An exercise to assess whether your leaders (or you) may need to change

As the pandemic wears on, people’s nerves are becoming more frayed, with stress levels rising. It falls upon leaders to manage their teams’ energy and smooth the tensions of hybrid working even if things will return to a semblance of normality.

If you feel like your teams aren’t operating well, the first thing you need to do is examine your own leadership style. This is an uncomfortable exercise, but critical to changing an office dynamic that is unsatisfactory. I’ve sought the advice of some of the great coaches I know and received some excellent and actionable advice to help leaders connect with their people.

The exercise.

Take a moment and carefully consider the office dynamics (hybrid or otherwise) which you find concerning. Write down what you believe the problem to be.

Now ask yourself: are these issues coming from team leaders beneath you who want to change or are you the one setting the tone?

Do you feel like you are connecting with people on an authentic level?

Do you feel like you are able to mobilize people?

Do you feel like you are able to sustain the energy of your people?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, do not worry there are effective techniques you can use to change things. Sit down and think about the impact you would like to have on your people. Often, the most difficult part about improving work dynamics is for leaders to admit that they may need to change to help the situation. If you have crossed this bridge, then it is easy to find the right path to follow.

If you have leaders serving underneath you that are struggling to connect with their teams, have them try this exercise as well. Once they realize they may be having a negative impact on the organization, it is much easier to motivate them to change.