Eclipsing your team's progress?

Hey Break Roomers! Y’all ready for the solar eclipse tomorrow? It's been seven years since the last eclipse and will be 20 years before we see another one.

It got me thinking about a common leadership problem: how to tell when you're the blocker.

Here's my formula for progress velocity as a team leader:

The timing piece is sometimes market-related, or how you sequence and build momentum. But let’s talk about the parenthesis, because you can have perfect timing and still not deliver.

There are generally three ways leaders block their teams from making progress:

• Not setting a clear ownership framework

• Withholding information

• Neglecting cross-functional relationships

Let’s break it down.

Your team needs agency.

Agency is when you have a sense of control or ownership over your work. A lack of agency can lead to disengagement, thrash, and ‘go-about-ism.’

Are you the blocker?

• Do you assign a clear owner for projects or functions?

• Do you have a framework for how decisions are made?

• Have you outlined what happens when a decision stalls?

If the answer is no to any of the above, you may be blocking agency for your team.

How to optimize for agency:

Start simple. Write down how decisions have historically been made. Where are there points of friction?

Then, create a framework of ownership.

1. How to determine leads, decision makers, and responsible parties (you can use a RACI or another matrix you like better)

2. Document the approval process

3. What to do when a decision is blocked

Make this clear and then put it into practice. If you find that you’re still hesitant to give up control, you’ll need to do a deeper dive to set yourself, and your team, up for success.

Your team needs (appropriate) context.

Appropriate context means your team has the information they need to see the bigger picture, make decisions, and keep projects moving forward.

Are you the blocker?

• Is the information I’m giving my team relevant and timely?

• Do I have a process for sharing information with my team?

• Are the updates I’m giving understood?

If you answered no to any of the above, you might be blocking context for your team.

How to optimize for context:

Do you have an internal comms team? If yes, work with them on setting up a framework for cascading information. For newer leaders, this area can be left woefully undertrained and lead to paralysis with information sharing.

Second, create a process for how you share information with your team. Do you keep thorough documentation in a centralized place and are expectations around maintaining and reading it clear? Do you have a regular touch-base with your team?

Then, make sure you start asking your team to restate their understanding of the information and its relevance. Not as a “gotchu”, but to make sure how you’re communicating is clear and comprehensive.

Your team needs to have influence.

Having influence means your cross-functional relationships are solid. You and your team are trusted to deliver on expected outcomes.

Ask yourself:

• Do I have regular meetings with other departments my team works with in the business?

• Do I get brought into projects when it’s relevant?

• Do I have a seat at the table to change timelines and positioning?

If the answer is no to any of the above, you may be blocking influence for your team.

How to optimize for influence:

Whether you’re new in your role or have been at it for a while, check-in on your cross-functional partners. Come up with a consistent, scalable way to keep checking in.

Yes, especially if you know that you’re avoiding someone. The downstream impacts of poor relationships are felt by your team.

Make it a point to understand how your team’s work impacts your partners across the organization. Then make sure your partners know how their work impacts your team, and your intention in building a strong relationship.

Are you eclipsing your team’s progress?

It’s unlikely leaders show up to work to do a bad job or hinder progress. It’s important to keep checking in and making sure you’re set up for success.

Resources & Recommendations

Every week, I surface what I’m reading, listening to, or watching and my take on it. I’ll never recommend something I haven’t vetted.