It’s a year to the day since Barack Obama became president of the United States. His election and inauguration were momentous occasions which caused outpourings of emotion not only across the US but also around the world. It would be hard for any leader to live up to the kind of expectations so many had of Obama. He landed what is arguably the most powerful job in the world at a time when his country was at war and in the middle of an economic crisis – never mind all the other ongoing issues such as climate change, terrorism and nuclear threats.
Although few of us face challenges on this scale, most of us know what it’s like to feel overburdened by problems seemingly beyond our control. The speed of change in today’s world often demands that we take swift and decisive action. However, successful solutions to many challenges can only be reached given time – time to think, to research, to confer or to negotiate. In our fast-moving world, there is often so much pressure on all leaders to reach decisions and to demonstrate results quickly that the importance of time and space in leadership can be forgotten.
So as Obama reaches his first anniversary in office, he faces renewed pressure to deliver – and renewed criticism. However, if we look at the legacies of many other US presidents, and indeed successful business leaders, their most historic, lasting legacies were not formed in their first year at the helm. Many successful leaders take years to drive momentous and lasting change.
Today’s leaders do need to be agile and decisive. However they also need the time – and the confidence - to plan and deliver long-term success as well as short-term solutions.
Team development is a top priority for leaders in 2010. According to new research from the Chartered Management Institute, leaders and managers plan to focus on developing their teams ahead of other priorities such as networking or spending more time with customers and clients.
It is heartening that most leaders see team development is a top priority. However, how many leaders, when considering how best to develop ‘their’ teams, also think about developing their own team working skills, or about the impact of their behaviour on the teams in which they work?
As well as leading teams, most leaders today are part of a leadership team. Working effectively in teams has become critical for managing the complexity, diversity and uncertainty in organisational life.
However, teams present significant challenges for leaders. They introduce additional complexity and uncertainty. The complexity comes from the variety of skills and behaviours, and the interaction of different personalities. The uncertainty comes from the unpredictability of different behaviours and personalities.
For all the focus on team effectiveness today, many leaders find team working difficult. Leaders who prefer to be in control can find team working frustrating. The drive and competitive instinct that fuel the careers of so many leaders can be disruptive when it comes to team leadership and team working.
Leaders seeking to develop their teams need to also focus on their own team skills. High-performing teams are characterised by each member’s commitment to success and to the development of other team members.
Something that many leaders can benefit from, particularly during periods of economic uncertainty, is the ability to encourage feedback and act on this feedback. Creating a climate of openness and trust will help other team members contribute to the best of their abilities. Some leaders I’ve worked with feel they must always be strong and decisive. While there are times when strong, decisive leadership is required, this need not conflict with a culture of openness and honesty. Team leaders should be able to present a point of view without fear, and create an environment where others can do the same. After all, we’d all much prefer that others aired their views while we’re in the room – not after we’ve left.
Developing a culture of openness also helps turn the challenge of complex teams into a real advantage. Harnessing the diversity within one’s team can help form successful solutions to the myriad of problems facing organisations today.
Great team development starts by providing insight into our own individual style and preferences. This self-awareness helps us to understand the impact we have on others. It also helps us understand where our strengths lie and which areas we can improve.
For leaders, it’s important that we don’t just provide learning and development opportunities for our teams – it’s important that we also seek out these opportunities for ourselves.