How well do you know your team?

Use this method to find out

A common mistake I see in Leaders is assuming our team's priorities are the same as our own 

When I was 24yo I had 3 direct reports each with their own teams

I was renting a small flat in a city centre, no children, no mortgage 

My priorities at that time were things like:

1. A sense of community at work and coming into the office

2. A clear path of growth & learning, with salary increasing as a result

My team had different circumstances, all of them living with partners, some planning children, all with homes outside of the city and long commutes, some not overly bothered about salary, but instead wanted increased flexibility over their working hours

If I’d have assumed my team prioritised the same things as me, I’d have very quickly alienated them and created an environment that worked well for me, but made them miserable and ultimately leave

But the first step to building an environment where each of them can flourish, is simply KNOWING what their priorities are.

Here's a GREAT exercise I do with each of my team to get the answers:

1. Write down all the below needs on a whiteboard (or anything other than a boring spreadsheet, make this a fun exercise, stand up and move around a little)

   
   | Flexibility | Money | Job Title | Progression Path |
   | Work From Home | Creativity | Challenge | Team | Structure
   

2. Ask them to rank them in order of their priorities at work

When I did this every person was SO different

And it's our job, as their leader, to KNOW each of their individual priorities 

So I can make sure their highest priorities are nurtured and progressed, and their lowest ones? Let's not waste time on them

Some people want money, career progression and title. 

Others want enough money to live happy life and spend as much time as possible with their kids. 

Both sets of these priorities are valid, valuable, and have a vital place in every organisation.

But how will you ever know if you don't ask?? 

Here's the BIGGER thing, these priorities will change for the individual on a regular basis, so do this AT LEAST quarterly. 

What would your priorities be? (My top 3 right now are Money, Freedom & Autonomy)

Pic of Morgan, our Head of Marketing, doing the exercise…

Once you know these, what’s next?

So here’s the deal, it’s not actually helpful for you to consistently nurture each of their priorities, if someone prioritises spending time with their children, you shouldn’t be figuring out how they can do the school run, that’s on them. 

But you need to build a workplace that creates a healthy and fulfilling environment for all, that works for your company and your values. Rather than having different rules for different people. 

You need to KNOW these priorities, you need to ensure your team are consistently working on them, so you’re not pushing them in the wrong direction.

So when someone in your team asks if they can change the timing of a 3pm meeting to pick their children up, you know it’s important. If they want to create rules around this for themselves and create those boundaries with your wider team, you should encourage them to do that too. But they do have to be the ones who drive it (not you)

So now you’re regularly aware of your team’s priorities, and are helping them to build those boundaries for themselves.

The next step in really knowing your team, is the running of effective 1-2-1s

I’m sure you’ve heard of the whole 'appraisals' thing… Appraisals are such an outdated concept. Having an appraisal, where you give them a tick list of things they’re doing great in a where they need to improve. Appraisals often breed a culture of bottling up feedback, fears or needs, and letting it all out in one, usually 1-sided, discussion with a manager. Then even more shockingly... A lot of companies only run them yearly!!

Here's 2 things you need to be doing instead...

1. Create a culture of RADICAL CANDOR 

This needs to come from Leadership first and foremost. 

Show up to work as your true, whole self. Challenge your team at the time, never bottle it up. Don't discourage emotion (It isn't weak. It shows that you care). 

Never EVER ignore the difficult conversations 

We’ll go into the practical tips around this more in the (Radical Candor & difficult conversations) chapter. Once you've mastered these things, your team will start to too. 

This is an incredibly important concept, and 

2. KNOW what drives, and what worries, every member of your team.

Alongside doing the priorities exercise above,  you need to be frequently using a 1-2-1 structure (very different to an appraisal) that cuts through the bullshit. 

A 1-2-1 is a 2 sided conversation, it’s a space for you to ask your team deep questions and for them to bring anything they’ve not managed to talk to you about yet.

 A successful 1-2-1 will unearth some of your team's deepest fears and desires for their career and life. 

Run these quarterly, and have a 20 min time scheduled bi-weekly for ad-hoc 121s

Do you feel you’re fully aware of your team’s priorities? If not, why not? Let me know in the comments vv