Feedback
I canvassed my team at the end of last year, and they said I needed to work on the following things:
(1) Structure – I’m too loose; I need to be more structured and force them to be more structured as well
(2) Timeliness – I let things sit if I don’t have time to provide meaningful feedback; sometimes that means days, or even weeks; that’s not good enough when folks are anxiously waiting for input; I need to respond much quicker
(3) Accountability – I let folks get away with things when accountability is needed; I need to set expectations and then hold all team members accountable to deliver against those expectations
(4) Communications – I communicate a lot…more than most…but not necessarily the things that our team members expect; I need to spend more time communicating those things that others feel they need to be involved and get their jobs done
(5) Issue Resolution – It’s always easier to avoid conflict and focus primarily on those things you know you can get done; it takes courage and commitment to engage in areas outside your responsibility but damaging to the company or team; I need to aggressively respond when I see things being done that aren’t right…regardless of who is doing those things…regardless of whose area of responsibility they may be in
(6) Balance – I’m a cheerleader and evangelist…plain and simple…often times even when the situation warrants something very different; I need to balance my evangelism with pragmatism and ensure that my optimism doesn’t drive very bad decisions
(7) Listening – I’m easily distracted and rarely focused on the one talking…regardless of the issue; I need to focus intently on those who are communicating with me and respond appropriately so that those needing me to listen are convinced and assured that I really did get it
(8) Leadership – I feel very comfortable with ambiguity…even when certainty of path and plan are required; I need to take charge of the future and ensure all team members are on board with the path and plan
As I look at these 8 areas of focus, the team pegged me well, and it’s easy to see why they expect more and need more from me as a leader.
It won’t be easy.
Change is hard.
Even when you want to change.
But I’m on it.
They deserve much more from me as a leader.
The learning, growing, and changing have begun!