People Leadership: 30 Proven Strategies to Ensure Your Team's Success

1

Be Authentically Transparent

The business world is known for trendy leadership practices and buzzwords. In the late 1990s, the word du jour was transparency. The intent behind the principle was that leaders would communicate openly and with clarity. The expectation was that they would share with their teams everything they knew about business plans and conditions. In reality, what happened was that leaders would hold meetings or conference calls with their team and share some filtered information, and later the employees would find out from another department or another leader that important details had been withheld from them.

This continued to happen again and again, and over time, employees began to expect that when leaders said they were being transparent, they meant just the opposite—that they were not being authentic or truthful. Their BS meters kicked into gear; they heard the warning bells going off, saying, "Watch out for what comes next, because it’s only going to be part of the story"; and their guard went up. And they didn’t believe a word they heard.

That’s why this chapter focuses on being authentically transparent. When you communicate with authentic transparency, you disclose everything. There are no hidden agendas or underlying assumptions. You place your trust in your team—and in turn, they place their trust in you.

You can achieve this level of transparency by:

• Letting others know who you are and what makes you tick.

• Communicating openly and candidly.

• Disclosing how and why you make key business decisions.

• Being consistent.

Share who are you and what makes you tick.

Letting your team know who you are—informing them about your personal and professional values, preferred leadership and communication style, strengths and gaps, what motivates you to achieve, and what is fun to you—establishes a personal connection, and it demonstrates that you have a good grasp of what drives you personally and professionally. It shows your team that you are human just like them, and it puts a strong foundation in place on which trust and respect can be built. If your team does not know you, they will be unsure of your motives—and they will be hesitant to give you their best performance.

Communicate openly and candidly.

Transparency requires being direct in your communications. Bottom line: no hidden agendas. This means sharing details about important business decisions without sugarcoating or watering them down, and it means reporting on the facts, regardless of whether the news is good or bad. People can see right through half-truths, so it is best to avoid them. If you have confidential information that cannot be shared for some reason, tell your team that. It is very easy—and entirely acceptable—to say, I cannot share this news with you right now as it is confidential. I will share it with you as soon as possible. But whenever you can share information, do; the better informed your team is, the less likely they will be to waste their time and energy on gossip and water-cooler speculation.

Disclose why you make the key business decisions you make.

Offering your team insight into how you make decisions enables them to both understand your thinking process and to learn from it. When your team members know and understand your decision-making process, they can learn to think like you—and that means that they will be better equipped to make decisions on their own in the future that will be in alignment with your expectations. The better your employees become at making decisions on their own, the more time and money you and your organization will save.

Be consistent.

Your transparency must be consistent. If you are open and candid in some situations and not others, your behaviors will cause confusion in your group. Inconsistency sends a message that you are wishy-washy and are not certain of yourself. When you leave your team wondering which side of the fence you are going to be on today, they also wonder how much they can trust and respect you and your abilities as their leader. Demonstrating your consistency, in contrast, especially when sensitive events and situations occur, will solidify their confidence in you and in themselves. This confidence will allow them to perform at their best instead of wasting energy wondering what the real story behind the story is and how it will affect them.

Authentic Transparency in Action

My former company, Nortel, participated in a significant number of mergers and acquisitions while I was there. Because of my role at that time, I was often informed of the deals before they were made public—but due to the sensitive nature of these transactions, I had to operate under a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). This meant I could not share any information with anyone who was not under the same agreement.

The first time that I was involved in one of these projects, I wanted to be authentically transparent with my team from the very beginning. We had participated in these types of projects before, and one of our big frustrations in the past had been that we never received much information about them. Sometimes we would hear about them through the grapevine; other times, the executive in charge of the program would send an e-mail to tell us that he or she was working on a top-secret project but would then offer no other information. In both cases, speculation ran rampant. More often than not, the information being spread around was incorrect, and we wasted a lot of time and energy wondering and worrying about the impact these programs would have on us. As an employee, this behavior drove me nuts. I abhor gossip, and yet I frequently found myself getting just as hypnotized by rumors as everyone else. I always wondered why our bosses did not come down the hall or hold a call and tell us what they could without violating the NDA so that we could dispel at least some of the lies coming through the rumor mill. I was sure there was information they could give us to prevent us from trying to piece it all together ourselves. I was determined to do things differently if I were ever on a sensitive project.

So, when my time came to be under the NDA, I held true to my decision. Immediately after signing the NDA, I held a conference call with my team. I informed them that I had just been assigned to my first sensitive project, that my time would be focused on this program, and that I would be fairly inaccessible until it was done. I told them I wanted them to know that I was not evading them or trying to hide anything from them; then I gave them a high-level overview of the program and the projected timeline, explaining to them that I could not provide any details because I was under a nondisclosure agreement. I cautioned them to be mindful of the wildfire of gossip that projects like these instigate, and I assured them I would keep them up-to-date with the specifics as I could. Although their curiosity was piqued, my team appreciated my honesty and expressed their support to help in the project when the time came.

A few days after our meeting, I got a call from one of my team members, Janet. She told me she had just talked to Grace, a woman in another department, and Grace was freaking out because she’d heard the project that was in the works was going to eliminate all of their jobs. Janet said she told Grace that I was working on the project and that she trusted that I would tell them any details when I could—and that she tried to reassure her that what she was hearing was just a rumor, and to not believe everything she heard through the grapevine. Then she asked me if there was anything else that I could share.

Because I was legally bound not to share any information about the project at that time, I reminded Janet that I could not answer her question, but I assured her that any facts I learned would be shared with the team as I received them over the next few weeks. I encouraged Janet to continue to focus her thoughts and energy on her current role and responsibilities instead of group speculation. Although I could not relieve her concerns 100 percent, Janet knew that I had been as open and honest as I could be under the circumstances, and she thanked me for that.

After the call, I cringed. The rumor mill in action again. But I was happy that I had shared with my team what I could, and I felt comfortable that I had been authentically transparent.

A few weeks later, after the nondisclosure agreement was lifted, I provided my team with the full details of the project. When they learned that the program was actually going to provide more job security for everyone— not eliminate jobs, as Grace had heard—it was an eye-opener for some, I’m sure, about how unreliable gossip can be.

Going forward, each time we had a nondisclosure project, I openly communicated my role on the project and delivered the details as soon as they were available. There was always some nervousness in the air in the weeks before I was able to say more, but my transparency allowed my team to focus on their own work and not on the gossip.

People Leadership Action Steps to Being Authentically Transparent

1. Reflect on your ability to be transparent with your team. Would your team agree with your assessment?

2. What actions can you take to be more authentically transparent with your team?

3. Think about a time you witnessed transparency in leadership. How was it executed, and what were the results?

"In the end, I’ve found, people like the direct approach. It’s much more valuable to them to have a leader who’s absolutely clear and open than to have one who soft-soaps or talks in circles.

—Bill Parcells

2

Be Adaptable

It’s a truism that no two people are alike, and that’s especially important to remember when you’re leading people. We all have different personalities and values. The manner in which we do our best work, and the pace at which we do it, varies from person to person. Each of us has our own work ethics and standards, as well as our own motivations; individuals on your team are not robots or minions. That’s why people leaders are most effective when they are adaptable to their team’s needs. Many managers and leaders expect their teams to adjust to their style; however, in projecting this expectation, they actually shut out their employees’ ability to personally express themselves, which stifles their performance and productivity. Similar to the chameleon that adapts its colors to blend in with its surroundings, people leaders need to adjust their style to benefit their teams.

Being adaptable means:

• Understanding and valuing each team member’s individuality.

• Determining what each person on your team expects from you.

• Changing your approach to produce mutually beneficial results for each person or situation.

Make efforts to understand and value each team member’s individuality.

Understanding each person’s individuality starts with an interactive conversation. In our very busy world, people have a lot more going on in their lives than what they feel comfortable revealing on the surface. Take a few minutes of your time to discover more about each team member’s individual circumstances. Find out about their families and how they like to spend their time after work. Listen to all the activities they have outside of their jobs, and think about how you can contribute in a positive way to the balance between their work and their personal lives. Ask them about the personal values that drive how they make decisions and live their lives. Discover what motivates them to achieve their highest potential. Find out why their jobs are important to them. Are they in it for the paychecks to support their families, or is it important to them that they use their talents for positive impact? Inquire about their career aspirations: do they strive to be leaders, or are they quite happy being worker bees? Get a sense of their work ethic: are they self-starters, or do they need more encouragement and direction? Uncover their perceptions of their personal strengths and what they enjoy most about their jobs. Allow them to freely share about any areas in which they would like to grow and develop.

Having personal and empathetic conversations with your team members not only allows you to get to know them; it can also provide you with some insight into yourself. Do not overlook the power that this personal connection can have for you and your organization. When made authentically, it shows your team members that you care about and value them as real people, not as commodities. Caring about others creates a strong foundation for trust; trust makes your employees feel valued; and employees who feel valued are highly innovative and productive.

Find out what your team expects of you.

In addition to getting to know your team members on an individual basis, it’s helpful to understand the expectations that they have of you as their leader. This means allowing them to share the type of management support they need from you: Do they do better with a lot or a little direction and guidance? How do they like to receive feedback? Is it important for them to talk to you every day, or can you touch base less frequently? Do they communicate best over the phone or through e-mail, or do they need an occasional face-to-face visit?

Uncovering a team’s expectations is an area where many leaders feel uncomfortable. With their own work plate full of deadlines and tasks, many leaders feel like they do not have the time or the patience to tailor their communications to each individual employee. I had that same mindset at one point in my career. Actually, I was worse: I expected my team to watch the way I operated, read my mind, and perform their work in a way that met my high standards. What that translated into in reality was that my employees were extremely unsure of themselves, so they included me on every thought they had, every decision they wanted to make, and every action they planned to take. Their need for my attention and time was overwhelming.

When I finally got frustrated with these operating conditions, I reached out to each one of my team members to come up with a more effective way of working together. What I discovered was that a common agreement on how best to work together resulted in much less work for me and for them. Although it took a little more time up-front on my part to be proactive in understanding their needs, it was completely worth it in the long run.

Change your approach when the situation calls for it.

Once you have an idea of what your team members expect from you, adapt your style, and apply it to meet their needs—and if an employee asks for something you cannot deliver, negotiate an alternative. At first this may not feel easy or worth your time and effort. It can sometimes feel like it would be more productive for your team to adapt to you and your needs, and not the other way around. You are the boss, after all, right?

Whatever your reservations, I can assure you that you will ultimately waste more of everyone’s time if you expect your team members to do everything your way. Why? Because they will always be second-guessing whether they are doing the right thing. Some employees will actually become almost paralyzed and afraid to act; others will spend all their time complaining about what a terrible boss you are and how impossible you are to please. And neither of these states of being is effective or productive for your employees or your company.

Proactively adapting to your mutually agreed-upon plan, in contrast, demonstrates that you value each of your employee’s input, individuality, and needs. It allows them to feel heard and appreciated, and from your perspective, if you think about it, it’s actually the ultimate form of control, because it allows you to create more focused and directed communication and expectations.

Adaptability in Action

About eight years into my career came one of my hardest and best lessons about leadership adaptability: I was promoted into the position of Director of Distribution, which made me responsible for the day-to-day operations of three large warehouses across the country. Up until this time, I had only led teams of white-collar workers, mainly in customer service—an environment far different from the warehouse floor—and I was one of the youngest female executives in the division.

I remember the first day I walked into our largest warehouse. I entered the building dressed in a nice business suit and high-heeled shoes—not exactly warehouse attire—trying as hard as possible to project confidence and competency. It didn’t matter to me that I had never worked in, or even been in, a warehouse up until that time. I was convinced that my job was to show these workers a better way to operate.

In my first all-hands meeting with my employees, I shared my ideas on how things were going to change now that I was in charge. I assured them that if they followed my advice, we would be the best-performing warehouse in the company. As I rambled on confidently about my expectations and leadership style, I could see that some of them were shaking their heads in disbelief, while others were smirking, whispering to one another under their breath, and even rolling their eyes. I just kept moving through my speech, even though I could sense the discord in the room. After all, I was their fearless leader, and I had some great ideas about how to make things work better.

At the conclusion of the meeting, I felt like I had done a good job sharing my expectations, intentions, and excitement about my new role. Based on the reactions I saw in the employees, I knew I had some skeptics—but I was confident that over time they would come to see that my ideas would make the warehouse’s operations run more smoothly. I had clearly communicated what I thought was being done wrong, what needed to change, and how that change needed to be effected. I had outlined an amazing plan for improvement, and now all my employees had to do was make it happen.

Because I felt that I had been so clear in my demands, I expected immediate improvements—but after a few weeks had passed, nothing had changed. Our daily performance reports provided evidence that results were actually getting worse, not better. When I questioned my supervisory staff about the situation, they assured me that change was happening and that all was well. But the numbers don’t lie; I knew that something was off.

I decided it was time to go out to the floor and talk to my employees directly. Up until that time I had only been on the floor with a supervisor by my side; I hadn’t gone out and actually had a one-on-one conversation with any of the workers. This time, instead of having the information be filtered or directed by my leadership team, I wanted to get firsthand information from the people in the trenches.

As I walked the floor, I could tell that a lot of people were intimidated by my presence and felt too uncomfortable to share their true thoughts with me. They were very cordial, but guarded. I received a lot of comments like Everything is great—we’re just happy to have jobs or We like your ideas—it just takes some time to change. Out of everyone I spoke to, only two team members, Katy and Jordan, were bold enough to voice their concerns. Katy, who was the first to offer her opinions, told me, You may be good at what you did at corporate, but things work differently around here. Our jobs require hard work. We try to do a good job, but we don’t get any support. The warehouse is the end of the road, and we get dumped on all the time. We’re not appreciated for what we do—and no one tells us anything about why or how we are important to the company. If you want better results, why don’t you try understanding us first?

Jordan shared similar concerns with me. People are different here, he told me. They’re doing real work—you know, work that requires physical activity, not just sitting at a desk in front of a computer and answering phones. You ought to take the time to get to know them before you try to change anything.

My ego did not like this input. I could feel myself getting defensive and frustrated; all I wanted to do was stomp my foot and yell, If you would stop whining and just do what I say, things would be better around here! My gut, however, was telling me to just listen to what they had to say. You should listen to them, said a tiny voice inside my head. It took guts for them to speak up; the least you could do is honor that. Maybe you should provide a safe space for more people to talk to you.

I spent several sleepless nights wrestling with my ego and my gut. Finally, I decided to at least try to listen. It’s not going to hurt anything, I thought. I’m the boss; if I don’t like what I hear, we can still do it my way.

After that personal awakening, I held a series of meetings with small groups of employees. I invited them to share about themselves; I inquired about what they were looking for in a leader, and what they needed from me and my supervisory team to make their work more productive and meaningful; and I encouraged each employee to share their fresh ideas about what we could change together to make the entire team more successful. As I listened to them open up and express their thoughts, I finally saw that I had been expecting them to adapt to my style—a style that worked in the corporate office environment but did not translate well to the warehouse environment. I was impressed with the courage they demonstrated as they expressed their concerns and the innovation they displayed as they shared their creative ideas.

In the weeks following those meetings, I began to adapt my style. My leadership team and I also began implementing some of the employees’ ideas—and as we did that, we saw performance start to improve. More important, I saw people becoming happier and more fulfilled in their jobs. I