Leading a Team

I love this article from Thrive Global, and wanted to share it with you.

https://thriveglobal.com/stories/4-reasons-leaders-dont-develop-their-people/?PostID=17901334&utm_medium=email&utm_source=rasa_io As someone who leads a team I have to remember to always look for opportunities to help develop people. It can be easy to dig into daily tasks and just simply get things done, but I've learned over time you are only as strong as the team that supports you. I don't think that any leader purposefully avoids professional development with their direct reports, but when you only have so many hours a day time it can be tough to find those extra hours to work on your business instead of always working in the business. Here are my tips for you to keep your focus

• Make sure you answer your direct reports if they have questions. Don't leave them hanging for days. Over time it will appear you are not accessible and can even stifle them in their role.

• Find time to connect with your team each week as a group, even if it's over zoom. Set an agenda, but make time to just chat. 

• Allow for leadership opportunities. I love my team! They are amazing. Why would I not want them to do what they do best. If we micromanage everything they do we don't get to see the true growth that is within them. I am over and over again wowed by the amount of talent on our team. 

• Set one on one reviews. This is a great way to better understand the interest of the individual and look for opportunities for them to grow within the company. We've had multiple employees transition into other roles within the company. Not just to find a way to justify a raise, but because they wanted to be mentored into the new role they were interested in. 

Overall, as the article states, start small. Make goals for yourself and stick to it. If you find yourself getting caught up in tasks take a look at your list of to do's and see if it makes sense to outsource. We work with a lot of marketing directors to help them with their advertising efforts. We save them time and money so they can do what they do best inside of their operations. Our leadership team does the same assessments to partner with professionals so we can make sure to keep doing what we do best. Create amazing campaigns for our clients. 

Author: Shana Boyd