Leaders are a team too (ep 19)

Many teams have never explicitly agreed the things that they can and can’t do in terms of how they work together. Therein lies the root of a lot of miscommunication, misunderstanding, tension and wasted effort. So at a time when organisations are deciding how they want to work, we now have an opportunity – a catalyst for having conversations and agreeing what’s ok and what isn’t. This is a way to understand each other better, have greater cooperation, more openness and willingness to experiment, develop and progress.

Having a ‘working together agreement’ is something that can lead to a lot of enlightenment and improved effectiveness within a team. But what about the leaders in our organisations – do they need an agreement too?

We would say, emphatically – yes! Through developing an agreement, leaders can share and learn from each other, and this can also pave the way to ensure their commitment to the development of such understandings within the teams that they lead. This doesn’t have to be a lengthy, complicated process – you can simply start with a conversation and an agreement about something you’d all like to try.

Featured guests:

• Helen Guest, Senior Associate, Change Management, AWA (UK)
• Dr Colombine Gardair, Senior Associate, Cognitive Science, AWA (UK)