185: #BossToLeader | How to Get the Best Out of Your Team

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Culture Building Like a Pro podcast, helping 2 - > small business owners and managers lead a company culture where 3 - > employees are engaged to do their best work because they 4 - > want to and not because they have to. Now, let's 5 - > jumpstart your culture transformation with company culture strategists, leadership coach 6 - > and trainer Deanna Appling. 7 - >

Speaker 2: Happy Tuesday and thanks for listening to the Culture Building 8 - > Like a Pro podcast. I'm Deanna and we are back. 9 - > We are going strong in my new series, Boss to Leader. 10 - > The series was created to help you shift from being 11 - > the overworked, overwhelmed doing everything yourself boss to a confident 12 - > leader who knows how to delegate, how to create accountability 13 - > with your team and empower them while also leading with 14 - > vision and instead of stress. In each episode, you are 15 - > going to get practical tools, strategies, and honest insight about 16 - > the real life obstacles that entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and new business 17 - > owners face. The ones like how to trust your team, 18 - > letting go of control, and how to show up as 19 - > the leader your business actually needs. And when you take 20 - > action with what you get from each episode, you will 21 - > start to bridge the gap between being great at what 22 - > you do to being great at leading people I remember 23 - > at one point working with a client, actually it was 24 - > their entire administrative leadership team, and one of the leaders 25 - > said something that has always stuck out to me because 26 - > I feel that many people believe this and feel this way, 27 - > and I understand why, but it's something that I also 28 - > believe holds a lot of leaders captive. We were having 29 - > a conversation. We were in the middle of strategizing about 30 - > reshaping their current culture, which was very dysfunctional and very 31 - > toxic with their team, and this leader said in one 32 - > of our sessions, well, I just can't get people to care. 33 - > And when I first heard this, I understood where he 34 - > was coming from. I really did, and it stayed with 35 - > me for so long because many people think this. They 36 - > think that because their team is essentially just checking boxes 37 - > at work and doing the bare minimum, that it's because 38 - > they don't care about what they're doing. And the truth is, 39 - > most people aren't intentionally underperforming or refusing to take initiative 40 - > in their work because they don't have the potential or 41 - > competency to do so. It's really because they are working 42 - > in an environment that simply does not pull out the 43 - > best of them. There have been several studies done that 44 - > prove that a business thrives when the people who are 45 - > working there are engaged, when they feel like they are 46 - > growing and challenged even and when they feel like the 47 - > work that they're doing is aligned with a bigger mission 48 - > or vision. And that's not something that happens by accident. 49 - > It's not something that is entitled to happen in a workspace. 50 - > It is intentionally created by design by leaders. Your team 51 - > won't rise to the expectation and the hope that you 52 - > have of doing above minimum work and going the extra 53 - > mile in what they do until you create the space 54 - > for them to do so. And that's the importance of 55 - > understanding your role now as a leader versus just business 56 - > owner or boss. I find that there are a few 57 - > limiting beliefs, if you will, that seem to be pretty 58 - > common when I notice entrepreneurs not getting the best out 59 - > of their team. The first limiting belief is that if 60 - > they cared more, then they'll try harder. And the thing 61 - > is in life, even if we take the idea of 62 - > working out of the equation. In life, most of us 63 - > want to be a part of something that is meaningful. 64 - > We want to do meaningful work. But if someone doesn't 65 - > feel like they are seen or trusted in what they do, 66 - > and that their contribution isn't connected to that bigger picture. 67 - > They will only do what is required of them and 68 - > ultimately what they have space to do. As I've always said, 69 - > engagement isn't an hr responsibility. It is the responsibility of leaders, 70 - > the ones who your team is reporting to your team. 71 - > Feeling engaged isn't something that they should innately come to 72 - > work and have. It would be nice if it was 73 - > that way, but the purpose of having a leader is 74 - > to have someone who not only can motivate and bring 75 - > out the best in people, but more specifically, your influence 76 - > an ability to remove obstacles from their path is what 77 - > creates the outcome that you're looking for. Another one of 78 - > those limiting beliefs that I noticed new leaders and entrepreneurs 79 - > have is that my job is to be focused on 80 - > the work getting done, not focused on the people. And 81 - > this is a big, big problem, and honest, this is 82 - > the very specific difference between being a boss and being 83 - > an actual leader. The work, obviously is important, and the 84 - > tasks that are assigned and that people are responsible for 85 - > is what gets the work done. But it's the development 86 - > of the people that build a business that grows and 87 - > that is a direct responsibility of leadership. And another belief 88 - > is not everyone wants more responsibility. And this is very, 89 - > very true, and honestly, this is something that you have 90 - > to uncover with each person on your team. What is 91 - > it that they want to contribute, Do they want to 92 - > do more? Do they want to grow? You have to 93 - > understand each person where they are. But even though everyone 94 - > doesn't necessarily want more responsibility, I guarantee you that everyone 95 - > wants to feel seen and trusted and valued for the 96 - > work that they are doing. And when you never open 97 - > the door and give the opportunity for people to be stretched, 98 - > to grow, or to just simply be utilized in a 99 - > way that is more aligned with how they can contribute 100 - > to a team, then you're teaching them to just accept 101 - > staying small without offering the opportunity for them to even 102 - > consider growth. The truth is most entrepreneurs were never trained 103 - > to develop people specifically. It is not second nature to 104 - > understand succession strategy or growth planning how to delegate in 105 - > a way that is not only effective for you to 106 - > free up your time, but it's strategic enough to help 107 - > people grow. You may not have been taught how to 108 - > empower your team and build ownership at the same time. 109 - > And this ultimately means that you haven't been given the 110 - > tools necessary to lead with intention and when you are 111 - > in the situation, your business becomes very transactional. It's all 112 - > about getting the work done. Just get it done by 113 - > any means necessary. And although that may sound good, over time, 114 - > this is just training your team to not become leaders, 115 - > to not grow and think strategically. It actually positions them 116 - > to stop thinking, to not offer suggestions or problem solve 117 - > or even initiate. And it's not because they can't do it. 118 - > It's because they're not being led and empowered to. So 119 - > if you've been feeling like this is where you are 120 - > with your team, we're going to dive into some very 121 - > practical shifts that you can make as a leader to 122 - > actually get the best out of your team in real life, 123 - > not just in theory. Number one, I want you to 124 - > start to identify the strengths of your team through very 125 - > real conversations. So have intentional one on one meetings. If 126 - > you aren't already doing this, schedule them at whatever cadence 127 - > works best for you and each person on your team weekly, 128 - > bi weekly. The choice is up to you for whatever 129 - > makes the most sense. But in these meetings, I want 130 - > you to ask very strategic and real questions, the questions 131 - > that you probably haven't thought of before. But that's not 132 - > an issue now. I'm going to give you just three 133 - > simple questions to ask that will start the more in 134 - > depth conversations for you to understand where are your team's 135 - > strengths lie question one? What kind of work gives you 136 - > the most energy? The next question what do you want 137 - > to get better at? And then also ask what do 138 - > you feel like you're underutilized in? So these are questions 139 - > where you may noticing different patterns or work behaviors with 140 - > this person on your team, but this allows them to 141 - > share with you what they see for themselves, and you'll 142 - > be shocked at how many people are more capable of 143 - > things that you may not even be aware of and 144 - > that you aren't even asking of them. So, for example, 145 - > maybe your admin person may be great at organizing and 146 - > restructuring workflows, really really interested in have experience in improving processes. 147 - > But if their role is data entry and you're only 148 - > relying on this person to do that, they're only doing 149 - > what you've asked of them and not necessarily utilizing their 150 - > strengths in a way that helps not only the business, 151 - > but helps them feel more connected to the work, which 152 - > would in turn build engagement. Number two focus on della 153 - > delegating for growth, not just to clear your plate. Now. 154 - > I know that getting to the point of delegating for 155 - > most entrepreneurs is a task in and of itself. I 156 - > get it, But I want you to start to think 157 - > like a leader. That means to think a bit more strategically, 158 - > not just about the work, and that means being a 159 - > leader who delegates to build people. And you can do 160 - > this by using my DEEP delegation framework. I've talked about 161 - > it on the podcast before. I'll also leave a link 162 - > to that episode if you want to learn more about it. 163 - > But essentially, DEEP is an acronym for define and able, 164 - > expect and progress. This means define what done looks like, 165 - > so that's defining what the outcome is clearly. Enable your 166 - > team to do the work by making sure that they 167 - > have all of the resources that they need and the 168 - > context about the task to do the work effectively. Make 169 - > sure that the expectations are clear by setting clear milestones 170 - > so that they know what needs to be done and 171 - > by when and then also track progress by setting check 172 - > in points. This lets them know when you plan on 173 - > checking in with them, so that they can be prepared 174 - > with results. So instead of just saying can you do 175 - > this for me? Or can you take care of this, 176 - > you can be more specific by clearly stating what needs 177 - > to be done by when their level of ownership, and 178 - > when progress will be discussed. Number three, encourage and empower 179 - > your team for ownership, not dependency. In other words, don't 180 - > create a team of what I like to call fetchers 181 - > where you just throw out tasks. Just name different tasks, 182 - > name different things that need to be done, and you're 183 - > just expecting your team to fetch and go after these 184 - > things because you asked. If your team is always waiting 185 - > for instructions from you, it's because you've trained them to 186 - > do so. And while this may seem effective, it's really 187 - > just creating a space where they just only do what 188 - > they're asked and told. They don't take the initiative. So 189 - > you can start to encourage ownership by asking questions like, well, 190 - > what do you recommend, what do you think would be 191 - > the next best step for this? How do you think 192 - > we should solve this? Get them to share their thought process. 193 - > Ownership starts to grow when your people are invited to 194 - > think and not just do things for you. Number four, 195 - > invest in your team's growth, even if it's in small ways. 196 - > It doesn't always mean extensive retreats or training programs. It 197 - > can be as simple as allowing someone to lead the 198 - > next meeting, giving someone on your team a project that 199 - > will allow them to stretch a little bit more in 200 - > their skill set, maybe even pairing someone with a mentor, 201 - > or just simply opening the door to teach them how 202 - > the business actually works and what you're aiming for. Because 203 - > when people grow the business gross it sounds so simple, 204 - > but it's very very true, and that connection matters. And lastly, 205 - > acknowledge growth and rewarded. So what I mean by this 206 - > is not just recognizing someone, Oh, good job for taking 207 - > care of that, thanks for handling that. That's acknowledging the 208 - > output the task getting done. But recognize them specifically for 209 - > taking initiative, for taking ownership of something that they weren't 210 - > asked to, for problem solving, for being a critical thinker 211 - > in a very chaotic situation, and also for those who 212 - > are showing leadership capabilities. This reinforces the culture that you 213 - > actually want one where people are growing and showcasing and 214 - > executing skills, not just tasks. So as you are focusing 215 - > on growing your leadership abilities and getting the best out 216 - > of your team, I want you this week to execute 217 - > three very simple moves every single day that will help 218 - > you build this habit and start to see transformation with 219 - > your team. One. Start meetings with context and not just tasks. 220 - > Let them into why what you're about to discuss matters 221 - > most to the business right now or the big picture 222 - > goal that you're aiming for. This lets them in and 223 - > makes them feel a part of your mission and connected 224 - > to leadership strategy. Number Two, before you start giving answers, 225 - > ask for their input. Ask them simply, what do they 226 - > think you should do. This is something that you may 227 - > need to get in the habit of, but again that's 228 - > the purpose of this daily leadership challenge for yourself, so 229 - > that it becomes second nature. And Number three, at the 230 - > end of each week, take time to call out growth 231 - > and not just the business results. Acknowledge where you saw 232 - > someone step up in certain areas this week. Again, acknowledging 233 - > their contribution from a skills standpoint and not just getting 234 - > something done. These are super small but they're going to 235 - > have a massive impact not only on your team and 236 - > their engagement, but you and your growth as a leader. 237 - > If you've been listening to this episode and you feel 238 - > like your team is disengaged at this point, they seem stuck, 239 - > like they don't care, they're just doing the bare minimum, 240 - > this doesn't mean that you have a problem with your people. 241 - > This is actually an indicator for you of leadership opportunity. 242 - > And if you're struggling with this, it's not necessarily an 243 - > indicator that you are a bad leader. Trust me, we've 244 - > all been there. It's just simply because you don't have 245 - > a strategy to actually lead your team to get outside 246 - > of this rut. And that's exactly why I created my 247 - > New Leader, Big Impact coaching program. When I work with 248 - > new leaders, we go below the surface and you learn 249 - > how to develop people and not just manage the work, 250 - > how to empower your team to be accountable and take 251 - > ownership for what they do. You'll start to delegate more 252 - > effectively and in a way that grows your team, so 253 - > you can lead more strategically, and you'll create a culture 254 - > that is engaged, where people want to show up and 255 - > do their best because they want to and not just 256 - > doing work because they have to. So if you're ready 257 - > to get started with finally seeing your team grow and 258 - > getting the best out of them, I encourage you to 259 - > apply for the program by going to beaproinc dot com 260 - > slash ep one eight five, and I look forward to 261 - > the opportunity of working with you. Remember that if you 262 - > want a team who shows up to work and actually 263 - > cares about what they're doing, and it shows in how 264 - > they do their work and they're going the extra mile 265 - > and they're thinking like leaders, it starts with you. It 266 - > starts with you becoming the type of leader that your 267 - > business needs and knowing how to bring that out of 268 - > your people. Take the action items that you learned in 269 - > this episode, start to apply them today, and you'll be 270 - > well on your first step of seeing this transformation and 271 - > truly bringing the best out of your team. Have a 272 - > great week.