Shani Harmon

For every good reason to change the way we work, there are dozens of excuses for why not to. In the decades I’ve been trying to help organizations work in ways that produce joy and productivity, I have encountered every possible type of resistance.

It seems inconceivable that individuals wouldn’t make small changes to their behavior in service of a better workday. Especially when those changes have been proven to lead to more efficient and effective collaboration.

But yet, what we see time and again is initial excitement turning into cynicism when back in the day-to-day. Team members commit to making positive change such as shortening their default meeting duration to create buffer time, but then lose their will when no one else follows suit. Our social brain follows the pack. And when the pack hunkers down in old ways of working, everyone else does too.

So who leads the pack? (That’s a rhetorical question.) Leaders are sending constant, conscious and unconscious cues through their words and actions. We call these “leader signals,” and they’re the primary way teams understand how to behave in order to succeed.

If you’re looking to unleash greater productivity and speed across your team, leverage your own leader signals as a catalyst. Here’s how:

Start with the why

While improving the way teams collaborate ultimately saves exponential time and frustration, it’s not a quick fix. Be clear about your goals and paint a picture of success: “Imagine a world where your day is a balance of thinking time, collaboration, and good meetings. One where we all get the day’s work done within the workday. That’s what we’re striving for.”

Model the change

“Do as I say, not as I do” just isn’t going to cut it when it comes to changing ways of working. For example, if “no meeting Fridays” are part of your plan to carve out focused work time for the team, sneaking in 1:1s and other meetings is going to signal that 1) focus time isn’t really a priority, and 2) ignoring the rest of your new norms is fair game.

When there is misalignment between a leader’s messages and behavior, the team can quickly become disillusioned. Instead, leaders must visibly, vocally, and consistently model the change, even when things get busy (which they will).

Keep communicating

Just like viral news stories fade into the background, so do change efforts. Once the initial hype is over, it can be easy for business as usual to resume. Instead, try maintaining the momentum through deliberate and frequent communications, e.g., “tips of the week” via your messaging channel, regularly spotlighting team success stories, or even tracking stats. (Trying 45-minute meetings instead of an hour? Keep a count of the minutes your team saves over the course of the quarter.)

Provide resources

While an offsite or an all-team workshop is a great way to introduce new practices, one training session isn’t going to be enough to make the change stick. Schedule follow-on sessions to check in on progress and collectively troubleshoot challenges. We also recommend documenting the new norms, ideally along with some tips and tricks for putting them into practice, and posting them in a place where the whole team has easy access.

We get it – change isn’t easy, especially when the work is plentiful and time is scarce. But by prioritizing consistency and communication, your leader signals will drive better ways of working.

 

Forbes