If you didn’t have power, knowledge or influence could you still add value as a leader?  As it works out, many leaders do this and create a reputation for “knowing just the right question to ask”. These leaders seek out situations where they have no relationship, standing or expertise.  In these moments they show up with curiosity (so they can see what is happening) and humility (so they can share their insights in a way the team can hear and absorb).  Curiosity and humility are often drummed out of us early in our careers but we can retrieve them and use them to become more helpful in our day-to-day leadership.

How can you hold a mirror up to your team?  We used to sit in the corner of a meeting room but now we just record a meeting in zoom.  There are six ways an individual can interact with the team and each serves a purpose.  For example, team members can ask questions and this serves to have the team share knowledge.  If there are no questions this is no cross-team learning.  We have created a check list of these 6 interactions.  By simply using this checklist and observing interactions you can hold the mirror up to the team.   Over time the team can build new practices that proliferate and shift team effectiveness.

Were you trained to work on a hierarchical team in the past and are now working increasingly on ‘flat teams’, teams with no nominal leader.  Flat teams require a different set of norms, practices and tools.  We have observed various teams that are effective in their flat team work and have begun to gather together an inventory of “flat team moves”.  These are steps a team can take, each of which helps them manage a specific situation.  For example, when a team is circling around a decision, “structured polling” can help them get unstuck.  When participation is uneven, observation can help the team adjust.