Do You Know Your Stuff? ๐ค
Do you know your stuff?
One of the three elements of leadership is 'know your stuff'.
When we're new to leadership we've often been promoted becauseย of our technical abilities.ย We know lots of 'stuff', people come to us to solve specific problems and we get things right.
Being a leader changes this; suddenly the 'stuff' you know becomes less relevant and you don't know all the answers.
This can really challenge our identity - especially when our technical knowledge and 'rightness' is what we've always been rewarded and recognised for.
And if not checked, a challenge to your identity (and ego) can drive defensive reactions which completely undermine the behaviours that will make you a great leader.
The evidence
Google's Project Aristotle analysed 180 teams over 2 years.ย It showed that it was the company's 'B-teams' that produced their most productive and important new ideas.
Headline: it is not our technical smarts that will make us, and our teams, the highest performing.
These are teams that don't have theย top scientists or subject matter experts (those are the 'A-teams') but, the higher performing B-teams do consistently exhibit the following behaviours;
equality
generosity
curiosity
empathy
emotional intelligence and, most importantly;
emotional safety.
This is your new 'stuff'.
The actions
In this video, Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson talks about how we create an environment for psychological safety in our teams, and the consequences if we don't.
Of course, this overlaps nicely with 'know your team' and 'know yourself' when it comes to effective execution of these behaviours.
It's easy to rest on the laurels of our previous knowledge and let 'ego be the enemy' when it comes to our learning - especially as we climb the leadership ladder. But know that creating a psychologically safe culture is a key to success.
You just need to choose to do it.
Further reading: Google's Project Aristotle.
"None of us is as smart as all of us."
Ken Blanchard
New Video - Mindset
A few weeks ago in my reader survey, someone mentioned a challenge they had with getting their team to think more positively about challenging situations.
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So I made this.
Catch up: this week on LinkedIn
Want to see your management or leadership challenge addressed with helpful advice and resources?ย Email me at steph@stephclarke.com and let me know what topics you'd like me to include in future newsletters.
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