Great leaders expect success. In fact, that’s one of the things that helps them obtain it. In a recent article published in the Harvard Business Review, research shows that leaders who have high expectations tend to work harder and commit to overcoming organizational challenges. The interesting this is, great leaders also desire the same level of expectations from members of their teams; however, the answers to getting them to think in the same way are not always clear.
With that in mind, Christina Curtis, reflected on her coaching engagements with more than 1,500 people, and also interviewed 25 senior executives in Fortune 500 companies. There were three common strategies that emerged. Quite simply, she found that what’s good for leaders also works well for the teams they lead.
- Reframe the team’s narrative
- Shine a light on what’s working
- Give your team members more control
Learn More: Harvard Business Review, June 9th, 2016.
Conclusions:
To empower your team, you need to establish trust. I often recommend that leaders rate the strength of their relationship with each direct report. The stronger the relationship, the greater the effort and intensity that team member is likely to invest. Any relationship that receives a score of three out of five or lower deserves an action plan for changing the current dynamic.