RESILIENT MANAGEMENT

1. Understand and support your team's core needs

Our core needs are exactly that: needs that must be met in order for us to feel safe and secure.

BICEPS framework. The BICEPS framework outlines six core needs in the workplace: Belonging, Improvement/Progress, Choice, Equality/Fairness, Predictability, and Significance. Understanding these needs helps managers comprehend why team members react differently to various situations.

Individualized approach. Recognize that each team member may prioritize different core needs. Use one-on-one meetings to gather insights about each individual's preferences, work styles, and motivations. This information enables managers to tailor their support and create a more effective team dynamic.

Addressing core needs. Actively work to meet these needs by:

• Fostering a sense of belonging through team-building activities
• Providing opportunities for skill development and career growth
• Offering choices in work assignments and processes
• Ensuring fair treatment and transparent decision-making
• Maintaining consistent communication and predictable routines
• Recognizing individual contributions and their significance to the team

2. Master the four hats of leadership: mentoring, coaching, sponsoring, and feedback

Strong leaders understand the spectrum of communication styles and the energy they bring to work, and know when is best to embody or project each.

Mentoring. Share your experience and knowledge to guide team members through specific challenges. Use this approach when team members are new or facing unfamiliar situations.

Coaching. Ask open-ended questions and encourage self-reflection to help team members develop their own problem-solving skills. This approach is ideal for fostering long-term growth and leadership development.

Sponsoring. Actively promote team members for new opportunities, challenging assignments, and career advancements. This is crucial for helping individuals grow within the organization and is especially important for underrepresented groups.

Feedback. Provide specific, actionable feedback using the following structure:

1. Observation: State the behavior without judgment
2. Impact: Explain the effect of the behavior
3. Question or Request: Ask for their perspective or suggest a change

Balance these four approaches based on each team member's needs and the situation at hand. Regularly reassess and adjust your leadership style to ensure continued effectiveness.

3. Set clear expectations for roles, vision, and team practices

Clarity around these expectations can help meet your teammates' Predictability, Belonging, and Equality/Fairness core needs.

Define roles and responsibilities. Use tools like RACI matrices or Venn diagrams to clearly outline each team member's responsibilities. This reduces confusion and helps prevent conflicts over task ownership.

Establish team vision and priorities. Collaboratively develop a team charter that includes:

• Vision: The team's long-term aspiration
• Mission: The team's role in achieving the vision
• Strategy: How the team will accomplish its mission
• Objectives: Measurable goals to track progress

Document team practices. Create and maintain documentation for:

• Meeting schedules and purposes
• Communication channels and norms
• Collaboration processes
• Decision-making procedures

Regularly review and update these documents with input from the team to ensure they remain relevant and effective. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of ownership and alignment among team members.

4. Communicate strategically during organizational changes

As a front-line manager, you will be continually tasked with communicating information to your team as the organization around you evolves.

Develop a communications plan. Create a structured approach for sharing important information:

1. Background: What is changing and why
2. People: Who is affected and who needs to know
3. Timeline: When and how information will be shared
4. Talking points: Key messages to convey

Choose appropriate mediums. Select the right communication channel based on the message's complexity and sensitivity:

• In-person meetings for sensitive or complex information
• Email for documenting decisions and sharing factual updates
• All Hands meetings for company-wide announcements

Repeat key messages. Understand that people rarely remember information the first time they hear it. Reinforce important points through multiple channels and over time.

Adapt your communication style. Learn to adjust your tone and energy to suit different situations and audiences. Develop a range of communication approaches, from empathetic to directive, to effectively navigate various organizational challenges.

5. Build resilience for yourself and your team during crises

As managers, one of our responsibilities is to provide the safest workplace we can to those around us.

Prepare in advance. Take proactive steps to build team resilience:

• Familiarize yourself with company support resources (e.g., EAP, legal assistance)
• Lead by example in self-care and work-life balance
• Establish clear processes for time off and deadline adjustments

Support during crisis. When a crisis occurs:

• Recognize signs of distress in team members
• Offer support without being intrusive
• Collaborate on adjusting workloads or deadlines as needed
• Communicate company-wide support and resources available

Foster psychological safety. Create an environment where team members feel safe to express concerns and ask for help. This includes:

• Encouraging open dialogue about challenges
• Validating emotions without judgment
• Providing flexibility in work arrangements when possible
• Regularly checking in on team members' well-being

6. Manage your energy and learn to delegate effectively

The best gift you can give your teammates is a messy, hard-to-measure, unscoped project.

Track energy levels. Monitor how different tasks and meetings affect your energy:

• Color-code calendar events based on the type of mental energy required
• Identify patterns in energy fluctuations throughout the week
• Adjust scheduling to optimize productivity and reduce fatigue

Prioritize tasks. Use the Eisenhower matrix to categorize tasks:

• Urgent and important: Do immediately
• Important but not urgent: Schedule for later
• Urgent but not important: Delegate
• Neither urgent nor important: Eliminate

Delegate strategically. Empower team members by delegating challenging projects:

• Choose tasks that stretch their abilities and foster growth
• Provide a safety net of support without micromanaging
• Use the RACI framework to clarify roles and expectations

Learn to say no. Protect your time and energy by declining non-essential commitments:

• Align tasks with team and organizational priorities
• Develop templates for gracefully declining requests
• Seek accountability from peers or mentors in saying no more often

7. Cultivate a diverse support network for personal growth

As you grow your own support network, I recommend that you always be on the lookout for people who will push you out of your comfort zone, have different levels of experience than you do (both more and less!), have experience in a different industry, and are good at the things that you're terrible at.

Build a "Manager Voltron". Assemble a diverse group of supporters who can provide different perspectives and skills:

• Mentors with more experience in your field
• Peers facing similar challenges
• Experts in areas where you lack knowledge
• Coaches for specific skill development

Expand your network. Actively seek out new connections:

• Attend industry events and meetups
• Participate in online communities and forums
• Give talks or presentations to attract like-minded professionals

Engage strategically. When reaching out to potential supporters:

• Identify specific topics or challenges you'd like to discuss
• Explain why you value their perspective
• Make it easy for them to engage by suggesting a clear, time-limited interaction

Reciprocate support. Offer your own expertise and assistance to others in your network. This helps build stronger relationships and creates a culture of mutual growth and support within your professional community.

Last updated: October 30, 2024