Want your team to take off? Then make sure you understand and execute on the checklist…Below you’ll find a description of the third of five checkpoints identified in the course of my experience with a particularly high-performing team. In case you missed the previous ones, click on the link at the bottom of the post to see the others.
2. Senior Level Commitment
“Grassroots” is fun and stimulating but if rain never comes from above even the most resilient grass seed will die. In this particular project, not only did the project come “from above”, it also had plenty of rain from that direction.
Although there were scheduled formal reviews, the unscheduled informal “drop-ins” of senior management and the accompanying insightful questions and suggestions were of equal, if not more value. It showed a real investment – not just of resources but “focus bandwidth.”
Showing this bandwidth, or “share of mind,” is one of the most powerful things managers can do to indicate their level of commitment to a team.
This can be done in very practical ways such as – drop-ins, occasionally participating in a team meeting, asking insightful questions based on presented material, being readily available to give direction when the team “gets stuck”. This is a lever where a little push can make a big difference in altitude.
Part 1: A Worthy & Inspiring Cause/Vision
Picture: en.wikipedia.org
I think that the concept of “drop-ins” is too infrequently used. As soon as the team knows that the senior manager is coming, there’s panic followed by the creation of too many powerpoint slides with way too many words on them. A drop in to a regularly scheduled meeting not only provides a boost to the team but also increases efficiency by focusing the team’s efforts on accomplishing the initiative and not just explaining it!