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A senior project leader asks:
I started out as an engineer and worked my way up to lead engineer and project leader, because I tend to speak my mind and get things done. Now I’m starting to notice my own limitations. It seems my team is always looking to me for a solution. If someone brings up an idea, team members usually check my reaction before they respond. I think this gives me a more dominant position than is truly useful. It is limiting my team’s development and my own. How do I get the team to provide more input and take more responsibility?
The communication trainer answers:
“What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” is the title of a book by Marshall Goldsmith. This sums up the situation of a senior project leader who is limiting himself and his team in their development. The very qualities that helped you reach your current level can block further development.
Let’s look at this example of a project leader. He has grown into his role of senior project leader because he was capable of tackling the work and achieving results. Now he is discovering his own limitations. Since he has always had an active role, his team is used to him providing solutions or coming up with better ideas when a team member presents a proposal. Maybe his ideas are generally better. Nevertheless, it’s important for him to take a step back.
Team members are apprehensive about advocating for their own ideas because they will inevitably be overruled. After all, the rest of the team will side with the project leader. This makes it unsafe to speak your mind. People become reactive. In this situation, new team members are also less likely to be successful than they would be otherwise. The same is true for the senior project leader’s potential successors. After giving it a try, they will leave.
This title is part of a larger series of articles on Key Soft Skills for Engineers and Technical Professionals. Follow the link to get a copy of this unique collection.
How do you prevent this team culture from taking hold, and what steps do you take if it has already taken hold in your team? The most important step is to act less dominant as a leader.
Here’s how you do it: Let’s say there is a problem that needs to be solved. Normally you might describe the problem, propose a solution, see what people think, and tell someone to implement the solution. Instead, bring up the problem and ask an open-ended question: “What is the best way to solve this problem?” Make sure your words and your body language are in line with each other. Faking it won’t work. So show people non-verbally that you’re genuinely curious about what they have to say. You do this by briefly leaning back, relaxing, looking around calmly for a moment (without staring), and pausing.
“What got you here, won’t get you there…”
As a quick aside: Many indigenous tribes in North America used a so-called talking stick for their meetings. The person holding the stick had the right to speak. This prevented people from interrupting each other, it was clear whose turn it was, and the speaker could give someone else a turn. Now back to the project leader.
After asking your team for their thoughts, you put down the talking stick for someone to pick up, as it were. The ball is now in their court. Is no one speaking up? Repeat your question and say you would really like to hear all their ideas. Relax again. Save your own idea for a solution for last, if you need it at all. It’s best to choose a team member’s idea that works, even if you have an idea that might work slightly better.
Team members will become increasingly independent when you give them more responsibility. Do this consistently. Sharing the ball allows you to enlarge your own scope.
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