A Blueprint for Leading a Team through Transition
How do you take over as the leader of a team in turmoil? I had a front row seat to this situation while coaching a team whose leader left the organization unexpectedly, prompting their manager to step into the role on an ad-interim basis. Amidst the considerable responsibilities this leader already bore, a new challenge emerged—nurturing a team renowned, in certain quarters, for its lack of cohesion and penchant for siloed and antagonistic behavior.
I found myself entrusted with the role of coaching this team to emerge healthier and more collaborative during this period of transition. I coached them during their weekly meetings and helped them create working agreements, surface tensions and use their time together more effectively. I pushed them to address and identify meaningful action on topics that had languished over time. In short order, this team turned a corner and came together in a dramatically different way.
What I observed from the interim leader through this experience served as an embodiment of servant leadership and a blueprint for anyone leading their team through a transition. Here are three key actions I saw her take that I would advise any leader in a similar position to consider.
Shift the narrative and build accountability: She saw an opportunity for the team to come together in the absence of a permanent leader. Rather than dwell in the negative, she offered them an invitation and expectation to shift the narrative about their leadership team. I watched each and every member of the team sit up a little straighter in their chairs as they heard their new leader project confidence about their ability to lead collectively in this time of transition. This helped them to turn the page and look ahead to a brighter future, rather than dwell in the past. She built accountability by conducting reviews for each member of the team and asking them to share how they were demonstrating leadership through transition.
Model and amplify the behaviors you want to see: Throughout her tenure in this role, I saw this leader deliberately modeling behaviors of transparency, vulnerability and progress over perfection that he had seen lacking. She also applauded the team when she saw them on display. She regularly shared updates on the hiring process for her replacement, encouraging the leadership team to do the same, thereby making information fluid rather than scarce as it had been in the past. She arrived on-time, prepared and fully engaged in LT meetings and in turn, each member of the team did the same.
Focus where you can have the biggest impact: Soon after she joined the team, we both recognized that without shared priorities, the team would struggle to act as one leadership team. The exercise of creating priorities enabled her to identify where she needed to lean in to use her time effectively while empowering the organization to do the bulk of the work. She was very open about calling in the shared resources needed from HR, Communications, Compliance, Coaching and Finance. She accepted advice from subject matter experts, rather than positioning herself as an expert in all things. This translated into some sustainable changes that can continue even in her absence.
There may be a tendency for us to read these bullets and assume that these behaviors are obvious. But, this leader could have made different choices at every step. She could have sought out and amplified all of the issues she saw, publicly criticized her predecessor, overcommitted herself or made rash changes that would have caused confusion and set the organization back. Her steady leadership did not immediately fix some of the systemic challenges for the team, but it did create stability and foster trust during a risky and uncertain time, creating the conditions for a department that can thrive in the future.
