Communication

Do your team members keep each other in-the-loop?

As leaders, we need to communicate with our teams.

We might act as the “communication hub” for our teams, keeping everyone informed of what is going on with the rest of the team. But we can also “level up” our team collaboration by encouraging our team members to communicate more directly with each other.

In the weekly all-hands meeting, consider having each person give a 30-60 second summary of what their part of the team did last week and will be working on in the coming week, so that everyone develops a fuller understanding of the big picture and what each person contributes.

Consider having each team member offer a lunch-and-learn in the conference room for a monthly professional development event on something they know and/or something they do. The speaker can give info on a new software system they use, or talk about a presentation from a conference they have attended, or share their new quality-control template, or give an overview of project budgeting, or present a summary of a business book they have read, or anything else that helps develop the skills of the team and/or establish the expertise-that-the-team-can-draw-on of the presenting team member.

Encourage seeking out the input and expertise of other team members. “If you have trouble with the graphics upload, please ask Pat to help.” “When you need someone to check your numbers, please ask Sam.” “If the app starts giving you wonky data, ask Juana to help you trouble-shoot.” “Before you bring the proposal back to me, ask Sylvan to proofread it.”

You can use this “communication web” to build your team’s confidence and competencies, as well as their mutual trust and respect.

(image generated using Midjourney)