The Intensifying Strain on Team Managers Shifting sands in workplace setting (remote working), economy (cost-of-living), political unrest, company staff cuts and the increasing responsibility of employee wellbeing, are adding to the already dense pressure of creating high-performing teams that feel rewarded and achieve company goals. Managing a team well has always been demanding. Today, even more so. Some mornings feel like preparing for a battle of sorts. The most seasoned manager must be feeling it right now. The new hybrid norm A tricky balancing act of integrating effective homeworking with office presence is prevalent. Employees that used to come to the office full-time are now working from home, some permanently so. Nurturing remote teams over long periods of time and maintaining a high level of engagement and output is a new battlefield for many managers. Balancing wellbeing in the face of layoffs Companies are downsizing in response to economic pressures and evolving strategies. You know there are cuts coming. You need to grapple with the boundaries of transparency whilst maintaining a relatively upbeat stance. This is draining, to say the least. As is maintaining output with smaller teams. Motivating through uncertainty Whether staff cuts are coming or not, the overall work ecosystem feels less stable. Less security and stability than pre-pandemic times. The ‘great resignation’ indicated that employees are considering their options more holistically than before and many organisations are reconfiguring in big and small ways. But day-to-day workloads remain. Teams still need to deliver, feel engaged and steered away from the mindset of ‘quiet quitting’ which can only end one way. Change is the norm – not the exception Managers are required to be Change Managers. Continuously. All managers need the training and skills to manage ongoing flux. Not for singular motions that take a team from a static ‘frozen’ state into a new ‘frozen’ state. Evolution is continuous. Take for example - planning. Plans will change in an increasingly frequent pace in response to new inputs. We don’t create a plan and stick to it all year. (Did we ever?). Managers need to foster and prepare teams, stakeholders and suppliers for continuous flux as the new norm. Switching between leadership styles An ‘Affiliative’ or ‘Coaching’ style may come naturally to you, and you will need to coach your team through turbulence. Individually and at a team level. During crises or rapid change an ‘Authoritative’ or borderline ‘Coercive’ style may be needed. Managers increasingly need to adapt their approach as circumstances arise. And become comfortable doing it. Look after yourself Whilst chartering this terrain you must maintain your own energy levels. Craft your own work-life balance. Shed the emotional strain of your teams’ emotional strain at the end of each day. And alleviate your own. To give the time and energy required to navigate the above, you must ensure you do not have a substantial workload in addition to these demands. This is a particular challenge for middle managers. If our managers are not thriving and being adequately supported, the house of cards will be shaken at best; at worst, it will come tumbling down. Coaching, updated training and, above all, understanding for team managers in the face of today’s ever-changing work environments is crucial.

One Poison Apple We have all experienced leadership styles that have a negative impact on working climate. To put it mildly. The impact of one bad leader on team morale, retention and performance is profound. Even if they are swimming in a sea of great leaders, and if the company culture overall is a healthy and thriving one, the individual impact of that one bad manager upwards, horizontally and downwards can be catastrophic. The higher up the food chain that manager is, the more negative impact she will have. Inevitably that person is managed out. Unfortunately, the more senior that person is, the longer it can take. Usually most of her team have left before she does and some great people are lost to the department or sadly, the company. Fortunately, tolerance for bad management is usually low and that individual will often be moved on. They are in a position of leadership – visible to all and influential. Eventually there is nowhere to hide. But what about that one person in the team itself who is never happy, who constantly demeans management decisions in the ‘meeting after the meeting’? Their impact is less transparent, but it exists and can have the same effect. For several years, I led my own marketing agency. It was bijoux but extremely effective, We produced some great work. I contracted excellent freelancers and partnered with a developer agency in India. We were agile and, compared to the big players, we combined affordability with high quality. The model worked and I rewarded the teams well. However, there was a phase where I noticed the attitude of my team changing. Meetings seemed quieter, and questions began to be asked about rates we were paying. I later found out that one individual had an issue. Gradually and insidiously their opinion was shared, under the radar, rather than directly to me. The truth is that the rest of the team were actually thriving and happy with their deal. We were all ‘in it together’ and the business served all our purposes. But that one person was determined to disrupt the team rather than voice their concerns openly. I’ve seen this team dynamic play out in organisations of all sizes. It’s like a poison that can spread, disrupting team morale and performance, under the radar and over time. It’s also a form of ‘upwards bullying’. How can managers best address this? Create a culture of psychological safety : Encourage the team to speak up and be open with ideas and be constructively critical of you as a manager but also each other. Challenge is beneficial. However, the word constructive is imperative here. Open platforms can be counter-productive if one individual is continually negative in an unconstructive, unhelpful and sometimes even snide manner. Identify the ‘poison apple’ : Sometimes this is glaringly obvious, in other cases, like for my team, it was intentionally covert. As managers, we have a hunch - the key factor is not to ignore that hunch and call it out straight away. In the end, deep 1-to-1s with all the team confirmed the source of the negativity and also helped me address their concerns. Address the issue directly with that person - and fast : A direct and open dialogue may be enough to alleviate, reassure and address that person’s issues. However, this doesn’t always work: a bad fit is a bad fit, and in the case of my company, that person had to move on. And this has to happen as quickly as possible, after efforts have been made to help, coach and understand that person. I have witnessed this dynamic going on for years in some companies! I have also witnessed the immediate positive impact on a team when that one person leaves. It’s like a collective sigh of relief. Ultimately, it is better for that person’s wellbeing and development and for the team as a whole.

You've been offered an Interim Manager role? Here's why 'NO THANKS' might be your best response... The team manager has left with no replacement yet lined up. It happens. A lot. You’ve been approached by senior management to ‘step up’ in the interim. Wonderful! This is your chance to progress in your career. You may have put your hat in the ring for the permanent role and the interim role is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate your suitability for the position or even secure it. Maybe. Or maybe not. Here are some points to consider carefully: Double-jobbing You will most likely be double-jobbing. In my experience, this rarely works well. For a few reasons. If you are set on the new position, your energies will inevitably bias in that direction. And there are consequences of this that will be felt hardest when you step back into your former role full-time. Interim positions can go on for months. Your power in your former role will inevitably diminish during that time. Other team members will have stepped up to plug the gaps and it is impossible when juggling two roles to maintain the productivity, focus and even enthusiasm you had previously. Don’t underestimate the strain that comes with wearing two hats. Yes, clear boundaries must be set and agreement made on reduced deliverables (and these should be shared far and wide). However, people are people, they just….well….forget. In those meetings, when you show up in a role capacity, you need to deliver in that capacity. Especially when the pressure is on. No back-up When you start a new role under normal circumstances, announcements are issued across the organisation. You have authority in that role, accountability, a structure, a ramp-up period of meetings where ‘everyone gets to know the new boss’ and you - in your new full-time shiny focused capacity - can go about setting the world on fire. Not so as Interim. You will still have to perform, but without that infrastructure, recognition and power. It matters. I’m not convinced any Interim Manager can possibly be set up for success under these circumstances. Team dynamics The dynamic, as Interim, of managing a team of your former peers comes with its own set of unique challenges. Not insurmountable, and you have been identified as someone with the relationships and skills to make this work. However, it’s not necessarily easy. You can expect a certain amount of stress from that situation (let’s not forget the ‘ poison apple ’ I wrote about previously!). If you do not land in the full role, you are back in the team as a peer. Again, an interesting dynamic. As is your relationship with the new manager who gets the role after you spent several months holding the space. We are professionals and of course we can navigate this terrain - but worth thinking about whether you even want to. A loss for the organisation If you have been asked to interim you are likely to be a high potential individual. But what companies fail to consider is your experience. After months of the above situation, you might decide the role isn’t for you after all. And, you might have been exactly the right manager for the team. If you are back in your former role, how likely are you ever to progress in that hierarchy? There is a high probability that you will move on. If you do get the role and want it – maybe it worked out. But I must ask whether the 9-month interview was worth it! To summarize, Interim positions have ramifications for the whole team and should be assessed carefully and considerately. Ideally, companies should fund an external Interim Manager on a contract basis and let everyone in the team focus on their roles with excellence. Or perhaps allow an Interim from a separate part of the organisation, as a growth experience, but arguably not in line for that role itself. Food for thought. You may feel you have no choice but to take the Interim role, to support the team, be a good corporate citizen or maybe you welcome the stretch. But be conscious of the above - create very clear expectations and remember nothing is worth more than your wellbeing.

"The greatest teacher, failure is" - Yoda The fear of failure, often unbeknownst to ourselves, underpins so much of our decision-making. It can stop us pressing our idea in a meeting. Prevent us from straying outside our comfort zone. Or cause us to waste years incubating a business idea that we never bring to fruition. Fear of failure finds excuses not to take action. Excuses are plentiful, aren’t they? As are nay-sayers. I have found that simply accepting that one might fail, and recognising the lessons learned from trying something that doesn’t succeed, can bring growth in profound and unpredictable ways. In my first graduate position at Xerox I had a business idea. Despite embarking on a career in the technology industry, my true passion was - well – food. I had the idea to create meal-kits. Packaging together ingredients to create delicious meals from around the world. Today, supermarkets are full of these. Not so 3 decades ago. However, it only took one or two nay-sayers to prevent me from exploring the idea further. ‘You’re too inexperienced and what do you know about running such a business?’ ‘It’s too big of a gamble, concentrate on your day-job’. Fast-forward to 2013, then successfully working as a contractor for Microsoft and running my own marketing agency. My interest in the food industry never left me and as a side venture I diversified to create ‘SuperFood Club’ – healthy ready-meals for kids.

UK's Labour Party plans to make working from home a legal right... And what a disaster this would be. According to The Telegraph, Labour is considering including in its election manifesto a legal right to work from home. The policy to make flexible working the default option is featured in an extensive list of proposals being formally weighed up. The key line proposes: 'Make flexible working the default from day one for all workers, except where it is not reasonably feasible.' I’m a 100% supporter of flexible working. Having the option to work from home when needed is invaluable, especially for parents who are balancing children’s schedules. Indeed, having the ability to work from home can increase productivity, enable focused document work and enable teams who work across multiple geographies. Two years of a global pandemic has embedded hybrid working as a viable new normal. Managerial mindsets are adapting, and we have the technology to facilitate a thriving virtual working world. To a point. I can’t help reflecting on my formative working years and comparing that to what working from home’s impact might be on the younger Millennials of today and Gen Z. The unquestioned norm used to be: you get up early, you make yourself presentable, you get out of the house and make your way into the office, ready for a full day’s work. Every day. No matter what. Hungover, in terrible weather, feeling tired or in a bad mood! You get up and you get out, you hit the commute. No choice. There’s something to be said about this. Isn’t there? You then face each day, at the office, dealing with people face-to-face, learning from senior colleagues, getting your work done, having great and not-so-great interactions, good productive days, strenuous ones. It’s character forming. It teaches you tenacity, perseverance, endurance and…well…grit! I wonder how many of those days I would have headed to the office if the default was working from home as my ‘human right’? Sometimes having a forcing factor is beneficial in life! A bit like having to walk my dog day after day in all weathers – and no, I don’t always feel like it, but I always feel great afterwards. Research clearly shows that our young people are already struggling with social interaction. Their ability to negotiate, network, build meaningful relationships and handle conflict is impaired by the predominantly online world they inhabit. We are social animals. We already know we are facing a mental health pandemic on the back of Covid19. Not to mention basic working/communication skills. I recently coached the CEO of a medium-sized law firm who openly shared with me his frustration with his younger members of staff. Some of his soundbites: “Pick up the phone and dial their number!” “Arrange a meeting and have an actual conversation!" “Do we all need to watch 20 ping-pong emails clog up our inboxes when a short chat will nail it?” And what about Corporate Culture? A company’s culture is the glue that holds teams together. It’s the rituals, routines, norms and behaviours that make you feel you belong. The culture of a company is reflected in the office space, working atmosphere and serves to enrich one’s working life. Culture is a result of corporate strategy (or arguably the other way around, but that’s a subject for another article!), point being – they are linked, and culture is important. How can cultures manifest and endure if no one is legally required to leave their homes? Not least to determine if someone is a good cultural fit. Integrating and training talented staff will become harder, as will ensuring employees have a thriving working experience. Industries that rely on creativity and innovation through interaction will suffer the most. In closing, I hope that our politicians give proper consideration to the WFH research and look carefully at current trends and the potential negative impact on the bright minds of the future - and not least the potential negative impact on UK plc’s productivity - rather than suggesting laws designed to attract short-term votes.

Listen to the Void Notice what is missing. Do this at work, in meetings, out of work, in your relationships and with yourself. Messages are being relayed - all the time - in what is not being said or done. Tuning in, using silence, and noticing these dynamics can give powerful insights. I have found this most prominently lately in my friendships, but it also applies at work. In Leadership Meetings can be dominated by individuals who are very confident speaking up. Often, ‘groupthink’ kicks in, there is agreement and further supporting commentary. But what might not be said? Who hasn’t said a word? Who might be absent? During my recent tenure in a Big 7 technology firm, I had the privilege of working for a Manager who, I noticed, always, without fail, asked each person present during meetings to share their thoughts. Whatever they might be. He also made it a point to share his thoughts last which enabled him to not only gauge all opinions but also notice what was not being said or addressed. The rule of speaking last (not always easy to do) and always canvassing the room is, I believe, a vital leadership practice. A Coaching technique called ‘Empty Chair’ can be useful if there is a person absent. Use Empty Chair and ask the team to suggest what that person’s view might be if they were sat there. Or name the Empty Chair, a customer or competitor and give them a voice. This technique can help surface perspectives ‘from the missing person’s standpoint’ but voiced by the Team. What is unsaid is often revealed when speaking ‘on behalf’ of the Empty Chair. In Relationships In our relationships sometimes what is not being said speaks the loudest. For example, you may have achieved a success and notice no congratulations were forthcoming from certain factions. Silence. You might have expected some positive acknowledgement and where it is absent makes you wonder why – you would certainly express your enthusiasm if the tables were turned. Personally, I believe a silence in these situations speaks to one thing and one thing only: Envy. It’s not a positive emotion and I would be observant and mindful (or indeed address it) of that relationship going forward to serve both of you for mutual growth and joy. At work, the lack of engagement in this way can reveal who your allies or supporters truly are - or aren’t. Is it always you that reaches out to connect with a peer, friend, or family member? What happens when you stop? Silence? What is that telling you about your relationship with those individuals? And it’s okay - our relationships ebb and flow through our lifetimes - but paying attention means you can then think carefully about how much energy to invest in that direction. Life is short. Our energy, certainly in this lifetime, is finite. A sociologist named Robin Dunbar, having conducted much research on human brain size and networking, states that one can have no more than 150 relationships (The Dunbar Number) on a scale from ‘Core’ to ‘Casual’ relationships of Kin – loved ones (5) Super Family - not necessarily blood ties (15) Clan (50) Tribe (150). Just noticing can help you refine where you place your precious time, and who you class as Kin, Clan or Tribe for example. According to Dunbar, it really is a case of ‘one-in, one-out’. We have limited attention capacity to nurture relationships. In Coaching During a particular Coaching session with a prolific communicator, I noticed that she spoke about her situation, her feelings about it and her conclusions, barely taking breath and with hardly any pause for thought. She was on autopilot. But what was in the void? Between the lines? After listening to her for 15 minutes straight I asked her ‘ What aren’t you telling me? ’. For the first time she stopped and thought. Gradually we unraveled the underlying feelings and motivation behind her narrative which then became a catalyst for change. As a Coach, working on self-awareness is a continuous process. Research by Gatling et al (2013) has shown a significant correlation between a Leader’s self-awareness and effectiveness in securing positive outcomes in Coaching interactions. As Leaders and Managers, Coaching our teams is part of what we do. So building your own self-awareness is important. Create space to quiet your mind and listen carefully to your own thoughts as they come and go. Notice what comes up for you as you pay attention, without distraction, in the silence. Be it on a walk or sitting quietly. What thoughts and feelings are you avoiding in day-to-day 'busyness'? Similarly, those items that we continually push out on our To-Do lists, when examined, might speak volumes about our underlying motivations and what we actively avoid. Yes, it can be uncomfortable ‘listening to the void’; after all, it’s designed to be ignored. But if it leads us to face some truths, stark realities or reach acceptance - or indeed gauge the true temperature of our team’s progress or well-being and the health of our relationships - then it’s time to pay attention to the void .