Our lives move so quickly and are so short that slowing down and reflecting on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going is a sacred practice—even in a place of work.
There is great power in honoring endings, transitions, and change. The need for reflection and ritual with our teams is essential.
With today’s 24 hour newscycle, our never ending consumption of media, the volatility of national and international politics, and the crisis of isolation and loneliness, leaders are functioning as community leaders, mental health advocates, and coaches.
Leaders are now expected to provide belonging and connection if they want to have a team that works well together and stays.
As a business leader, you likely haven’t been trained as a community leader. You may or may not be in a position to support the mental health of your team members. Most leaders are not experienced coaches.
Today’s leadership environment involves high expectations and very little experience.
Whether you’re navigating the end of your fiscal year, the calendar year, a valued team member is moving on, you’ve exceeded your goals, or you’re coming in short, the need for naming the change you’re in is your responsibility as a leader.
Your team wants to feel heard and know that someone can get their experience.
The greatest gift you can give people is understanding.
I own three companies. One of my companies has high levels of logistics and involves significant labor demands. One of our teams has been impacted by an employee that reliably over commits and under delivers. He is a people pleaser and hates to disappoint the team. In an effort to “make everyone happy” and “fulfill on his commitment” he overextends himself and overrides his personal limitations. He constantly disappoints his fellow employees by not doing what he says he will do. The very thing he is working so hard to avoid is happening over and over again. And people are frustrated.
The team has been working on a deadline and as a leadership team we have chosen not to make any changes on the team until we meet that deadline. We made an assumption that the team understood our strategic choice to not change anything in the short term. This week I received feedback that our employees are feeling impacted by the lack of communication from leadership and the unreliability of this specific team member. I was asked to address the team.
I heard the feedback. I appreciated the feedback. I acknowledged the need for increased clarity and integrity in the system. And I got in communication with the team. If a trusted team member asks for support it is my responsibility, as a leader and fellow team member, to provide that.
The quickest way to undermine trust on a team is to ignore what’s going on.
I gathered the team and specifically spoke to what is not working. I acknowledged their frustration. And appreciated their patience. They expressed their confusion around why this person’s performance was being tolerated. I shared my point of view and asked for their trust and partnership in the remaining weeks of the project deadline. I assured them of our commitment to making a change at the project completion.
We’ve created a culture that encourages open and honest communication. We believe in the power of feedback. We expect direct communication. That doesn’t mean we go without conflict, challenges, breakdowns, or disagreements. It does mean that over time we have increased trust and overall satisfaction and fulfillment among team members. Our team understands the value of moving through challenges intentionally and we’ve provided the environment and tools to do that well.
Much of the work I do with clients is cleaning up and clearing out what isn’t being said on their teams. Human beings are experts at holding on to judgments, resentments, and past interactions that go unacknowledged. When intentional and well-facilitated space is created to get honest about what’s working and what’s not working you unleash the potency and power of a team.
Unresolved and unacknowledged past is a massive drain on your system. It is hurting your culture. It is undermining your efforts. And it is impeding your growth.
Leading teams through reflection and rituals during seasons of change is a powerful way to create belonging, connection, and authenticity—all of which are essential ingredients when navigating transition. Creating space that allows people to share what’s on their hearts and minds in a way that is constructive and not just complaining keeps your organizational culture clean and clear.
For over a decade I have led groups large and small in practices of release. Letting go of what no longer serves an individual or a group provides space for so much more to emerge. Often we are clogging our own environments with residual energy that holds us back and weighs us down.
Consider investing in dissolvable paper or flash paper. Lead your team in a reflection session or meditation. Invite them to write down what they are ready to let go of. Using the special paper of your choice either use water or fire to create a kinesthetic experience of letting go.
If facilitating honest and robust exploration of your organization isn’t your gift don’t do it alone. You will make a mess. Get support. Bring in an expert that is skilled in group dynamics, conflict resolution, candid communication, and building trust. Hire someone that knows how to create powerful reflection and ritual to support your team in getting complete and moving forward.
Much of the work I do with leaders and team involves audit and analysis of patterns, practices, and positions that are holding back the breakthrough performance a team could really be experiencing. If you’re ready to take your leadership and organization to the next level schedule a call with me so we can discuss how best to support your growth.
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