Leadership strategies
1. My team leader leads by example.
Do you respond to stressopens a new window, frustration, overwhelm, angeropens a new window, disappointment and conflictopens a new window in the same way you want the rest of your team to respond? Is your response psychologically safeopens a new window in terms of resolving issues effectively? If not, consider doing the Emotional intelligence self-assessmentopens a new window and developing ways to lead by example, even in difficult situations.
Leading by example requires vulnerability. You may not always get it right, but with courage and accountability, you can co-create a work environment that supports the mental health and well-being of all team members. Courageous leadershipopens a new window shares insights into leading with empathy and adopting a growth mindset, as well as strategies to help you create a courageous team.
If this is an area you want to address, consider following up with your team members for more insight, adapting the suggested wording below:
“There is no doubt I have room for improvement as a leader. Please use [this anonymous method*] to share some helpful ideas about what I could do better to be an ideal leader.”
Or you could go even further:
“Thank you for your responses to the Psychologically Safe Team Assessment. As I strive to improve the team experience for all of us, I also want to improve my own approaches as a leader. In the coming weeks you will receive the Psychologically Safe Leader Assessmentopens a new window where you’ll anonymously provide me with your take on how often I use strategies known to support psychological health and safety. Once I get your results, I’ll share with you the changes that I believe you’d like me to make in my leadership strategy.”
2. I have opportunities at work to improve my skills.
Employees who would like to improve their skills could benefit from opportunities for in-house learning development, webinars, books or articles. You can also allow employees to take on new opportunities, provide them with useful feedback, and ask them what skills they would like to further develop.
If budget is a factor, you can provide opportunities that do not require funding. Team members can share strategies, tips and techniques from reputable sources, create in-house learning to share with the team, watch free webinars or listen to free podcasts together and discuss as a team. One team member could present a particular skill to other team members, or you could ask each team member to bring highlights from any training sessions they attend back to the team. For more ideas, check out Evidence-based actions for growth and developmentopens a new window.
To learn more about how your team would like to improve their skills, you can facilitate a workshop on Growth and developmentopens a new window or just have a conversation about what they’d like to learn.
If this is an area you want to address, consider following up with your team members for more insight, adapting the suggested wording below:
“Help me get creative on approaches to improving or developing the skills that matter to you. Please use [this anonymous method*] to share some helpful ideas about how we could teach and share skills in our workplace, including if we’re not given the budget for external training or trainers. For example, if you feel confident about teaching a specific skill to the rest of the team, or know of a great free online resource, please let me know.”
3. I can comfortably manage my workload.
Workload stressopens a new window is more likely to come from fears or concerns employees have about the consequences of not getting everything done perfectly and on time than purely from how much work they have. The way you communicate could negatively affect any insecurities your employees may have. In either case, facilitating the workshop on Workload managementopens a new window can help set you up for a constructive conversation. Another very effective way to reduce workload stress is to discuss priorities with each employee so that if they are unable to get everything done in a day, they are clear on which tasks matter most to you and what can wait for another day.
When employees are clear about their priorities, feel that the work they do matters, have what they need to succeed and have reasonable expectations in terms of hours and deadlines, working hard is not necessarily stressful. In fact, it may be energizing.
If your members are experiencing or at risk of burnout, Burnout response for leadersopens a new window contains helpful information as well as an organizational assessment and prevention strategies.
If this is an area you want to address, consider following up with your team members for more insight, adapting the suggested wording below:
“Some of you shared that workload is sometimes an issue. Please complete this short workload reflection toolopens a new window (PDF) so I can find ways to make this better for you.”
4. I have access to the resources I need to meet expectations at work.
Access to resources may mean the equipment, technology, and materials needed to do the job. Ask your employeesopens a new window (PDF) what else might allow them to get their job done effectively.
If you’re worried that the requests will be unreasonable or impractical, it’s still worth asking so that you can understand the underlying need. To learn how to do this in a way that addresses the need without necessarily promising to give them what they asked for, read Before you say no for leadersopens a new window.
If you have a hybrid team, the needs of those working remotely may be different from those working on-site. Hybrid teamsopens a new window has some tips and strategies that could help you in this case.
If each of your team members do very different tasks or if you have the capacity to take a one-on-one approach, you may want to use Supporting employee successopens a new window or the Task improvement processopens a new window (PDF) to develop individual plans.
Sometimes employees do not clearly understand their leader’s expectations. To help you develop an approach with your team to address this issue, engage them in the Clear leadership and expectationsopens a new window workshop. This can improve your understanding of what they need to meet or exceed your expectations.
For more ideas on clarifying expectations, see Evidence-based actions for leadership and expectationsopens a new window.
If this is an area you want to address, consider following up with your team members for more insight, adapting the suggested wording below:
“Some of you shared that you don’t have access to the resources you need to meet expectations at work. Please let me know what resources are required for you to be able to do your job. I’ll review all requests and let you know what is possible.”
5. My leader clearly communicates any changes in work expectations.
How each team member responds to information about change will depend on their current emotional state, mental and physical health, and satisfaction level with their job. Helping employees to manage changeopens a new window is a skill that requires adaptation depending on the circumstance and the individual employee. You can find many techniques and strategies that can help in Psychologically safe communication and collaborationopens a new window.
If this is an area you want to address, consider following up with your team members for more insight, adapting the suggested wording below:
“Some of you shared that changes in work expectations are not always clearly communicated. I’m asking all of you to share ideas that would improve clarity around work expectations for you or anyone on our team.”
6. I am given an appropriate amount of time to complete my work tasks.
It’s not unusual for a leader to have a different sense of the amount of time required to complete a task than the employee does. Whenever team members are given a new task or are concerned about the amount of time needed for an existing task, it’s good practice to break it down. Providing clarity about each step and the amount of time you believe it’ll require gives your employee a clear understanding of your expectation. To encourage constructive dialogue, invite them to let you know if any of your estimations don’t match the actual time required. If there’s a discrepancy between your estimation and the actual time the employee is taking, you may benefit from watching the employee complete the task or having a more experienced team member demonstrate how they do the task. The intention is to decide whether the employee needs more knowledge, skills or support, or if you need to adjust your estimation and expectations.
One tool that can help with this is the Task improvement processopens a new window (PDF) and Task improvement worksheetopens a new window (PDF). If the issue is more broad than a particular task, you may ask the employee to complete the Workload reflection and discussion toolopens a new window (PDF) to help you understand what they’re dealing with.
In some situations, an employee may be dealing with a health issue or disability that is affecting the amount of time it takes them to complete a work task. If this is the case, you should consider your Legal duty to accommodateopens a new window.
If this is an area you want to address, consider following up with your team members for more insight, adapting the suggested wording below:
“Some of you indicated that you don’t have enough time to complete certain work tasks. I’d like to work together with you on how we can improve that. It could be that I don’t fully understand what’s involved, that there’s an easier way that you haven’t been taught or that competing demands are interfering with your ability to complete the task. Whether it’s one of these or something else, we can work together to improve your experience. Together we’ll complete the Task improvement worksheetopens a new window (PDF) to explore solutions.”
7. The feedback I receive from my leader is constructive.
A leader can motivate – or demotivate – employees by the feedback we give them. Learning about giving constructive feedbackopens a new window is critical to motivating growth and development.
It’s also a good idea to help your team members learn to receive and view constructive feedback as something to support them rather than as a threat to their job security. In Interpret negative feedback accuratelyopens a new window, you can help your team think about how to respond and what it really means to get constructive feedback. You can also learn more about individual preferences for how they receive feedback by using the Feedback preferences formopens a new window (PDF) with each team member.
If this is an area you want to address, consider following up with your team members for more insight, adapting the suggested wording below:
“Some of you shared that there are better ways to provide feedback. Please complete this Feedback preferences formopens a new window (PDF) and send it back to me by [date].”
8. My team leader considers the team’s feedback when making decisions.
Learning to Elicit feedbackopens a new window, and to resist dismissing or criticizing itopens a new window, can be difficult. While you can’t always do what your team wants you to do, demonstrating that you seriously consider their ideas and asking how they might deal with your perceived challenges can open up a dialogue focused on solutions that you may not have considered.
Any of the On the agenda workshop creating awareness seriesopens a new window can help you seek and integrate your team’s feedback in a way that respects limitations related to time, authority and resources.
If this is an area you want to address, consider following up with your team members for more insight, adapting the suggested wording below:
“Some of you shared that you feel your feedback is not being considered in decision-making. While some of the decisions made in this organization are outside of our control, I do value your feedback on those that impact our team. I will try to make a clearer connection with your feedback and how it impacts my decision-making going forward. Please let me know what the best approach is on how to do this.”
9. All team members are held accountable for their performance.
As a leader, it’s important to support effective performance for each team member, and part of that is the follow up to ensure success. Accountability doesn’t have to be punitive. Using the approach to performance managementopens a new window that includes the Supportive task improvementopens a new window can help you do this effectively.
There’s also a processopens a new window to help your team members respectfully hold each other accountable. This could also be an effective approach to improving accountability.
If this is an area you want to address, consider following up with your team members for more insight, adapting the suggested wording below:
"Some of you shared that you don’t believe everyone on the team is held accountable for their behaviours or performance equally. Please use [this anonymous method*] to share more about how you feel so we can do better."
Or
“Some of you shared that you don’t believe everyone is held accountable for their behaviours or performance equally. We’ll engage in a team accountability process to develop a strategy to respectfully and effectively hold each other accountable.”
10. My team leader recognizes my individual contributions to the team.
How and when leaders recognize individual contributions from each team member is an important element of motivation. In Recognition strategies for leadersopens a new window, you’ll find strategies and tools to help you improve your approach to providing recognition to team members.
If this is an area you want to address, consider following up with your team members for more insight, adapting the suggested wording below:
“Some of you shared that individual recognition for your contributions to our team could be improved. I would like each of you to complete the attached Recognition preferences formopens a new window (PDF) so I can learn more about the strategies you prefer.”
11. My team leader supports the team in coming up with solutions to challenges.
Effective problem solving involves supporting and requiring respectful, solution-focused approaches to challenges.
Psychologically safe problem solving and conflict managementopens a new window and Psychologically safe social intelligenceopens a new window have many strategies and techniques to help improve your team’s approach to resolving workplace issues. In Team building activitiesopens a new window under the heading Problem-solve, you’ll find activities that can help boost both your team members’ confidence and competence in dealing with challenges.
If this is an area you want to address, consider following up with your team members for more insight, adapting the suggested wording below:
“Please use [this anonymous method*] to share ideas on how we can improve our ability to problem solve more effectively as a team. All ideas are welcome.”
12. My team leader cares about me as an individual.
You may indeed care about each employee as individuals, but not effectively demonstrate this with your words and actions. Learning to identify employee issuesopens a new window and helping to resolve them successfully is an important skillset. Identifying employee issues provides an approach to asking questions, working together on solutions and clarifying expectations. All of this can help you show your team members that you care about them as individuals and have a genuine desire to support their success.
Building trust for leadersopens a new window provides 11 core competencies to help you develop, improve or sustain positive working relationships with your employees.
If this is an area you want to address, consider following up with your team members for more insight, adapting the suggested wording below:
“There is no doubt I have room for improvement as a leader. Please use [this anonymous method*] to share some helpful ideas about what I could do better to be an ideal leader.”
Or
“Thank you for your responses to the Psychologically Safe Team Assessment. As I strive to improve the team experience for all of us, I also want to improve my own approaches as a leader. In the coming weeks you’ll receive the Psychologically Safe Leader Assessmentopens a new window where you’ll anonymously provide me with your take on how often I use strategies known to support your psychological health and safety. Once I get your results I’ll share with you the changes that I believe you’d like me to make in my leadership strategy.”
*Note: The term "anonymous method" refers to a specific approach the leader has in place to gather feedback without any identifying information. Some approaches include an online platform, suggestion box, online survey, or a dedicated team email address that will not identify the sender. Be sure to replace “[this anonymous method*]” in the “Explore further” suggested wording with clear instructions on how they can provide their feedback anonymously.