Saturday 24 June 2017

Being taken seriously by not taking yourself too seriously

When you step into your new role of running a team (whatever the size) it is always a top priority to be taken seriously. Whether this is by your boss, your peers or by your new team. But there is a fine line between appearing to know what you are doing, and actually knowing what you are doing. 

You want people to behave and perform as instructed, but this is easier said than done. Of course you want there to be some measurable results right away, you need to reassure whoever hired you that it was the right choice. But be cautious of your approach in this. You may be tempted to 'lay down the law' with your team by implementing high targets with bad consequences if missed.

This is a mistake. 

If you want to be taken seriously and see some sustainable improvement with your teams performance you have to be patient

The first few days, weeks and months of your role are all about patience. Take some time to get to know your team members individually. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are their likes and dislikes? You have to tailor their targets based on their capability and learning style. 

This is a slow process, but it is worth it.

Your team will see your genuine interest and understand the time you have invested in them. You are more likely to be taken seriously if you share the same end goal and work on it together. 

Of course, getting results takes a lot more than patience. You need good communication, approach-ability, good team building and so much more. But for now lets focus on being taken seriously and the patience that comes with it. I will touch on all of these other points in future posts. 

As author Charles W Chesnutt said, "We sometimes underestimate the influence of little things"

Regards

#YoungWomanBigDreams

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