Learning as the Newest Team Member
What do you do if you are the newest member of your team?
You learn from your team.
But what if you are not just a new member, but also the leader?
In that case, the answer remains the same: You learn from your team!
When I joined my last team, I recognized that all my team members had more experience than I did regarding the systems they used, the customer profiles, technical issues, and solutions. It would have been both pointless and disrespectful to try to teach them how to do their jobs, which they had been successfully performing for a long time.
Setting the Stage for Collaboration
With this understanding, I approached our first team meeting as an opportunity to acknowledge their expertise. I aimed to “remind” them of their job descriptions while listening to their insights about the challenges they faced and their approaches to key performance indicators (KPIs).We began by discussing a fundamental concept: “quality vs. quantity.” We established that while quality contributes to a sense of success and is a key component of happiness, focusing solely on quantity can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed, bored, and stressed. Rather than dismissing their feelings, I highlighted how their KPIs were centered around quality—something that aligned with their sense of achievement.
The Impact of Mindset Shift
The Impact of Mindset Shift
It may sound simple, but it’s crucial for individuals to understand or be reminded of the true expectations of their roles. The result of our first meeting? A 3-5% increase in all KPIs, surpassing the client’s targets. The team was already proficient in their jobs; they simply needed to shift their mindset to focus on what was “obvious.” This adjustment allowed them to enjoy their work more without changing any processes—just their perspective.
