Many people usually imagine someone who’s hands-on, highly responsible, and always ready to step in. And while those qualities can be valuable, there’s a fine line between being a supportive leader and an overfunctioning one.

And that line? It gets crossed more often than we realize.

What does overfunctioning look like?

Overfunctioning is when we take on more than our share of responsibility in a team or organization. It’s when we step in too quickly, carry the emotional and practical weight of others’ tasks, or feel like we need to be involved in everything to keep things running smoothly.

It sounds productive. But it’s not.

Because when we overfunction, we usually:

• Say yes to everything, even when it stretches us too thin
• Fix problems that aren’t really ours to fix
• Struggle to delegate or micromanage when we do
• Find it hard to let go of control
• Measure our worth by how much we do

At first glance, this can look like dedication or drive. But beneath the surface, overfunctioning is often driven by something else: fear, perfectionism, a need to prove ourselves, or even discomfort with watching others struggle.

Why is overfunctioning a problem?

Overfunctioning may feel helpful in the short term. But in the long run, it creates ripple effects that can harm both the leader and the team.

For the leader:

• Burnout becomes a real risk.
• There’s a constant sense of overwhelm.
• Resentment builds up—quietly, but surely.
• Decision fatigue sets in, making it harder to think clearly or strategically.

For the team:

• Initiative drops – people don’t step up if they know someone else always will.
• Growth stalls – there’s no room for learning when mistakes are always avoided or fixed for them.
• Communication suffers – people become passive or disengaged.
• Trust is shaken – it’s hard to feel fully trusted when you’re not given ownership.

Over time, the entire dynamic becomes unbalanced. One person does too much, others do too little, and nobody benefits.

What does healthy leadership look like instead?

The opposite of overfunctioning isn’t underfunctioning. It’s empowering.

Empowering leadership is about trusting others, letting go of the need to do it all, and creating a space where people can grow, even if that means sometimes struggling or failing. It’s about setting boundaries, not to do less, but to lead better.

Here’s how that can look:

• Being more intentional with what you say yes to
• Practicing delegating—not just assigning tasks, but transferring ownership
• Resisting the urge to jump in immediately
• Supporting instead of rescuing
• Reflecting on what’s driving the need to take over—and addressing that first

None of this means caring less. It means leading smarter.

Because leadership isn’t about doing everything, it’s about making sure the right things get done, by the right people, in a way that supports everyone’s growth (including yours).

So if you’ve been taking on too much for too long, this is your reminder: you don’t have to do it all to be a great leader.

In fact, real leadership often means doing less, but with more intention.

Start small. Step back when you feel the urge to fix something or it feels like you’ll be able to get something done the fastest way (so, why bother others). Let someone else take the lead, even if it’s not perfect. That’s how growth happens, for them and for you.

And remember: as a leader, your role isn’t to push or pull your team. It’s to walk beside them.

The post The Hidden Cost of Overfunctioning in Leadership appeared first on Snowation.

In this blog post, I will share some useful strategies that you can use to maintain healthy and effective communication within your team or organization.

I hope that these tips help you build stronger connections, ensure clarity, and create a more cohesive and productive team dynamic.

WIthout further ado, let’s dig in.

Managing Healthy Communication

I’ve said it so many times and I’ll say it again because I just can’t stress it enough: creating an open-communication environment is a safe way for your team to thrive and achieve much more.

Many of the tips I’m about to share with you are the ones I personally used while managing a team before becoming an entrepreneur. Practicing effective communication with my team brought many great results.

Here are some strategies to keep the lines open and effective:

Foster Open Dialogue 

Encourage your team to share their thoughts and concerns freely. Active listening and empathy are your best tools here.

Regular Check-Ins

Schedule consistent meetings to discuss progress, address concerns, and plan future steps. This keeps everyone informed, aligned and engaged. Also, by doing this, you’ll avoid potential miscommunications or misunderstandings.

I know that one of the main concerns when it comes to meetings is time. Please, keep in mind that these check-ins don’t have to last long; they need to be effective. And you can be very effective in a short amount of time with good organization and prep.

Clear Instructions and Feedback

Be explicit about expectations and provide timely feedback. As I already mentioned, clarity helps your team stay on track and continually improve.

Note that this is not a one-and-done thing. You’ll probably have to have your expectations on repeat if you want people to act on them. Also, keep in mind that your expectations may change. Your team’s expectations may change. That’s absolutely OK so long as it’s communicated as soon as possible. 

As for feedback, practice makes progress. Schedule feedback meetings, set aside a few minutes every now and then to give feedback, praise people and offer help…all this will eventually generate amazing results.

Oh and be patient. All good things take time.

Diverse Communication Channels

Use various platforms—emails, chats, video calls, and face-to-face meetings—to cater to different preferences and needs.

But, make sure that all official communication is available to everyone involved and easily accessible.

Technology today enables us to talk in any way and everywhere. That doesn’t mean we don’t need to document it and make sure everyone has all the info they need at all times.

Tips for Effective Communication

As a team leader, it’s up to you to introduce and practice effective communication first and lead by example.

This is soooo important for you to keep in mind.

While it can be challenging at times, consistent practice will make it an integral part of your team dynamic. Here are some tips to maintain healthy communication within your team:

Be Approachable

Make sure your team feels comfortable coming to you with their ideas and issues.

An open-door policy can significantly enhance openness.

If having an open door policy makes it difficult to complete your tasks, then make sure you have a certain number of hours scheduled for your team and communicate that with them. That way, they’ll know what the allotted time is and can plan to talk to you then.

Practice Active Listening

Show that you’re truly listening by nodding, maintaining eye contact, asking questions, and providing thoughtful responses. This builds stronger connections.

Promote Transparency

Share necessary information to keep your team informed about the big picture. Transparency builds trust and unity.

Encourage Inclusivity

Ensure all team members, especially the quieter ones, have a voice. Actively seek their input to create a more inclusive environment.

Also, encourage your team to seek input from one another. This helps them learn to trust and rely on each other more.

Keeping Your Ego Out of Communication

As a leader, it’s vital to keep your ego in check to ensure communication remains healthy.

Remember, the mutual goal is a successful project, not you being right or having the last say!

Stay Humble

Accept that you don’t have all the answers. In fact, you don’t want to be the one who has all the answers because then you’re creating a leader-depended team. Value the expertise and insights of your team members and be open to learning from them.

Own Your Mistakes

When you mess up, admit it. If you don’t do it, how do you expect your team to do it?

Owning your mistakes sets a positive example and creates a culture where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities.

Pro tip: Focus on developing trust within your team. People will naturally be more open to admitting mistakes if they know it’s a safe space to do so. Yes, I know we’re all adults, but you want your team to trust you anyway so you might as well put a bit more effort into it for other reasons as well.

Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

People leave organizations, let alone teams, for this reason. No one, and I mean no one, likes to see their ideas and contributions stolen from them.

And not a single person will continuously contribute if they’re not being acknowledged for it.

Acknowledge and celebrate your team’s contributions. You don’t have to do it with a megaphone, but it needs to be said and done.

This not only boosts morale but also shows you value their hard work. Additionally, it’ll inspire them to continue contributing because they know that their efforts are acknowledged and valued.

Seek Feedback

Just like giving feedback is important, asking for it is crucial for your own growth.

Regularly ask for feedback on your communication style and leadership. This demonstrates your commitment to improvement and respect for your team’s opinions.

All Said and Done

Good communication is key to a successful team. It takes time to truly establish a culture of open communication, but once you do, it’ll produce amazing outcomes, both when it comes to work results and your team cohesion. 

Remember, it’s your job as a team leader to promote and encourage open communication and you absolutely have to lead by example.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about doing it!

It won’t always be easy but don’t let that discourage you. When you notice that people are not communicating the right way, speak up. If you feel demotivated and discouraged, speak up. Share that with your team.

Just like you’re there to help them, they’re there to help you, too. And they’ll be happy to do it, you just need to communicate it.

If you are looking for a way to improve your leadership skills or help your team heighten their performance, schedule a call with me. Let’s chat about it!

The post How to Maintain Effective Communication as a Team Leader appeared first on Snowation.

So, why is communication so important for team leaders? Why is it necessary for your healthy team dynamics? Let’s break it down..

Why Is Communication Key?

Sometimes, communicating with your team can be tricky and challenging. Maybe at times, you won’t be in the mood, maybe you’ll have a lot on your plate, or you’ll simply be triggered by someone’s behavior at work.

No worries, that is perfectly normal. I’ve been there, too. We’re all human beings and you can’t expect every day to go smoothly.

However, as a team leader, your job is to build a baseline of healthy communication in your team.

Even on those days. Especially on those days. Why? Because it matters in so many ways.

Here are a few key points on why communication is important for your team.

Clarity and Focus

Clear communication helps your team understand their roles and the goals you all set together. When everyone is on the same page, and your expectations and requirements are properly addressed to each member of the team, misunderstandings and assumptions are less likely to happen.

Moreover, a team member who gains clarity on their purpose in the team, their responsibilities, and goals, will be more motivated and more likely to complete all the projects required.

Remember, a lack of clarity can lead to people feeling confused, unmotivated, less interested in work, and discouraged even.

So, go ahead and make sure every single member of your team know what their role is, why they are important to the team, what is expected from them, when, and why.

Building Trust

Open and honest communication builds trust within the team. When people feel heard, respected, and valued, they’re more likely to engage and contribute meaningfully.

Whenever possible, make sure you hear people out. If you feel like you can’t do it at a given moment, reschedule the conversation. But do it!

Additionally, giving honest feedback to your team is a pretty big deal as well. It’s not always about only hearing them out, but giving the proper opinion and perspective from your side. That is another way to make your team members feel important, valued, and noticed.

Even when you have to give constructive feedback, people will value the truth and understand that it will help them grow. They may not show it right away because no one likes to be criticized, but they’ll think it through and come around.

Remember, an honest and respectful approach is always the one that brings the best results in the end. Even when it’s uncomfortable at first.

Efficient Problem-Solving

Good communication channels enable quick identification and resolution of issues, preventing small problems from snowballing into major crises.

Don’t ignore the signs.

If you see people struggle with something, or behave a bit differently, don’t hesitate to ask. Schedule a meeting and check in with them.

People appreciate a helping hand, especially when it comes from their leader. After all, you would want to be present, interested, and included in your team, not manage it from afar.

Boosting Morale

Positive communication uplifts your team. Regularly recognizing achievements and providing constructive feedback keeps everyone motivated and driven.

This is quite important. I watched my team members completely transform after being acknowledged for their efforts and achievements.

Celebrate your people. Encourage good behaviors. Give credit where credit is due. We all feel good and extra motivated when we’re noticed and appreciated.

There You Have It

There you go.

Of course, there’s much more to say about the importance of communication for healthy team dynamics, but some of the tips listed above are a great way to start.

Remember, you don’t have to do it all, but even if you take one thing from this article and apply it today, you’re off to a good start.

I don’t think I can say enough to stress out how important effective communication is, not only for the well being of your team, but also for your own growth and development.

By cultivating open, honest, and respectful communication, you can build a strong, cohesive, and motivated team. Remember, effective communication is as much about listening and understanding as it is about speaking.

Keep these strategies in mind, and watch your team flourish!

If you are looking for a way to improve your leadership skills or help your team heighten their performance, schedule a call with me. Let’s chat about it!

The post The Importance of Effective Communication for Healthy Team Dynamics appeared first on Snowation.

So, let’s cover the basics and then move on to the juicy part.

What is Employee Coaching?

In a nutshell, coaching an employee means that you’re helping employees reach their full potential. You work with them on improving their skills, understanding the objectives and overcoming obstacles and challenges at work.

How do You Coach Employees?

As with any other coaching practice, it can take many different forms. Most frequently, employee coaching involves scheduling individual sessions with employees (in case of an in-house coach, these should not be mistaken for your regular one-on-ones). 

Coaching sessions should be a safe space for employees. They need to be comfortable sharing the good and the bad in order to improve their performance, productivity and solve problems. 

Even though employee coaching must be aligned with the company goals and objectives, keep in mind that your client is always the employee. So your first and foremost concern should be the employee and the challenges s/he is facing no matter how that relates to the current workplace.

What Is the Focus of Employee Coaching?

The focus of employee coaching is to celebrate wins and identify obstacles that prevent employees from performing at their best. This is achieved through working on developing and enhancing employee skills in order to improve performance and productivity. In return, investing in employee growth through coaching improves the overall employee contribution.

How Can Coaching Enhance Employee Skills?

Although beneficial, a coach doesn’t have to know how to do the work of an employee to be able to help him or her improve their performance and develop skills. Through regular meetings and continuous feedback, the coach can help employees work on their problematic areas. The more employees are aware of their weaknesses, the more they’ll be able to work on improving them. Additionally, a coach can help an employee find a mentor with a needed expertise for the skill the employee is looking to improve. Finally, the coach can encourage employees to talk to their manager openly about their professional development needs and ask for help to find the solution.

Long story short, it takes consistency and collaboration. Through partnering with employees and managers, coaches help organizations grow by working together to enhance employee skills and improve performance.

8 Tips for Employee Performance Coaching in the Workplace

Remember to Coach

It is often hard to step back and let the other person do the talking. This is especially hard if you’re an internal coach who’s also the team manager. Switching between the two roles can be challenging, but not impossible. 

For the purpose of this article, it is important to remember that as a coach, you coach – you don’t manage. What does that mean?

Coaching process is a collaboration, or partnership, between the coach and the coachee. When you’re coaching your employees, let them take the lead when it comes to the content. Ask them questions, listen, ask for clarification, guide the process but don’t give solutions because then you won’t be in the role of a coach anymore. 

Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t share your thoughts and knowledge. Step back but don’t hold back. Provide feedback, share experiences, create a safe space for growth, but follow the lead of your employee and address their concerns. Remember, the focus is on the employee and them figuring things out, not you telling them what to do.

Praise Achievements and Growth

Offering constructive feedback is essential to growth. Talking about mistakes and how to fix them helps employees understand where they need to improve. However, praising employees may be even more important at some points when it comes to improving employee performance.

Giving positive feedback reinforces the expectations you have for them and assures them that you have confidence in their abilities to maintain or exceed those expectations.

Indeed

Praising your employees reminds them of the trust you’ve placed in them. It motivates your employees to feel good about themselves, which in turn motivates them to keep doing a good job. Also, it can be a good reference point when they make a mistake – it will prevent negative thinking and self-pity.

Help Identify Roadblocks

Often, when we feel stuck, we can’t see the clear picture and the direction we’re supposed to take. As a coach, it is your job to help employees identify the obstacles and create action plans to overcome them. 

Sometimes, just letting employees tell you about the problem can be beneficial and they’ll come up with the cause of the problem on their own. Other times, you’ll have to ask questions to understand the situation better in order to be able to help.

It is frequently the case that the roadblocks are hidden in employees’ perceptions or assumptions they make so make sure to ask about anything and everything. This may take some time, but the point of the process is to help employees move forward with their tasks, not to patch up an issue and move on.

Be Present

This one may be a bit more challenging, but it is so important for the coaching process. Being present means listening carefully to what employees are saying, not assuming anything. You can address their words, expressions, ask for clarification or just be quiet and give employees time to think and space to process.

You have to be there mentally, with them in that room and your thoughts should be directed to whatever the other person is saying. There will be times when you won’t know what to do next and that’s totally fine. Being open and honest with your coachee will take you a long way. 

Remember, transparency is the key in business, even when it comes to coaching. You don’t have to be a know-it-all. You just need to be there.

Build Confidence

Building confidence helps employees perform better. When they’re sure about their actions and decisions, they’ll spend less time questioning themselves and more time completing the task and moving onto the next one.

Coaching in the workplace should be highly oriented toward support and guidance. Employees who receive adequate support stand out in the process of achieving goals.

Attendance Bot Blog

Remind employees of their strengths and congratulate them every step of the way. When people know that they’re appreciated and valued, they’re more likely to invest themselves and give their very best.

Encourage Employees to Learn from Others

Over time and through experience, we tend to develop our own way of thinking and approach to tasks. Even if two people had the same education, they are different individuals so they’ll do the work differently.

Encourage your employees to interact with one another. This may go without saying when it comes to employees doing the same or a similar job, but interacting with employees who do something completely different can be beneficial, too. Communicating with their peers at work creates a collaborative environment and company culture. It also enables employees to seek help from their fellow coworkers. 

Learning on your own is great, but collaborating with others can be more efficient and effective at times; not to mention fun as well.

Build Self-Awareness and Reflection

By providing continuous feedback, you teach your employees how to approach a problem and see their own mistakes and wins. They become more self-aware and start understanding their patterns better. 

Self-reflection is important, not only when a mistake has been made, but also when a task has been completed or a problem solved. Understanding what works and what needs to be improved on a personal and team level can greatly help employees improve their performance and create better results.

Hold Employees Accountable

The coaching process starts with setting goals. Once employees commit to the goals they have set for themselves, it is your job to hold them accountable. As I’ve mentioned in my article on benefits of accountability coaching for startup founders and business owners, people are 95% more likely to reach their goals if they’re meeting regularly with the person they’ve committed to about a given goal. The more goals employees meet, the easier it’ll be for the business to scale and grow.

Peachy! Right?

Yes and no. Despite its many benefits and advantages, there are some disadvantages to coaching employees in the workplace. More often than not, coaching takes time and the results are not seen immediately.

Companies that are strict or are highly driven through results will not find coaching employees an ideal to see improvements in the short-term.

Attendance Bot Blog

Nonetheless, the benefits and perks of coaching outweigh these disadvantages by far. More and more companies are now on the lookout for a leadership style that is geared more towards coaching. The CEOs and founders tend to be more open to hiring a coach for their employees as they understand the long-term benefits of it. 

Finally, as I’ve already mentioned in my other articles, you don’t have to hire a professional coach to work with your employees. Managers can also learn coaching skills given enough time and resources. However, if you’re looking for maximum results and a more effective approach, I’d highly recommend connecting with a professional coach or a coaching organization.

The post 8 Tips for Coaching Employees to Improve Performance appeared first on Snowation.

Even though knowing how to delegate effectively comes with time and is not as seamless as it may seem, it can be learned. Just like with any other skill, the more you practice, the easier it will be.

In order to help you start delegating tasks effectively, I’ve created this article where you’ll be able to learn what delegation is, which tasks can be delegated and how to delegate tasks effectively. 

So, let’s dig in.

What Does Delegating Tasks Mean?

Delegating tasks just means transferring an assignment to another person in your team. In other words, it means assigning tasks to your team members.

Now, many people see delegation as passing tasks onto other people, but delegation is far from that. It is a technique that leads to growth, productivity and efficiency of everyone involved.

Why is Delegating Tasks Important?

In addition to decreasing your workload, which is the most obvious and commonly thought of advantage of delegation, there are several additional benefits of delegating tasks which are much more valuable.

Assigning tasks to your team members keeps them engaged at work. In addition to that, it is a good way for them to learn new skills or further develop some existing ones. Finally, when you assign tasks to team members, you’re indirectly telling them that you trust them to do the work, which can be empowering and motivating for some people.

According to a Gallup study, CEOs who excel in delegating generate 33 percent higher revenue. These executives know they can’t accomplish everything alone and position their team to tackle tasks they’re confident they’ll achieve—in turn empowering employees, boosting morale, and increasing productivity.

Lauren Landry

In addition to the benefits that your team members enjoy, delegating tasks can be very beneficial to managers as well. First of all, when you delegate tasks, you’re freeing up your time to focus on the tasks where you can offer the most value. What is more, it allows you to learn new skills and grow as well, thus helping your team move forward and deliver better results.

How to Decide Which Tasks to Delegate?

It goes without saying that not all tasks can or should be delegated. Nevertheless, a great number of them can be passed on to other people. There are several reasons managers tend to avoid delegating, some of them being fear of letting go, thinking they can do it better or just not wanting to seem lazy because they keep passing tasks to other people. But, isn’t assigning tasks what managers do anyway (at least one aspect of their job)?! 

According to the career and business strategist Jenny Blake, you should conduct an audit of your tasks using the six T’s to determine which tasks you can delegate. Here’s what the T’s stand for.

• Tiny: Small tasks that are easy to do but add up with time, such as registering for a conference, scheduling a meeting, etc.

• Tiny: Small tasks that are easy to do but add up with time, such as registering for a conference, scheduling a meeting, etc.
• Tedious: Tasks that are quite straightforward, need to be done manually, are repetitive, etc. can and should be delegated.
• Time-consuming: Tasks that, although they may be important and even somewhat complex, are time-consuming and do not require you to do the initial 80% of research. You can easily step in when the task is 80% complete and give approval, oversight and/or direction on next steps.
• Teachable: Tasks that can be taught – even though it may take more time for you to teach them, in the long run, you should be delegating those and providing enough resources for your team members to learn and execute them.
• Terrible at: No one knows it all. If there’s something you’re not good at, you should delegate those tasks to someone with skills to perform the task at hand.
• Time-sensitive: Tasks that are time-sensitive but compete with other priority tasks. Since you can’t duplicate yourself, you should delegate these tasks to others so that they can be done in parallel. You can always check the outcome and give feedback.

All the task types listed above can and should be delegated. So, take a moment to go through your tasks and do the audit. You’d be surprised at how much time you’ll have left to devote to other important tasks where you, and as a result of it, your team and/or project, will thrive. 

How to Delegate Tasks Effectively?

There are several steps you need to take in order to delegate tasks effectively. Please, keep in mind that this is not an extensive list of steps, but it offers a good starting point. 

Step 1 – Decide on the Tasks to Delegate

You can use Jenny’s six T’s process to decide on which tasks can be delegated. If you think that the audit is too much work for you, just take a look at your tasks and start with those you do on a regular basis but don’t really have to because they’re not a good use of your time or don’t provide any value for your growth and development.

Step 2 – Choose the Right Person for the Task

Think about your team members’ strengths and weaknesses and match tasks to their strengths. Nonetheless, there will be times when you’ll want to assign a task to a team member even though it’s not his or her strength at use if and only if the person will be able to learn and grow from the experience. So, be cautious when you do it, but don’t hesitate to try it because challenges help people grow.

Step 3 – Provide Clear Instructions and Deliverables

This one is quite straightforward, but make sure to provide as much detail as possible when you delegate tasks. Make sure to write down your expectations and deliverables so that the person knows when s/he has completed the task. 

A word of caution here: do not assume anything! You may think that some information goes without saying but there is no such thing when it comes to delegating tasks efficiently. So, write down anything and everything that comes to your mind and is related to the task.

Step 4 – Provide Learning Resources

If the task requires a team member to learn new skills, make sure to provide enough resources for the team member to be able to learn the task. If you’re the one who’s teaching the task, then make sure to set time aside for teaching and be available for questions.

Step 5 – Give and Ask for Constructive Feedback

Even though you’re not doing the task, you’ll probably have to approve the final version. So, allow yourself time to go over the task and provide constructive feedback. That doesn’t mean fixing everything you feel is wrong or not how you’d like it to be but it does mean explaining what’s good and what needs improvement and why.

On the other hand, seek feedback from your team members in order to improve your delegation skills. Ask them to provide details and reasoning in order for you to understand feedback correctly and act upon it when needed.

Step 6 – Give Credit Where Credit is Due

The more you thank and credit those you’ve delegated work to, the more likely it is they will want to help you on other projects in the future.

Lauren Landry

After you’ve delegated the task and it’s been completed, credit accordingly. Make sure that people know their help is appreciated and they’ve done a good job. Praise goes far and wide and can do wonders for productivity and motivation of your team.

Keep Learning and Growing

As I said at the beginning, the more you practice delegating tasks, the easier it will be. Learning how to delegate effectively will help you not only become a better manager, but also channel your growth in the right direction creating a thriving culture at work for everyone.

Feature image credits: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

The post How to Delegate Tasks Effectively & Why It Matters? appeared first on Snowation.

If there is an HR in the company, s/he will be doing the initial, company-wise onboarding, but it is up to you as the team leader to onboard the new team member into your team. The first couple of days (or even longer) can be hard for the newbie because s/he is not familiar with the team ways so it is up to you to help him or her adjust to the team and feel comfortable with the new crew. Here are a couple of steps that may help with that.

ASK YOUR TEAM FOR HELP

As I mentioned, assuming that some of your team’s practices are just common sense can lead you to uncomfortable situations. In order to avoid that, ask your team to help you come up with a list of everyday practices that you may expect the new person to adjust to initially. These can include the communication rules, who the right person for certain questions is, certain habits a team member may have that others are used to but may seem strange to the new person, etc. You don’t have to read the list to the new hire, but it’s good to have it all in mind when bringing the new person up to speed.

Also, ask your team to be patient and not assume anything either. Remind them of how they felt when they first came in because the new person may feel similarly.

Finally, if you’re not the one who’ll be doing the job training for the new person, then talk to the team member who will be doing it and agree on what each of you will talk about so that you get all the basics covered.

GET TO KNOW THE NEW PERSON

The more you work together, the easier it will get, but in order to bring the new team member up to speed, it is very beneficial for you to know where s/he is coming from. Have a chat with him or her, ask about his or her previous experience, try to find out how much s/he knows about the job position and what the expectations or even concerns are. All these will help you set the base for the job training and how to bring about the existing team dynamics. The more you know, the easier it will be for you to guide the new team member through the adjustment process.

AVOID SPECIAL TREATMENT

If possible, treat the new person just like any other team member from the very beginning, like s/he has been there for a very long time. This has always worked for me. The new person might be confused at first, but s/he will appreciate it more than you know it because s/he will feel like a part of the team from the very beginning and that will enormously help the transition and adjustment.

A word of caution here: if the person does not feel comfortable with the treatment, then you need to talk. You shouldn’t be forcing anything so if there’s more harm to it than good, by no means should you proceed the same way.

MAKE SURE TO CHECK IN

New beginnings are hard, so make sure you check on the new person regularly. Just a simple “how are you doing today?” or “how can I help today?” will do the trick. Regardless of whether the person is a junior or senior, s/he is new to the team and the way work is done in your company so make sure to be there for him or her.

This should be your standard practice for every team member, no matter how long they’ve been in your team, but it is super important for the new person. It’ll take just a bit of your time, but it’ll mean a lot to the new guy or girl.

HAVE A FIRST-MONTH ONE-ON-ONE

After the first month, schedule a one-on-one with the new person. This may be a standard practice for the HR to do, but I like to do it as well. It helps me understand what I need to work on more and what’s been done well. In addition to that, it creates a stronger bond between you and your team because it shows them that you care about them, not just about getting the job done.

Keep in mind that you should do this regardless of whether you’re doing the person’s training or not. This one-on-one should not be about the job only. You should ask about feelings, expectations, communication, anything that happens on a daily basis in addition to work. People who feel appreciated tend to be more motivated and this one-on-one helps you set a strong foundation for all future work.

Being the new person can be difficult and challenging and it is your job as the team leader to get the pressure off the new person’s shoulders as much as you can and make him or her feel welcome. Creating that safe zone from the very first day will set you off into the right direction for all future endeavors and it will create a positive atmosphere for work and play not just for the newbie but for the entire team as well.

If you’re just starting as a team leader, these steps could be very beneficial to establishing the team dynamics to want. It takes time and practice so don’t worry too much about it. What matters is being honest and open-minded when it comes to your team and things will just fall into their own place with time.

If you’ve been doing this for a while, what other onboarding tips would you add? Feel free to comment and share and I’ll be happy to add them to the list.

Until the next article, keep learning and growing.

Sneza

The post Onboard with Ease – What You Need To Know When Introducing a New Team Member appeared first on Snowation.

The three questions that I love to ask my team often are:

1. How are you today?
2. How can I help?
3. What do you think about it?

How are you today?

It’ such a simple and often overlooked question that can mean so much to the other person. Making sure your team member is doing well and feeling good tells him or her that you care, that your only concern is not to just get the job done but to make sure the person doing the job is feeling well and is in shape to get the job done. The longer you work with someone, the easier it will be for you to know how the person feels without even having to ask, but I like to ask anyway. Like I said, it takes a few seconds to ask, but can mean so much more.

How can I help?

Even though managers mostly delegate tasks and track the project progress, they should also be there to help. As a manager, you should always set aside some time to offer assistance to your team member. They may not need it, but like asking how someone is, offering help shows that you care. If it turns out they actually need help, it can be a great bonding and learning activity as well.

What do you think about it?

People love sharing their opinion. When working in a team, everyone should feel free to offer their opinion anytime there is a discussion and even if there’s not. Asking for someone’s opinion in a meeting encourages everyone else to jump in and it shows that you value your team’s opinion, which is very important as they are the ones doing most of the work and will have more information to offer. Sometimes, it will happen that the person has nothing additional to share and that’s OK. It’s the thought that matters and it encourages collaboration, which is essential for team work.

How do you show your team you care? What are some of the techniques you use? I would love to hear more about it so feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.

The post 3 Questions You Should Ask Often appeared first on Snowation.