Getting The Most Out Of Both You and Your Team

FountainBlue's December 13 When She Speaks, Women in Leadership Series event was on the topic of Getting The Most Out Of Both You and Your Team. Below are notes from the conversation. 

We were fortunate to have a range of seasoned executives with diverse experience in varying roles across organizations, functions and cultures. They worked with companies and teams large and small, had training in tech and outside, with in-depth team management experience, particularly in tech companies and start-ups. Their top ten pieces of advice for getting the most of our yourself and your team are below.

Leadership Comes From the Top

1. Have a vision and direction - the why that would motivate a team to achieve greatness, the north star which keeps everyone focused. 2. Support the executive team in modeling the values of the company. But as you think globally with great values, act locally, and providing the time and resources necessary to achieve goals. 3. If the executive team is less than supportive of a team-based model, a second option is to create a protected micro-environment where teamwork and collaboration are valued. This may not be the best long-term option, but would work for the short term. 4. Successful team leaders have functioned in many roles at many levels, working with a wide range of people. They find a way to gain the respect of those they work with, and create an environment of trust and respect and a can-do spirit, as well as a track record for delivering results.

Direct, Clear, and Transparent Communication is a Key to Success

5. Communicate directly, clearly and regularly about roles and responsibilities and measuring success. Successful team leaders are positive and supportive when things work and decisive and clear if a pivot needs to occur – communicating the what and the why. 6. Revisit and revise your goals and objectives, roles and metrics as the team, organization and project evolve. 7. Inspire, Connect, and Empower through regular communications to your network of stakeholders.

It’s Always About the People

8. Assume positive intent from people you're working with, and take the time to know who they are and what their motivations are. Be open minded about who others are and how they do things. In fact, having people who don’t think like you on the team can actually be a *good* thing. 9. Empower everyone to lead to the best of their ability, no matter what their role or your role is within a company. 10. Facilitate the transfer of people between and within groups to help optimize their success.

The bottom line is that successful teamwork is about having great people working collaboratively to deliver clear results, serving a purpose that inspires, and an appreciative customer base.

Please join us in thanking our panelists for FountainBlue's December 13 When She Speaks, Women in Leadership Series event, on the topic of Getting The Most Out Of Both You and Your Team, and our hosts at EMC:

Facilitator Mary Mills, Mary Mills Coaching

Panelist Nora Grasham, Head of Strategy, Business Operations, and PMO, Office of the CIO, eBay Inc

Panelist Lissa Martin Sesek, Director, BRS Program Management, EMC

Panelist Barbara Massa, Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources, FireEye

Panelist Amy Rubin, VP of Marketing and PR, ArcSoft