Team Leadership Excellence: Five Winning Habits

“Like their counterparts in nature, businesses and other organizations are complex adaptive systems. They may self-regulate, but they require thoughtful leadership to optimize their potential.” – Amy C. Edmondson, Edgar H. Schein, Teaming.

Teams are complex adaptive systems (CAS). Whether you are a CEO with an executive team, a mid-level director guiding multiple managers, or a first-time manager, leading teams requires much more nuanced humanistic skills than just measuring each member’s performance.

Outstanding leaders comprehend the complexity of their interactions with their team members and those between them and apply humanistic leadership to manage them effectively.

For almost 40 years, I led many global software development teams, including the ones in the company I co-founded. Here are five habits that helped me throughout my career in leading teams. Each of these has helped me navigate the complexity, but together, they form the foundation on which anyone can build their leadership career and thrive.

1. Curiosity
   “At the heart of great leadership is a curious mind, heart, and spirit.”   — Chip Conley.

   When I led multiple teams at the company I co-founded, I had the habit of arriving early every day and engaging those who did the same in conversation while getting coffee or just stopping by their cubicles to say hello informally. These conversations were casual, but by being curious and asking questions, I got a sense of my team’s challenges and how I could help them with those challenges as their leader.

   Being curious in brainstorming meetings is essential to finding solutions. Ask the participants, “Tell Me More,” instead of shutting out ideas with, “That won’t work.”

   Curiosity is the engine that powers productive conversations. It acts as a spark to start and keep a conversation going, as well as promotes meaningful and engaging communication exchanges.

   Cultivate the habit of asking questions to advance your leadership goals.

2. Listening
   “The key to success is to get out into the store and listen to what the associates have to say. It’s terribly important for everyone to get involved. Our best ideas come from clerks and stock boys.”  — Sam Walton.

   In my conversations with my team, I not only asked questions but also listened actively and absorbed what I was hearing. Working with team members whose mother tongue was not English helped increase my focus on the conversation since I had to ensure I understood what was being said.

   Listening does wonders for team morale by boosting their self-confidence and worth. If their input results in action that yields better solutions, it motivates them to step up and offer more input and feel ownership and accountability.

   The benefits for the leader who listens are enormous. In today’s complex world, no single person has the answers to all the questions. The collective intelligence that can be harnessed when listening to others is priceless.

3. Empathy
   “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”   — Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.

   A good listener asks questions, makes it safe for the other person to engage, observes nonverbal responses, and, most importantly, empathizes and understands what is being said and responds positively.

   In my early days of leading teams, as a first-time technology leader, I paid too much attention to the results and needed to spend more time understanding and empathizing with my team members. Over time, I learned to do better. A key that unlocked the secret was a 360-degree evaluation. It helped me see my blind spots — things others knew about my personality but were unknown to me. Reducing these blind spots, like having mirrors that are helpful in driving, increases our self-awareness, which is essential for empathizing with others.

   Recognizing one’s own biases and weaknesses is vital in overcoming them and relating objectively to team members. Self-awareness helps leaders understand and control their emotions and allows them to see the team members’ perspectives, even when the situation might be volatile.

   Listening and empathy form a virtuous cycle. The more you empathize, the better you listen. The better you listen, the better you get at empathizing.

4. Gratitude
   “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”  — Margaret Cousins.

   A leader’s engagement with their team members requires an open mind that invites diverse perspectives. This openness is possible when our hearts and minds are filled with gratitude for what everyone brings to the team’s success. It makes the interaction go well even in situations where the leader has a conflict with them. Remembering past interactions that resulted in better outcomes and feeling thankful improves the interactions.

   Gratitude is the foundation on which many other leadership attributes are developed. Take time to thank your team members for their contributions. Saying thank you promptly helps you be specific and makes it count. Gratitude practices such as writing a log once a day or a few times a week with specifics on what you are thankful for help you empathize when listening to the team member.

5. Confident Humility
   “Confident humility is being secure enough in your expertise and strengths to admit your ignorance and weaknesses.”  — Adam Grant.

   Teams look to their leader for guidance, directions, and a bridge between themselves and the rest of the organization. Confident leaders are trusted by their teams to do right by them—giving them credit when due, promoting them to others, acting as coaches and mentors, and being fair in intra-team conflicts.

   At the same time, teams appreciate leaders who don’t come across as arrogant or boastful and hold themselves accountable. Leaders who are humble enough to say, “I don’t have all the answers. We are in this together. Let’s figure it out,” win the team members’ hearts when encountering complex issues.

   Leaders who ask questions, listen with empathy, act on what they hear, and foster collaboration are held in high esteem by their team members.

Mastering Team Leadership  

Teams are complex adaptive systems. Five practices—asking questions, listening, being empathetic, being grateful, and having confident humility—can help deal with challenges and create and nurture successful organizations. These habits endear a leader to team members and empower them. Make these habits your superpowers.

Written by Shantha Mohan Ph.D.

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