Self-Us-Team: An Easy Way to Understand and Practice Successful Leadership
Self-Us-Team is more than just a cute title for this article on leadership. It is actually a 3-part blueprint for leadership success through others. Curious to know how? Well then, read on…
Self
The hallmark of this part is Accountability (to yourself and your team)
There is much to be said about the role of self in effective leadership. Much more than a short blog post like this one can cover. However, my goal here is to re-spark the cinders in your psyche fueling your drive for self development as a leader.
Effective and transformative leadership always begins with the leader. You. You must take responsibility for being the kind of leader people want to follow. You can do this by developing yourself (learning and applying new and relevant skills), practicing integrity and caring about people.
In short, you must be a person who lives and works by a high standard. A person with healthy self-esteem (see what I did there?) and a true practitioner of self-governance.
When your team knows that you hold yourself to high standards, they are more likely to perform at their best also.
Action Step
This week identify one aspect of your work or character in need of improvement. Then do at least one thing daily to improve.
For example, I know people who have worked on conversing without interruption, delivering ahead of schedule, reading a chapter of personal development material a day... pick one thing that fits with your lifestyle and needs and then do it for the full week.
Us
The hallmark of this part is Connectivity.
You might be wondering why Us and Team have been separated. Well, very often, leaders make the common mistake of trying to produce results before building a sense of cohesion and community in their teams.
Why do we do this? Perhaps it is because we have been conditioned to be more result-oriented than people-oriented. Thus introducing a dichotomy where none exists.
Our drive for efficiency sabotages our opportunity for effectiveness. Yet without a strong sense of community, it is difficult to secure the kind of buy-in that produces excellent results in teams. This need to belong is as old as our species.
...without a strong sense of community, it is difficult to secure the kind of buy-in that produces excellent results in teams.
TribeThink
Anthropologists have long known that we evolved to think in what I call TribeTerms. In other words, people not only work with others but identify themselves with others on the basis of a shared value or goal. They have an unconscious hierarchy in their minds of what tribes they care for and contribute to the most.
Naturally, they give the most to the tribe they feel the most connected to. As a result, the work-tribe matters only as much as they feel a sense of belonging to the organization and especially their colleagues and supervisors.
When, as a leader, you are able to create a sense of connection in your team; when they start to genuinely use TribeTerms like “us” and “we” in talking about the team, you would have taken a big step on the road to producing phenomenal results.
You would have acquired enough buy-in from the individual members to ensure their commitment to the team's goals. As a result, the work-team climbs up a notch or two in the individual’s tribal hierarchy.
This means they value the success of the team at a deep emotional level and not just as “part of the job”.
Start Small
How do you do this? Well, while getting budget approval for team-building exercises can be great fun and really effective, it is not always feasible. But small changes in day-to-day activities however can deliver huge pay-offs.
Any way you can let people know that you (and the team) actually care about them beyond their work will be beneficial. Particularly, acknowledging and remembering the little things can make a big difference.
Action Step
Connectivity starts with you!
Learn something new and non-work related about each member of your team this week and enter it in a private log. Could be something about a pet or a hobby or even just what they did over the weekend. Then the next time (say, after a week or so) when you interact, reference it and watch their eyes light up!
You will feel quite good yourself. This is just one step to get you started in real and practical terms. Later you can find ways to bring your team together for shared experiences.
Connecting with them as individuals will make this a lot easier.
Team
The hallmark of this part is productivity.
Now we get to the last step in the process. You have established trust and respect as a leader by walking your own talk.
You have achieved emotional buy-in by creating a work environment that communicates that each person is valued.
With these parts done, the “team” part becomes relatively easy. This is where delegation, supervision, guidance and all the great stuff of business books and courses on leadership come into play. This is where the team begins to run.
Projects are done, people are engaged and results are produced in a conducive psychological environment – the kind we naturally function the best in.
Closing Thoughts
Although this model has been presented in a linear format, the reality of today’s lightning-paced world often results in leaders needing to blend all three components in dynamic fashion. Therefore, I recommend you view these pieces as components not strictly as steps. Watch for opportunities to incorporate each piece into your leadership dynamic on a day-to-day basis; to create a better work experience for you and your people.So go ahead and apply the Self-Us-Team model on your journey to becoming a successful leader and have fun doing it.
