Hi, welcome to this episode of Jack Chat and another tiny lesson in leadership, straight up.
In this episode, I’d like to talk about teamwork. Specifically, what’s a leader’s job in ensuring that teams work better together.
Teams often complain about a lack of alignment on direction or strategy. Well, researchers recently looked at this phenomenon and they came up with three things that every leader should know.
- First, and probably not surprisingly, they found that talking it out in a group is the best way to create alignment…
- But, secondly… they found that talking it out ONLY works if everyone is willing to change their mind. The researchers used fancy terms like “multi-factorial explanations” and “intellectual humility,” but what they really meant is don’t be so darn certain you have the whole thing figured out.
- And finally, the research also revealed that the most destructive thing to alignment is… a jerk. A team member who dominates the conversation and insists on being right.
So, here are a couple self-reflection questions to help you be an advocate for alignment:
- How willing am I to let go of my narrative about a situation?
- What is the deeper need behind my desire for a particular course of action?
- And… what don’t I know about the situation?
Give those questions some thought, open your mind and come back for another chat.