make sure everyone is clear about the work.
Making sure the team knows what is expected. Reflecting. Setting goals, expectations and norms.
Communicate expectations.
Non-negotiables are made clear.
Active listening.
Adapt messaging to better communicate with different team members.
Checking in more with team members.
Meeting Management
Planning team formation activities that I will facilitate in August.
Prepare the weekly timetable.
Planning for conversations and meetings.
More preparation for deliberate, transformative meetings that move the department forward.
Planning for a meaningful meeting.
Being decisive in tasks that require immediate attention.
Getting the house keeping done separately.
Setting norms.
Enforcing norms.
Reinforcing team member behaviours that demonstrate ownership of norms.
Delegation
Select the right person by understanding their capacity, capabilities and development needs.
Plan the delegation thoroughly.
Consult with the team member to define the scope of the delegation.
Communicate the delegation clearly.
Checking back in with the progress of others to whom you have delegated tasks.
Creating opportunities for interdependency to grow, whether by delegating or running meetings differently, or by changing the norms/expectations.
Team Building
Build team culture within our department.
Support team members to grow.
Inspire others to have a sense of achievement.
Provide mentorship and support to team members by conducting regular check-ins, offering guidance, and organizing professional development opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge.
Meeting with team members more often to foster more collaboration.
Building trust with your team members, value individuals.
Try to build connection with people whenever I meet them.
Making friends helps us work more effectively.
Solve conflict between members
Understanding team members’ capacity, capabilities and development goals
Caring for team members
Knowing the difference between a working group and a team... and how to transition between them...
Facilitation planning
Research and understand appropriate meeting protocols.
Design collaborative meeting activities.
