In the dynamic world of leadership, particularly within health-focused environments, the ability to transform underperforming teams into harmonious and high-performing entities is a skill that cannot be overstated.
We take a look at how to use a practical and thoughtful framework tailored to leaders confronting transitional hurdles.
Tracy shares her wealth of experience from successfully turning around broken teams, offering a practical and thoughtful framework tailored to leaders confronting transitional hurdles.
taking the first step
First up, set the standard. Talk about how your team’s behaviour will be going forward. Set that standard, communicate that standard, and most importantly, enforce that standard.
Talk about the key deliverables but elevate them by adding emotion and stoking the fire of shared ambition.
A real-life example: A team that hadn’t been able to deliver any finance reports to the board in four months and were two months away from year-end, not coping with demands. Individual conversations with that team led the team leader to discover they felt embarrassed, embattled, lost, and without direction. Understanding the behaviour is key.
The foundational step
Following the foundational step establishes the significance of instilling hope and defining shared goals. Leaders must set clear behavioural standards and communicate a compelling, emotionally resonant vision. This approach fosters a sense of certainty and security within the team. Notice how they’re feeling.
By fostering emotional connection through shared ambition, leaders can elevate their teams, enhancing morale and productivity.
You can transform your team from a position of struggle into one of pride and high performance by articulating a clear vision and rallying the team around common aspirations.
Laying out the plan
Revamping a team, however, requires more than strategy—it necessitates vulnerability. Leaders must embrace accountability and actively seek feedback. Sharing personal values, intentions, and goals with the team humanises a leader, making it easier for the team to relate to, trust, and support a leader. This transparency cultivates an atmosphere of mutual respect and loyalty.
In moments of profound change, a team’s longing for certainty intensifies.
Tell them how to get there and then I lay out the plan. Once you laid out the plan, ask questions like:
- what have I missed?
- What don’t I see?
- Why?
Because they’re the experts, because it is not your plan, it’s a team plan. So stoke that ambition and build the journey together. This is also the time to be vulnerable. Let them know that you don’t have all the answers and that you depend on them to get there,
Accountability
The road to healing is as much about the journey as the destination. The third piece is the hardest. Be accountable.
Be clear about how you’ll be as a leader and give them permission to remind you when you fall short on that because, well, you’re allowed to be human.
Use this authentic, vulnerable moment to remind them that you’ll do the same for them. You’re reinforcing the team’s standard to them too. Find ways to help them feel safe through feeling certain. Certainty comes from getting to know you and your expectations, understanding what’s acceptable and not acceptable behaviour, and by choosing to hitch your horse to the same cart and have that cart pulled in the same direction.