Month: February 2020

Psychological safety is a necessary condition for great ideas and innovations to emerge. It is also the manager’s responsibility to cultivate it. Instead of thinking about your team, think about students in a classroom. If a teacher asks “any questions?” and there is a risk of punishment, being ignored, or being ridiculed for speaking up, which students will raise their hands? Alternatively, a teacher who has established that asking questions is part of the normal course of learning will be able to draw out voices that largely go unheard. Encouraging and rewarding questions is even better methodology because asking questions is a first step toward articulating innovative problem-solving. 

Psychological safety is a necessary condition for retention as well. Knowing that it is safe to bring up issues related to how one is experiencing work means the manager will be clued in a lot faster to issues that could otherwise lead to someone quitting. 

~Nicole

Manager action/reflection: How do you respond when someone suggests an idea that you don’t agree with, like, or value? How do you respond when someone complains to you? How do you react when someone asks a question you think is basic? Instead of reacting quickly, try one of these responses: “Tell me more,” “I’m trying to understand what’s behind your question,” “I appreciate this, can you elaborate?”

Do you have a question about management, or a success story you’d like to share? Let us know via support@digamo.app. Your message may be featured in a future entry (anonymously, of course).

While trainings and tools are great to build your management skills, the most impactful method is trial and error. Incorporating lessons immediately into your repertoire is much easier with a peer who is going through the same thing. Get yourself a management buddy. Here’s how to ask:

“Hi Amy,

I’ve been working on being a more effective manager and since we are in a similar situation—both new managers, same team size/function, similar tenure, etc—I thought it would be cool for us to chat about how we’re doing as managers. Like, lunch once a month?”

Copy. Paste. Send. You did it.

What you’ll find by doing this is that:

• some mistakes you thought were huge might not have been
• some mistakes you thought were small should be given more attention
• you’re doing well in ways you don’t realize
• you are not alone.

~Nicole

Manager action: Identify a buddy, someone who you think has good judgment and is in a relatively similar situation. Don’t be disappointed if your first person says they’re at capacity. Move on to someone else. In a small company, this might be tough. Ask someone outside your company, just keep actual names of direct reports confidential.

Self-reflection: Will you be able to be vulnerable and honest with your management buddy, or will you tend to paint yourself in the most flattering way?

Being a manager is not for the faint of heart. Congratulations for being brave enough to try.

This week, we’re seeking courage from ourselves and from the people we manage. From managers, it looks like delivering that tough feedback we’ve been avoiding, or remaining calm in the middle of what might feel like chaos. From our teammates, it might look like speaking up in a meeting to offer a dissenting opinion, or trying something outside their normal skill set.

Whatever it is, courage is not about not being scared. It’s about being scared, nervous, or anxious, and taking action in spite of that fact.

Manager action: Be on the lookout for acts of courage this week. Did a usually quiet person speak up? Did someone try something new and difficult? It’s your job to notice when that happens. When you see it, address the person one-on-one and say directly, “I saw you do that. That took courage. Good job.” The responses may surprise you.

Self-reflection: When was the last time you modeled courage for your team? 

~Nicole

Do you have a question about management, or a success story you’d like to share? Let us know via support@digamo.app. Your message may be featured in a future entry (anonymously, of course).

You will make mistakes. It’s unavoidable. How you react to making mistakes is, however, within your control. Defensiveness, excusing it away, or ignoring it will tank your credibility quickly. Your direct reports don’t expect you to be perfect, but they likely expect you to know how to own up, apologize, and try not to make the same mistake again. Hearing “I’m sorry” goes a long way, especially when it comes from a leader. Not only are you owning your error, but you are modeling for your team that the sky doesn’t fall when someone messes up.

Manager action: Is there something you should have apologized for, but haven’t? It’s not too late. This is a great time to rebuild some of that credibility and strengthen your relationships.

Self-reflection: How do you usually react when you are called out on making a mistake? How can that improve?

~Nicole

Do you have a question about management, or a success story you’d like to share? Let us know via support@digamo.app. Your message may be featured in a future entry (anonymously, of course).