Let’s talk about how the Fit-Check works, and how you might even run one with your own team.
No one can predict the future. But by checking to see if you’re future-fit, your team can be ready for anything.
Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. I’m the founder of Lead Above Noise—a firm specializing in helping teams and organizations create better working experiences that deliver better results.
One of the things I love most about what I do—like, the dipping in and out of lots of different companies—is the visibility it gives me into what’s really trending. I don’t mean on TikTok or in fashion. I leave that kind of trendspotting to my kids.
No, for me it’s about what’s trending in the realm of workplace curiosity. What’s occupying people’s minds as they move through their days? And where are they looking for support? For insight? For clarity?
In recent months, the questions I’m getting tend to be ones like:
At the heart of all these questions, really, is the anxiety so many leaders are having around leading in a future chock full of uncertainty.
And in these moments, my go-to suggestion is that we begin with a Team Future Fit-Check session. This has become my most requested product in recent months. Because it’s fast, it’s super-informative, and it gives a quick boost of confidence and clarity to the leader and team on how to proceed.
Today, let’s talk about how the Fit-Check works, and how you might even run one with your own team. Though of course, I’m always happy to help if I can!
OK. So the Team Future Fit-Check presumes that a leader’s job in managing a team is to enable team members to do four key things:
1. To deliver – their best work and best ideas with maximum efficiency and impact.
2. To develop – new skills and capabilities, to feel grown and stretched so they’re able to deliver more value while feeling invested in the business.
3. To connect – to feel a sense of kinship with team and customer, to connect with purpose, to feel included so there is safety in speaking up and sharing ideas.
4. To thrive – to be well and whole and recognized, to manage energy feel balanced.
You may have heard me reference these as the Four Pillars of the Employee Experience. But really they’re the heartbeat of all things talent. Because while no one can predict what new tech may emerge, what the economy will do, whether a fresh pandemic has its sights on us—we will always need to deliver, develop, connect, and thrive.
And a leader’s job isn’t to anticipate what’s upcoming, but only to understand how to best support their teams given what we know right now. And this is what the Team Future Fit-Check provides. It doesn’t predict the future (and no—at the end of a session I still can’t tell you how AI will impact your work in 5 years). Nope, it generates a set of actionable insights a leader can use—now and into the future—to enable their teams to Deliver, Develop, Connect, and Thrive.
So let’s talk about some of the questions I love to pose—and how their answers can fuel your team into the future.
A leader’s primary job is to extract the best work—results, ideas, outcomes—from their teams. And while leaders typically mean well, it astounds me how often the leader themself is actually the obstacle to results.
So here are some of the areas we investigate—always with an eye toward “what can we do better?”
· Priorities – Are they clear? Focused? Aligned across team members so we’re all rowing together (versus competing for resources)?
· Tools – Do we have access to the basics of what we need to get our work done? If we’re working remotely or hybrid, do we have the tools we need to collaborate, share information, store resources?
· Decision-making – Are we including the right voices at the right moments? Are we understanding the downstream impacts of our choices? Are we getting them made fast enough?
· Meetings – Do we do them well? How clearly is the purpose defined? Are we over or under-inviting people? How can we make them more effective?
· What can we be doing to better enhance your collective ability to deliver?
Because once a leader has their team effectively getting work done, the next hurdle to leap is to expand each person’s capability. When we grow our skills and abilities, we also grow our confidence—our capacity to do more with less. So here are some spots where we seek ideas.
· Feedback – Do you receive enough? Is it helpful, actionable? Do I receive your feedback effectively? How can I improve my giving and receiving?
· Coaching – What skills are you seeking to expand, and who are the right people to help move you forward? Can I facilitate introductions? How can I better support you?
· Learning – Do you have access to courses and content to help you grow? Are you able to carve out time to learn? Is there anyone in our organization you’d like to learn from?
· On-the-job opportunities – Where can I better challenge you in your current job? What should I be delegating? What responsibilities would help you feel ready for the next level?
Because when teams feel a sense of connection—to the organization, its customers, its purpose. When they feel trusted by and safety with team members. They feel included and represented. These are the conditions that allow amazing ideas to rise to the top.
· Team connection – How are we doing at using our “together” time wisely? How is our balance of in-person and remote? What can we be doing to enhance our sense of connection to each other? How can I support your confidence in speaking up?
· Purpose – How much care do you feel for the work you’re doing? Can you see how your daily tasks impact our customers? How can we infuse a greater sense of purpose into your day?
· Inclusion – Do you feel like your opinion is valued? Do you know when and how to share your ideas? Do you feel safe asking “dumb” questions? What can I do to better invite a diversity of voices?
Because wellness—emotional, physical, energetic wellness—matters deeply. We will never do great work, grow new skills, or connect meaningfully with each other if we’re struggling to just get through the day. So we explore…
· Balance – How well are you able to set and hold boundaries? How do you feel about your ability to “keep up” with the work? Do you feel supported? Are you able to give your personal life the attention it deserves?
· Recognition– How appreciated do you feel for the work you’re doing? Do we do a good enough job celebrating small wins as well as big ones? How do you like to feel recognized?
· Finding help – Do you feel safe in asking for help when you’re feeling overwhelmed? Do you trust your colleagues to offer you help? How well do our programs, benefits, and wellness resources support you?
Now when I run these checks, I don’t just fire off all of these questions like a human survey. I use them to guide an honest and open discussion. I probe and explore and solicit suggestions and ideas from the team that I turn into intelligence for the leader.
These ideas become the roadmap that ready a team to deliver, develop, connect, and thrive no matter what madness the world throws their way.
I hope this feels like a helpful start to a conversation you’d like to have with your team. And if I can help, please don’t be shy. Find me anytime at rachel@leadabovenoise.com.
Wishing you luck. Now and in the future!
Join me next week for another great episode. Until then, visit my website at leadabovenoise.com if your organization is looking to dial up its Employee Experience or deliver some leadership development that activates change. You can follow Modern Mentor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Find and follow me on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening and have a successful week.