Team Building Archives

Becoming a Change Agent

As a tech exec, what actions can you take to drive transformative change within your company? While challenging, cultivating a sense of patience and persistence is key to effectively driving change.

To succeed, it is vital to exhibit courage and channel your focus towards the implementation of the following tactics:

Start with yourself

As humans, we all experience the force of inertia, influencing our decisions. By examining our choices, we can uncover any biases and proactively mitigate the negative impact of inertia. This empowers us to formulate effective strategies for overcoming its effects.

Recognize inertia

Identify areas within your organization, department, or project where inertia has set in. Assess how this hinders the organization’s ability to attain the desired change.

Develop change buy in

The success of change initiatives hinges on your ability to share and explore novel ideas with others. Collaborating with peers and introducing these concepts can accelerate transformative efforts within your area of responsibility. Technical professionals often struggle to influence change due to limited control over decision-making. However, employing a collaborative approach fosters buy-in. By cultivating an environment of engaged and respectful collaboration that encompasses diverse perspectives, you can effectively prompt others to embrace fresh ideas.

Influence others to change

Having an influential stakeholder as an ally wields immense power. They can drive the case for change, reinforce messages, create incentives, and accelerate behavior modifications. However, change is not achieved through power and force alone. Many technical professionals lack the authority to enforce compliance. The most effective approach is to foster an environment of collaboration and learning to create lasting change.

Implementing cultural change management can be a significant challenge, as organizations often cling to the comfort of familiar practices. However, with perseverance and a consistent approach, the long-term benefits will outweigh the initial resistance. It is vital to keep pushing forward while ensuring that you maintain positive relationships and avoid alienating others.

Avoiding Unconscious Bias as a Tech Exec

Unconscious bias is when a person unknowingly makes judgements based on their unconscious mind. A tech exec needs to understand and avoid making decisions based on unconscious bias.

Often, individuals are unaware of their own biases, which often stem from their upbringing. For instance, a parent may frequently express disdain for a particular race or creed in the privacy of their home, with their impressionable child as an audience. These encounters leave a lasting impact on the person’s psyche.

Human nature plays a role in our inclination to gravitate towards those who resemble us. In the realm of business, however, it’s crucial to acknowledge that not everyone shares our similarities. Consequently, surrounding ourselves solely with individuals who mirror our own traits can inadvertently reflect a bias, excluding others in the process.

Be aware that your leaders may have these biases and work to help yourself avoid being impacted.

Allow me to provide an illustration of being ensnared by bias:

You are on a team where everyone is a football lover. They talk about it every day, and the manager has started a fantasy football league.
You are not a fan and don’t participate in the discussions about the league. So, you are kind of on the outside.
The team manager establishes a strong bond with each member, sharing their love for football and regularly enjoying lunch together. Although you are not usually included, the camaraderie among them is evident.
Due to the manager’s substantial interactions with individuals who share a common interest, which often intertwines work discussions and football banter, he also entrusts the most captivating tasks to these individuals.
You are assigned mostly admirative tasks.
You articulate your dissatisfaction with the job to your counselor, pondering whether this organization might not be the ideal fit for you.
Your counselor, as expected, communicates with the manager to inform them about your concern. The manager, however, expresses their own concern that you haven’t directly addressed the issue with them. Furthermore, they mention to your counselor that you appear to be disconnected from the team and lacking motivation.
Because of the “football connection” you have not felt overly comfortable confiding in the manager.
Naturally, with the administrative work, and the lack of connection with your manager you are down. Mentally this is just not what you want to be doing.
The annual appraisals have commenced, and the feedback from your manager and counselor to the management team has been less than satisfactory. Despite your anticipation for a promotion this year, unfortunately, it will not be happening.

Unconscious bias affected your progress, but it’s not your fault for not getting promoted. Your manager favored individuals with similar qualities, lacking inclusivity. Hopefully, your company educates leaders about unconscious bias; but often, they don’t. If not, you’ll need to navigate this situation independently.

It’s tough, but don’t let isolation hold you back. Share your concerns with your manager about feeling excluded and request tasks that promote your growth in the company.

Click here for a post on dealing with the situation of your boss hating you.

Leading vs. Managing

Leadership and management are interchangeable, yet they require very different skills.

As a tech exec and mentor, we sometimes groom people for management roles without developing their key leadership skills. New managers struggle to be effective leaders, resorting to micro-plans, metrics, and negative pressure, resulting in low morale and a lack of respect.

Certain organizations aggressively promote individuals into management roles without adequately supporting their development as effective people leaders. In the long run, this approach can hinder the career growth of these managers. Additionally, it can create a detrimental impact on the leadership hierarchy of an organization, fostering a culture that prioritizes metrics over the well-being and needs of their workforce.

Consider this: Can we acquire leadership skills prior to assuming managerial roles? Or is leadership primarily an art form rather than a science? The qualities that define successful leaders are truly remarkable.

Successful leaders demonstrate the following:

They listen and have empathy.
They communicate openly and honestly.
They EMPOWER.

It’s important to remember: Exceptional leaders also aspire to become exceptional managers. Leadership alone might garner adoration from the team, but without management elements, progress may be hindered.

You can consciously acquire leadership traits and apply them to your situation. Reflect on your management style. Do you dictate and set unrealistic timelines? Do you expect automatic respect? Instead, foster respect and trust by mentoring, not losing your cool when deadlines are missed. To effectively apply leadership traits, break bad practices and negotiate with your manager for a rewarding team environment.

Cultivate maturity, maintain humility, and practice empathy. As a result, you can assemble an exceptional team that will support and contribute to your journey of becoming a successful leader.

See more on Leading vs. Managing at this post.

A Tech Exec Needs to Unleash the Power of Empowerment

Attention tech exec! Pay close attention, as I will reveal a vital secret: truly impactful executives prioritize empowerment. They understand that the true magic lies in enabling their team members to harness their skills and embrace their authentic selves in the workplace.

Are you looking forward to acquiring valuable and practical strategies that can effectively foster an empowered environment? If so, you’re in luck! Here are a few concise yet incredibly impactful guidelines that will equip a tech exec with the necessary tools to create an atmosphere of empowerment and growth.

Empower individuals who have consistently showcased their competence and expertise by entrusting them with decision-making authority. By recognizing their capabilities and providing them with the opportunity to lead, organizations can benefit from their valuable insights and strategic decision-making skills.
Promote and foster the development of skills through dedicated training programs, mentorship opportunities, and continuous learning initiatives. By providing a supportive environment that encourages growth and exploration, individuals can cultivate their talents and expertise to achieve their full potential.
Foster trust within your team as this is a foundational element that can lead to remarkable outcomes. By creating an environment where team members feel empowered, valued, and supported, you enable them to unlock their full potential. This emphasis on trust not only enhances collaboration and productivity but also cultivates a sense of belonging and motivation among team members, resulting in a more cohesive and successful work dynamic.

Remember, as a tech exec, true leadership success flourishes by empowering individuals to empower others! By nurturing a culture of collaboration and shared responsibility, leaders can inspire their team members to reach their full potential and make a positive impact. Let’s bring this visionary concept to life and create a supportive environment where everyone’s unique strengths are recognized and valued.

See this post on risk taking as a tech exec.

Tech Exec Success – Build Effective Teams

In his critically acclaimed book, “Leading Teams,” J. Richard Hackman outlines the fundamental prerequisites for a tech exec to build effective teams. These essential conditions form the bedrock upon which cohesive and successful teams are built. In today’s fast-paced and constantly evolving tech industry, it is crucial for executives to understand and implement these principles in order to create high-performing teams.

A team must have a clear understanding of their goals, objectives, and purpose. As a tech executive, it is your responsibility to clearly communicate the company’s vision and strategy to your team. This will not only give them a sense of purpose but also provide them with a framework for making decisions and guiding their actions.

Hackman makes clear that in order to have an effective team you must ensure:

Teams must be real. People have to know who is on the team and who is not. It’s the leader’s job to make that clear.

Teams need a compelling direction. Members must know and agree on their collective goals. Without clear direction from a leader, there is a risk of divergent agendas.

Teams need enabling structures. With poorly designed tasks, incorrect members, or unclear norms of conduct often encounter trouble.

Teams need a supportive organization. The organizational context – including the reward system, the human resource system, and the information system – must facilitate teamwork.

Teams need expert coaching. Executive coaches often neglect team dynamics, hindering teamwork improvement. Teams need collective coaching to enhance processes, especially at project onset, midpoint, and completion.

As a leader, your success depends on your team’s success. Clear procedures are crucial for achieving this. When everyone understands their roles and responsibilities, it significantly improves performance. Emphasizing teamwork and effective procedures greatly contributes to your success.

Click here for a post on CIO leadership expectations.

Click here to see more about J Richard Hackman and his work at Scholars at Harvard.