Blog #9 — Leading from the Bench
This summer, my manager shared a transcript of the best graduation speech I’ve ever heard/read. Among her many insightful recommendations to the graduates, Professional US Soccer Player Abby Wambach advised her audience to “lead from the bench”. She made the point that you are either a leader everywhere or nowhere, and that it is just as important to lead your team whether you are in a formal leadership role or not (i.e., on the field or on the bench). (The full text of the speech can be found here: https://barnard.edu/commencement/archives/2018/abby-wambach-remarks)
This concept has stuck with me, and has been on my mind a lot recently. On CSC, we work in teams of four, with no assigned project manager and complete discretion on how to divide up the work. I was incredibly nervous about this setup going in. Since the days of group projects in school (most of which were nightmares from a division of labor perspective), I have always either had or been an assigned team leader. Halfway into the assignment, I am grateful to say that my team has hit our stride in terms of how we operate together. Along the way, I’ve also learned a few lessons on how to effectively lead from the bench. I think they are applicable regardless of whether there is an official team lead or not.
- Always put the team first
One of my major personal goals for CSC was to improve my Spanish. However, I noticed early on that during client meetings, this goal was often in conflict with my team’s best interests. As much as I would have liked to ask my interview questions in Spanish, it was more important for my team to understand the full context of the discussion so that we could all engage and analyze the results together. Instead, I sought out other opportunities to practice my Spanish (at the hotel, at restaurants, in casual client conversations) and my whole team benefitted from a common understanding of our most important discussions.
2. Press pause and validate
One of the most challenging aspects of any team-based work is getting everyone on the same page, then moving forward. in the same direction. Add in different cultural backgrounds, a language barrier, and diverse skill sets, and the potential for misunderstanding increases exponentially. Any individual member of the team can add value by hitting the pause button periodically and checking in to make sure everyone both understands and is in agreement with the direction of the work.
3. Build personal relationships
Luckily, I learned the value of personal relationships very early on in my career. While I typically think of personal relationship building from a client perspective, it is also a great way to lead as a member of a team. On CSC, this is in some ways easier (there is no organizational hierarchy to overcome) and in other ways harder (it can be more difficult to find common ground given our diverse backgrounds). Regardless, it’s important. Not only is it an amazing opportunity to learn (I have been fascinated by my teammate’s experience supporting one of our major Comms Sector clients in IBM India, and I now know more than I ever thought I would about the country of Slovakia), but getting to know my teammates personally also makes it easier to have difficult conversations about our project. If I push back on an idea or disagree with a recommendation, they don’t take it personally. That underlying trust that we’re building results in the whole team performing at a higher level. (As a side note, my personal philosophy on this topic largely comes from the book Radical Candor by Kim Scott. I could not recommend it more highly).
4. Know your own strengths, and your team members’
I have an unfair advantage. I am the only member of my four person team with strategy consulting experience. I am the only native English speaker and I am the most fluent Spanish speaker. It’s up to me whether I choose to leverage all of those assets only for my own benefit, or to the benefit of my entire team. To “lead from the bench”, I am doing my best to proactively share my consulting expertise and support translation whenever I can. Given my own strengths, I see my role in many ways as enabling my teammates to thrive in the areas in which they each excel. This mentality helps me personalize the ways I can add value for each member for my team.
5. Set an example
After a while, every team aligns to a set of behavioral norms. Especially at the outset, I’ve done my best to set our norms according to the most effective practice in my previous experience. I’ve ensured that all meetings have a proper agenda, proactively managed client expectations, and ensured all of my team members’ perspectives are voiced before we move forward with key decisions. Even without a formal leadership role, simply doing what I think will generate the best results helps to set the tone for the team.
Now that we have found our rhythm, I am very much looking forward to seeing how much we can accomplish as a team in the remaining two weeks.
