Don't Micromanage: How to lead teams and do great work

We had a great time “attending” the Netroots Nation at Home conference this year. While we missed seeing our friends and live karaoke, it was wonderful to have a lively group of people chatting about management with us.

We’re happy to share both the session recording and slides for you to see. And of course, if you want to talk more about how to not micromanage your own team, let us know! We’re here to help.

Don't Micromanage LOLA ELFMAN Founder & CEO How to lead teams & deliver results

Your org’s DEI needs

I’m writing today with two hats on - as a parent and partner in a mixed race family and as a white, cis-gendered female CEO of a start-up company focused on people focused leadership and management development in the social good space.

This last week has been a roller coaster of emotions ranging from frightening, enraging, exhausting, and inspiring. Like many of you, I’ve tried to figure out what I could do right this second for my clients, my country, and my family. I thought “OMG I have to create our own checklist!” and be on the list bandwagon. But I don’t, there are some really good ones out there, and that’s not where I can be most impactful right now. 

I want to acknowledge here that I read two amazing posts by Janine Hill and Tylea Simone that spoke to the part of my wearing the “white lady CEO hat” and is shaping my own thinking. First, Janine Hill'’s “A Note to Potential DEI Clients” was a reminder that you can’t blindly throw the hot potato of “give me DEI training!” request on BIPOC consultants. And then Tylea Simon’s “Defund Diversity & Inclusion” is a necessary smack in the face checklist of the problems that I guarantee are happening in your workplace right now that will not be solved by a single DEI training.

So, yes, while I want you to keep reading my post. I want you to PAUSE and read those first. I’ll wait….

Done? Ok great. Moving on.

I know you’ve likely seen many of the great resources circulating, maybe you’ve been a little overwhelmed by the “75 things you can do right now!” and then you landed on posting a status like “Does anyone have a D&I trainer they’d recommend. Thanks in advance!”

Ok, that’s great… I think all staff need good equity and inclusion training. But like Janine and Tylea said, you have to engage more deeply to address the systems that are perpetuating inequity and racism, such as salary levels, promotion processes, and leadership diversity in addition to training for your staff.

Remember also that DEI consultants being swamped with these requests, they are processing their own feelings and experiences, and they are not here to give you their time for free.

Here is your homework:

Assess and identify your organization’s challenge areas, outline some types of consultation and training you need, ask for a broader assessment, and name your commitment and investment clearly.

Consider it your proposal demonstrating your commitment to prospective trainers and consultants sot hey can choose if they want to work with you, not vice versa. 

Here’s your assessment checklist

• Actions: What is your organization’s response right now? What actions are being taken to back up those statements and are they only performative?  

• Leadership: What does your board and leadership look like? Are you committed to making changes? What are the roadblocks? 

• Resources & Investment: What does your budget and timeline for this investment look like? Are you ready to add those budget lines and capacity allocations to your long term roadmaps?

• Compensation & Promotions: What does your compensation, promotion, bonus, and reward program look like? How does it benefit some employees over others? What is your commitment to make the immediate and long term changes needed to shift any inequities? 

• Commitment: What is the personal commitment of you, your leadership, and staff to this work? What is the appetite for change? 

• Transparency: What is your commitment to being transparent with your staff, board, and future employees?

Guess what, your answer won’t be “I’m going to be an A+ student and we’re so great, look at us!”

Your answer needs to acknowledge that this process will be long, that it will take some hard conversations, it will lead to actual changes in policies and staff, and that some of that may fall on leadership (and you) personally. 

That’s hard. I get it. But it’s where the real change to address how organizations - yes even the ones in the Democratic, progressive, do-gooder movement - are reinforcing the very structures we are working to fix.

So what can we help you with here at DevelopWell? A lot of this. We can start with an assessment and analysis before creating an action plan and timeline. We can, and will, connect you with consultants who can do other parts of training and consultation that fit their expertise better.

• Strategic planning and program management processes

• Decision making processes

• Promotions, raises, and rewards systems

• Management, performance, and growth plans

• HR policies, handbooks, and practices

• Recruitment, retention, and offboarding practices, 

• Leadership development programs

• Team culture practices

Let’s talk through it. Bring me your thoughts (even half baked ones) and I’ll help you out. Let me shoulder that hot potato with you, not our BIPOC partners.

Because for me personally, for my family, for my work and belief that we can shift the structures and systems that will make my kids’ lives better, I am all in. Are you? 

Lola

How to support your team through re-opening

There's a lot of talk about re-opening and good conversation about what the timing is on workplaces, schools, and other services being safe again. End of summer? End of 2020? A year from now?

The data and the personal preferences are mixed, because even if physical offices do re-open, not all staff will be in a position to go in regularly. I've heard from a lot of folks that they are planning to continue a remote work set-up for the foreseeable future.

So even with those big decisions and logistics, we still think there are some key ways to position your team for support and success while adapting and maintaining some “knowns” in a sea of unknowns.

Here’s our list:

1. Be nice to your staff. Basic, I know. But send them flowers, soup, a wishlist item on their birthday and work-anniversary. People will appreciate it.

2. Be flexible. Every time a schedule shifts, schools change online learning, or something changes, people have a longer adjustment period and may need to shift their working schedules as other priorities change. 

3. Book that summer vacation! Really, do it. All of you. Even if travel isn’t possible, everyone needs a lengthy period of time away from work obligations to rest, recharge, or even do some needed life-admin. (Hint: we’re thinking of all taking the same week off in July but we know other orgs are staggering vacations…)

4. Be a Policy Wonk. It’s time to dig into those leave policies and employee guidelines you may have been avoiding updating. If you need help understanding how to navigate FMLA, short term disability, or the HEROES Act, we can help you ask the right questions about options for your team.

5. Invest in your team. Folks needs skills to adapt and be successful in their new work context. Offer and pay for workshops to bolster new skills, bring in an expert or guest speaker to talk to your team, host a virtual retreat, or sign up for management training (sneak preview… we’ll have some starting soon!) 

We know this is hard and we’re navigating through it all right there with you. We’re inspired by everyone’s resiliency, honesty, and ability to take action in all of this. Amazing. 

If you or someone on your team wants to chat about how to support your team, we’re here to chat!

Supporting your people through it all

I’m writing to you from my couch with a toddler on top of me. Literally. We’re watching our 239th animal documentary that I’ve counted as “science class” while the younger kiddo naps. 

In between episodes I’ve been having very real conversations with Executive Directors and their senior staff about short and long-term planning for their orgs. There’s a common set of takeaways: understand your org’s financial picture and support your people. 

For many organizations, the financial picture is scary and some of you have already had to take the painful step to furlough or lay off staff. I’m really sorry.  

For others, there’s some more time. And while it may seem counterintuitive to focus on staff support and retention right now, it’s not. 

While people aren’t eager to go on the job hunt, no one wants to feel trapped or taken advantage of in their current workplace. How people are treated now will characterize both your organizational culture and your leadership in the long run. Even if you have to let people go, your actions and approach with your people before, during and after that process will have an impact on your remaining team and even on future hires. 

My most simple guidance is that you not hold your breath and wait for this all to pass. It’s clear that this won’t be over any time soon and there will be some hard choices.

Ok, so what are some immediate things you can do for your team? Here you go. 

1. Take the pulse of your team. How are they doing? What other obligations are on their plate? Do they need an adapted work schedule or set up?  What is one thing that would help them right away?

2. Focus on the short term with an eye towards the long term. At a minimum, folks should be preparing to work from home through the summer (despite what certain states are saying right now). Focus on what your team needs to do that successfully, while also setting up building blocks for having a full- or partially-”work from home” team for up to 12 months.

3. Create a task force or small group focused on this. This is a lot to manage and you don’t have to do it alone. In fact, please don’t. Pull together a range of people from your team - across management levels, departments, and current capacity - to help think through options, put plans in place, and communicate with your teams. The rest of the team will feel relief knowing that *someone* is focused on what’s next and that they will get updates on that plan. 

There are a lot more details to navigate, I know. These won’t fix all of your problems, but they are some concrete action steps that will help the people on your team focus their time and energy on their work as fully as possible. 

Next we’ll talk about ways to offer individual support for people on your team, including approaches to policies, flexible work schedules, and manager support. 

And of course, if you need to talk anything through, we’re here to help. 

In social-distance solidarity from the couch, 

Lola