Dear Friends,
In our last newsletter, we encouraged leaders—Waymakers—to leverage these “unprecedented times” to create an oasis for all people in their organizations. A place where all people feel seen, respected, valued, and protected. An environment where they can focus, contribute, and, yes, push our organizations forward.
Today, and in the next few issues, we will share how you can create and sustain safe spaces for your people and, by doing so, support a healthier, more productive workplace culture. The key is BRIDGING.
Bridging is the leadership skill we need to establish and nurture genuine connections with others. Genuine connections—especially when it may seem we have little in common—help us build mutual trust. Trust fuels psychological safety and helps us feel protected at work. When we feel protected, we contribute more, we invest and engage more. And our organizations benefit from our unleashed contribution and creativity—with innovation and healthier bottom lines.
Bridging, like all of Waymaking, is not easy, but it is simple. There are 5 steps: Purpose, Exploration, Imagination, Commitment, and Connection. Today, let’s focus the first step, Purpose.
PURPOSE
Emily is new to her role as senior manager in internal communications. Her team is hard working, diverse—with experienced and more junior strategists, plus representation from diverse ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and gender identities. Everyone seems to enjoy their roles on the team, but there’s tension just beneath the surface that Emily can’t easily pinpoint. Some members have information others don’t. Some are frustrated with the performance of others. All express disappointment in the outcomes of their work. One day, in a team meeting, the tension escalates. Voices are raised. Tempers flare. Critiques of work become criticisms of people. The underlying cause of the team dis-ease becomes clear to Emily: Even though the team had worked together for some time prior to her arrival, they didn’t truly know each other. They didn’t respect or trust each other. As a result, they didn’t know how to best work together. It was time for Bridging.
Why
Emily’s response to the dis-ease on her team was to stop the quarreling and re-establish the purpose of not only the current meeting, but also of their team. They needed to remember why they were there and what they needed to accomplish. Re-establishing the why for her team was Emily’s first step at Bridging.
Ground Rules
Emily then worked with her team to create ground rules for their interactions—rules that would protect both ideas and people. She helped the team agree on specific behaviors to encourage as well as behaviors that would not be tolerated. They also agreed to respectfully call out and correct actions not in alignment with their agreed upon ground rules.
Desired Outcomes
Emily then asked each member of the team to share what they hoped to get out of their time together. Each goal was written down. Emily wrote her expectations down as well. Then, they posted the desired outcomes where everyone could see. They committed to referring to the list often to ensure they remained on task and that each desired outcome was addressed.
By defining the why, setting ground rules, and communicating desired outcomes, Emily and her team completed the first step of Bridging—Purpose. The next step, Exploration, will help Emily’s team draw out different perspectives to better understand their current challenges. Imagination will help them chart a better future for their team. Commitment will give them practical steps to achieve their desired future. And the final step, Connection, will ensure their efforts are sustainable.
Like it or not, we need each other to thrive. Work cannot be accomplished if we don’t understand the why of what we do or trust the people with whom we work. If we can’t trust peers or leaders to offer aid when we’re stuck on a project, to have our backs when we contribute radical ideas, or extend grace when we’re dealing with illness or loss, then we will not give our all. Contribution will wane and our teams, organizations, and profits will be lesser for it. By completing the 5 Steps of Bridging, we create the safe spaces—the healthy oases—required to unleash creativity and unlock heightened contribution.
As a leader, your job—and Emily’s—is to ensure all people feel seen, respected, valued, and protected. When you do, you guarantee that both your team and your organization thrive. But you can’t do ANY of that if you don’t enable connections between the people on your team. Bridging helps you do just that.
In our next issue, Emily’s team will continue Bridging by completing the next step: Exploration. This step can elicit highly charged conversations. But, as always, The Waymakers Change Group will provide Emily—and you—with tools to ensure this stage is productive and positive for all people on the team.
Until next time, friends, keep making a way.
The Waymakers Change Group
