Just because you are energized about your new responsibility or the changes that have occurred on your team does not mean that they feel the same way. Human Beings like stability. They like to know that what has worked for them in the past will be maintained/sustained in the future, and they will work hard to ensure that that happens. This can be a very big hurdle for you as the new leader unless you deal with it right from the beginning.
There are 3 things that primarily concern members of a work team when it comes to being committed to their jobs and motivated by the work and the organization:
- Am I clear about what my boss expects from me?
- Do I know what my colleagues expect/need from me?
- Do I feel secure that the job/work evironmental factors that are motivating me now will continue?
When you come into the role of new leader, you inadvertently create uncertainty in each of these key expectations of your team members. If you don't address these immediately, then your team members will demote 'work' to a level 2 priority, and they will spend their time and energy in a costly process of discovery to pull out the answers to each of these issues. This process can end up being very protracted and unproductive.
A simple solution is to hold an "expectations setting" meeting.
Here is a simple outline of such a meeting. It should be facilitated by an experience facilitator who is trusted by you and the team. This can be someone in your organization or it could be an external facilitator. If you use an external facilitator who is new to the team, then you should bring that person into your group prior to conducting your "expectations setting meeting" so that team members can meet him/her and develop a sufficient level of trust.
Expectations Setting Process
1. Introduce the exercise [15 minutes]
- Explain the purpose of this exercise. Tell the team that the process will begin with the team generating information related to specific questions, which have been pre-selected. The leader will be out of the room during this period. During the second portion of this activity, the manager will return and review the information generated and clarify and/or respond to it. She/he will also share his/her own expectations of the team.
2. Collect the input [This can be done electronically ahead of the meeting if you will be limited on time during the meeting.] [You may decide to add to this list of questions as well.] [30 - 45 minutes]
- The following questions are each written on a flip chart page and posted on the walls of the meeting room. Team members are asked to circulate around the charts and either write their input directly on the charts or record it on Post-it notes and stick it to the charts.
- The Questions:
> What do you know about (Manager's name) personally? professionally?
> What would you like to know about (Manager's name) personally? professionally?
> What do you need from (Manager's name) to be able to function most effectively on this team?
> What is there about the way this team has been working that you would like to continue?
> What is there that you would like to change under (Manager's name) new leadership?
> What critical issues does (Manager's name) need to know about NOW?
> What do you believe (Manager's name) will expect of you in your role and as a member of this team?
3. Clarify the input [15 minutes]
- After everyone has recorded/posted their input on the charts, briefly review each chart to ensure that you (the facilitator) can read and understand what is written. There is no need to cover every point at this time, just the ones that seem unclear to you.
4. Review the input with the leader [15 - 20 minutes or more]
- While the rest of the team is on break (15-20 minutes, or longer if needed), walk through the input with the leader. Clarify any information he/she has questions about, emphasize any points that the team felt strongly about, and offer any cautions and coaching as appropriate.
5. Leader responds to the input [45 minutes]
- At this point you (the facilitator) take a backseat and let the Manager/leader lead the meeting. The Manager should review each question and comment (either provide information that is asked for, get additional clarification and/or agree or disagree with the request). The caution is to not cover every word written on the charts, but rather look for themes and major topics for discussion. Once the Manager has covered all the questions, she/he should present his/her own expectations of the team. Many of these may have already come out during the discussion. If so, the leader should not be redundant.
6. Expectations are established
- As the Manager and the team agree on expectations of each other you (the facilitator) should take notes (if the agreements are different from what's recorded on the flip charts).
7. Summarize immediate actions and agree next steps [5 minutes]
- You (the facilitator) should summarize any actions that have been identified through the discussion and explain to the Manager and the team that you will type-up the notes from this meeting and publish them by an agreed time.
8. Document the outcomes [After the meeting]
If you follow this simple process as you start your journey with your new team, you will find that you will be operating at high performance much faster and your team will find working for you a more rewarding and fulfilling experience.
Good luck.
Hudson Whitenight
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