Resilient Management

Meet Your Team

• Understand team formation stages: Recognize that teams progress through forming, storming, norming, and performing stages
• Invest in psychological safety: Create an environment where team members feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable
• Learn individual core needs: Discover what each team member needs to do their best work through direct conversation
• Use BICEPS core needs framework: Consider belonging, improvement, choice, equality, predictability, and significance when supporting team members
• Adapt to work styles: Identify and accommodate different work styles in your team
• Collect communication preferences: Learn how each person prefers to receive feedback, recognition, and general communication
• Document team knowledge: Keep track of individual preferences, skills, and needs for future reference
• Observe team dynamics: Pay attention to how team members interact with each other
• Identify team skills gaps: Assess team capabilities honestly to identify areas for growth
• Build trust intentionally: Use regular one-on-ones and team activities to build trust from day one

Grow Your Teammates

• Use situational leadership: Adapt your leadership style based on the individual’s needs and the specific situation
• Balance delegation styles: Know when to direct, coach, support, or delegate based on a person’s experience and confidence
• Provide effective feedback: Deliver timely, specific, actionable feedback focused on behaviors, not personality
• Create growth frameworks: Establish clear growth paths and expectations for team members
• Set meaningful goals: Collaborate on goals that align individual growth with team and company objectives
• Sponsor team members: Actively create opportunities for your team members to grow and gain visibility
• Leverage teaching moments: Use challenges as opportunities for learning and development
• Address performance issues early: Don’t wait to address problems; have direct conversations promptly
• Recognize different types of growth: Acknowledge that career growth isn’t always vertical and can take many forms
• Celebrate progress: Recognize and celebrate growth milestones to reinforce positive development

Set Clear Expectations

• Articulate team vision: Clearly communicate where the team is headed and why it matters
• Define team norms: Establish explicit team agreements about how you’ll work together
• Create decision-making frameworks: Clarify how decisions will be made and who has authority for what
• Communicate about communication: Set expectations about communication channels, response times, and meeting behavior
• Establish meeting hygiene: Create norms around meeting agendas, participation, and follow-through
• Define role boundaries: Clarify the responsibilities and authority of each team member
• Set measurable goals: Ensure team and individual goals are specific and measurable
• Connect work to impact: Help team members understand how their work contributes to larger objectives
• Manage change effectively: Set expectations about how changes will be communicated and managed
• Revisit expectations regularly: Schedule regular check-ins to confirm expectations are still appropriate

Coach and Sponsor Effectively

• Distinguish between coaching and sponsorship: Understand when to ask powerful questions (coaching) versus when to create opportunities (sponsorship)
• Practice active listening: Develop your ability to listen deeply without immediately jumping to solutions
• Ask open-ended questions: Use questions that encourage reflection and self-discovery
• Create learning moments: Look for opportunities to help team members learn through experience
• Sponsor underrepresented groups: Actively create opportunities for those who might otherwise be overlooked
• Connect team members with resources: Help people find the tools, training, and connections they need
• Provide context, not control: Give team members the information they need to make good decisions
• Step back appropriately: Know when to let team members lead and learn
• Model vulnerability: Show that it’s okay not to know everything and to ask for help
• Balance support with challenge: Create an environment that is both supportive and pushes for growth

Build Resilience

• Manage through change: Develop strategies for leading teams through organizational changes
• Address team conflict: Handle disagreements directly and constructively
• Identify burnout signals: Recognize signs of burnout in yourself and your team
• Create sustainable pace: Establish practices that support long-term health and performance
• Develop personal resilience: Build your own resilience tools to navigate leadership challenges
• Establish feedback loops: Create systems for regular feedback in all directions
• Foster team independence: Build a team that can function well in your absence
• Navigate reorganizations: Help your team stay focused and confident during org changes
• Create communication systems: Establish reliable ways to share information during turbulent times
• Balance immediate needs with long-term goals: Don’t sacrifice long-term health for short-term gains

Lead Through Change

• Understand change responses: Recognize that people respond to change differently based on their core needs
• Communicate changes effectively: Be transparent, timely, and thorough when announcing changes
• Address concerns directly: Create space for questions and concerns about changes
• Manage your own reactions: Process your own feelings about change before helping others
• Provide stability where possible: Identify and maintain constants during periods of change
• Focus on team needs: Pay special attention to BICEPS needs during transitions
• Gather team input: Involve the team in changes when possible to increase buy-in
• Create transition plans: Develop clear plans for implementing changes
• Monitor change impact: Check in regularly on how changes are affecting the team
• Celebrate adaptability: Recognize and reward the team’s ability to navigate change

Develop Your Management Style

• Identify your management values: Clarify what you believe makes a good manager
• Understand your strengths: Leverage your natural talents in your management approach
• Address your blind spots: Recognize areas where you need to grow or compensate
• Create support networks: Build relationships with other managers for advice and perspective
• Find management mentors: Seek out experienced managers who can guide your development
• Develop self-awareness: Regularly reflect on your management practices and their effects
• Balance authenticity with growth: Be yourself while still working to improve weak areas
• Create feedback mechanisms: Establish ways to get honest feedback about your management
• Practice self-care: Maintain your own well-being to be effective for your team
• Evolve deliberately: Intentionally grow your management style based on experience and feedback

Key Takeaways

1. Understand individual needs: Use the BICEPS framework to identify and support team members’ core needs
2. Adapt leadership style: Apply situational leadership by directing, coaching, supporting, or delegating based on individual readiness
3. Set explicit expectations: Clearly communicate about team vision, decision-making, and working norms
4. Balance coaching and sponsorship: Know when to ask powerful questions versus when to create opportunities
5. Manage through change: Help teams navigate transitions by addressing core needs and providing appropriate stability
6. Build team resilience: Create sustainable practices that help the team weather challenges and change
7. Develop feedback loops: Establish regular channels for giving and receiving feedback in all directions
8. Focus on psychological safety: Prioritize creating an environment where team members feel safe to take risks
9. Document team knowledge: Keep track of preferences, decisions, and expectations for reference
10. Cultivate self-awareness: Regularly reflect on your management approach and seek feedback for improvement