Just a girl behind a screen, leading for the first time (Part 2)

A ‘HOW TO’ ON GETTING THROUGH YOUR FIRST YEAR AS A LEAD

Photo by Luke Porter on Unsplash

In part one we explored starting your journey in leadership and how to build a solid foundation. We looked at how things might feel different as a leader and how to set yourself and your team up for success using tools like Miro to lay it all out and have a go to space to always refer to.

Today we take a deeper look within. Then we can get to work and start transforming what our day to day looks like, this means taking your planning and organising skills to the next level. Every day is not the same and every week has new challenges, which means the messy bun can get a little messier. But not all days feel like they weigh a thousand pounds, so I hope that these following tips could be your flicker of light or inspire you in some way. Remember we need a You!

Get to know you

I mentioned previously that knowing how your energy works (introvert versus extrovert) can be immensely helpful and this is where having that small bit of intuition goes a long way. Using the 16 personalities test you will notice that your personality type is represented in letters, now instead of decoding each one I will share mine and how this has helped me in my every day leading a team life.

My personality “code” if you will, is ISFJ. In a nutshell it means that I am an introvert that is highly observant, organized and value deep meaningful connections while wearing my heart on my sleeve. Let’s unpack how knowing this information helped me get through my first year as a lead:

• I for introvert: This reveals where you spend and focus most of your attention. Introverts enjoy working with smaller groups of people and are drawn to calmer environments. Looking at this in my day to day it means, compared to an extrovert that is energized by people, I need to be very intentional with how I plan my day .
• How this applies to you: If you are an introvert, avoid having all your one-on-one catchups on the same day. Rather spread them out over a few days and chose the time of day you know you can give your humans the best focus. For me this meant before 11 in the morning because I could see that the rest of the day is filled with meetings with bigger groups of people and by the end of the day my energy would have been mostly used up.
• S for observant: This can be a tricky one but its looks at how you absorb information. As an S, I value facts and like the smaller detail while focusing on the now. So, if you had to go on a trip with me I would probably be the one typing out the very precise itinerary.
• How this applies to you: As an observer, I realised that setting up structures and plans meant that I was mapping out my team’s itinerary, if you will. This means that with all the smaller details I would build the big picture view. To take that even further observers and initiative’s are a match made in heaven. So, if you know an intuitive in your team, work closely with them.
• F is for feeling: This is a no-brainer, but the deeper analysis is based on how you make decisions. As I mentioned above, I wear my heart on my sleeve, so my default is leading with my emotions and values.
• How this applies to you: To all the feelers out there, I want you to know that you can also make powerful and good decisions even though it comes from a more empathic place. I know as a feeler it might be a little bit more difficult to make those decisions but don’t try do this alone, pull in those thinkers and use them as your soundboard or as the objective person in the room. Leading with your emotions means you will have both who you problem solving for and your teams best interest at heart, always!
• J is for judging: The last set of traits is how we actually deal! Deal with work, life, and everything in between. As a J, I pride myself in being organised and prepared, and the phrase “having your ducks in a row” was probably made for us.
• How this applies to you: As a J, use that organisation trait to make sure you stay on top of things buy drawing up plans and creating a space for plan a to b. This space can easily be a shared space for your team to always have a guiding light and clarity on what is happening at all times.

This was quite a big section but what is important to note is that this is not cast in stone. This does not determine who you are based on 4 little letters. What is does do is give you a front row seat to,

1. How you use your energy (introvert or extrovert),
2. How you retain and process information (observant or intuitive),
3. How you make decisions (feeling or thinking),
4. And how you deal with your everyday (judging or prospecting).

My hope for this section is, that first and foremost you get to know you a little bit more before diving headfirst into your first instruction.

Next up is setting up your day for success.

Start your day RIGHT

Whatever starting your day looks like to you — coffee, tea, a good gym session or just easing into the day — make sure you start it with a few moments to yourself. I can tell you first-hand, that If I start my day jumping straight into work, the day feels like it runs away from me. Here are 3 golden rules you can follow when starting your day.

#1 Write your to do list

I know some of us prefer digital notes while others are still pen and paper kind of people. Whatever your preference, you need to have some sort of running list to keep your mind and workflow at bay (really colourful highlighters and pens are my go-to).

• My system involves making to do lists centered around the purpose (the why), the people (the who) and process (the how) which was inspired by the brilliant book The Making of A Manager. This really comes in handy to see where you are spending a little too much time or maybe too little time.
• For example, you might be spending a lot of time in one-on-ones and reviews — the people, which is great but your process in terms of standards, principles and a solid ways of work foundation is lacking your attention. Knowing where your focus is needed in certain phases of your projects is key when building a high performing team.

#2 Organise your calendar/schedule

Eventually you are going to have to open those emails and Slack messages and get stuck in. Right after I check my to-dos for the day, I head to my calendar. This is where I can see what and where I am spending my mental energy each day. Just as you can use the purpose — process — people system to make sense of all things pulling you in multiple directions, take it one step further and match that with your schedule for the day.

• How might you do that? Microsoft Outlook has this neat trick where you can use their categories function to assign different colours to your meetings and sessions. By using this you can, with a cuppa coffee in your hand, know exactly where your energy is going today, which is extremely important for any new lead to be a step ahead.

As you can see in the example below, I have used different colours:

• 1-on-1 catch-ups — Orange
• Collaboration sessions — Purple
• Focus time — Blue

And I have also designated colours for my different squads to see what team I am focused on each day

• Squad 1 — Red
• Squad 2 — Turquoise
• Squad 3 — Green

• Another key point to note is booking out your calendar before and after working hours. This will allow you to maintain a healthy working schedule which can help you maintain your work life balance a bit more. To take this one step further is to see open slots and to book yourself out for some sanity time. Whether it is to work, eat or stretch your legs the point is to take frequent breaks. Meeting fatigue is real and can be detrimental to your overall wellbeing.

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

#3 Calm the noise

One of the biggest adjustments for any new leader is the sheer amount of information you will be getting and sharing. The change from being a maker to a leader means that you are the one setting up sessions, getting signoffs, and driving discussions. This can easily result in information overload. But I have got your back.

• Make sure you have Teams, Slack, Zoom or whatever else your team is using installed on your phone or iPad. This is vital for the next tip.
• Try to step away from your desk now and then. You will be amazed by what it means to make a cup of coffee and take your meeting with you but away from your computer. Tunnel vision can set in quickly which means your strategically placed energy is not going to make it through the day.
• And lastly, try to get all that noise out your head and onto the trusty old Miro board, or a white board if you have one. Getting all the ‘things’ out on a board means that you can track your projects better and create a space to plan. My board is filled with blue sky ideas, backlog items, data and anything else that I may need to keep track of or report on.

Pro tip: this creates a centralized space for your thoughts and can be such a winner when asked about a thing that happened months ago. Also, your manager will love you!

“Your role as a manager is not to do the work yourself, even if you are the best at it, because that will only take you so far. Your role is to improve the purpose, people, and process of your team to get as high a multiplier effect on your collective outcome as you can.” — The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhou

In an nutshell

Whether you are a routine kind of person or not, I feel that having a few good habits to kick start your day can really set you up for success.

• Allowing yourself 30min a day that is all about you, be that going for a walk, reading or having a cup of coffee do what You have to do first
• Create a to-do-list system that works for you. Mine was separating my tasks into people, process and purpose as I was leading different teams but the most important is get your tasks out of your head and a piece of paper or screen (your choice).
• Make your schedule work for you. You now know a little more about you and what your schedule looks like so take a stab at re-arranging things a bit
• Step away from the noise by taking your meetings somewhere else, change is as good as a holiday some say or simply use a tool like Miro to declutter your thoughts.

Next up, I dive a little deeper into creating those connections with your team even though its through a computer screen.

Make the connection

An important part of being a leader is connecting with your team. Forget the organisation skills, to-do lists and presentations. At our core we have empathy — we lead and design with empathy. Whether we intentionally do so or not.

Get to know your team.

1. A crucial part of being a leader is knowing your humans and using that same intuition to pick up on what is not always said. Just like Julie Zhou said in the quote above, doing it yourself will only take you so far, so getting to know your teams’ strengths, weaknesses and even goals put you in the driver’s seat.
2. One of the challenges you will face is making the shift from ‘maker’ to ‘leader’. It’s hard to think that you need to let go and trust your team but that is how you encourage your team to support each other and, in turn, support you.
3. Creating trust in your team means that the lines of communication are wide open, and they will know what success looks like. A quick check in or coffee chat really helps get a good understanding of where the person is and how you can assist or guide. In these sessions let the other person drive the conversation and be sure to listen intently, because those conversations help keep the feedback and growth loop continuous.

Building trust and leading with empathy is not as easy as sitting around and singing kumbaya. Some connections take time and some just don’t happen naturally. The more you communicate and trust your team, the better you can help develop and grow your team. It also means that you might need to spend a little more time with other individuals in your team to build that trust, but in the long run you would have built a solid foundation to let them use their wings.

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

A quick summary

If you need a quick cheat sheet on how to get through your first year, follow these 3 key points:

1. You guessed it, it starts with that personality test that I keep yapping on about, but seriously do it, it will take you 5min.
2. Start your day off the right way. Give yourself thirty minutes at the start of every day to breathe, have a cup of coffee, organise your thoughts and then jump in.
3. Build that network of people in your team and outside your team that has your back as much as you have theirs. Set up that coffee chat and get to know the humans around you.

Keep in mind these are only guidelines but if there is one key point that I would like you dear readers to take away from this article is that leading doesn’t start with your first team huddle or first team instruction, remember it starts with you. Spend some time there and stay tuned for part three where I share some great resources to help you along the way.