Can you imagine -
You speak Spanish
Your boss speaks German
Your team speak Croatian
How do you effectively communicate and in meaningful ways?
You can learn each others languages (which will take a lot of time & energy)
Hire a translator (can be costly and you know the saying “lost in translation”)
Play charades (may be fun for a while but eventually wears thin & not overly productive)
Communicate in interpretive dance (leaves it open for interpretation and back at square 1)
This was the challenge I experienced at times as a leader & manager of teams, services and projects (particularly early in my career).
Upper management have one set of priorities, pressures and deliverables
That are very different and sometimes viewed as competing to the
Focus, priorities, outcomes and what the team were working to achieve
Then you have a team filled with multiple individuals where -
Everyone else speaks a slightly different language or variation of this (eg. their own set of individual priorities & drivers)
It took me ages to understand why…
I was super invested in work, my career, rarely taking any leave
Yet had staff who would not soon get back from their latest holiday, only to be booking in their next
That was until I figured out -
What the individual drivers and motivators were of everyone around me and more importantly, what that looked like
How to create win:win that has everyone speaking a universal language
Which helped me to successfully -
Grow our team & add more positions when every other team faced budget cuts
Advocate to maintain all existing positions when other departments were being dismantled
Receive funding for additional equipment and upgrades to office spaces
Build a career from a new grad to leading regional teams and statewide services in 8 years
Do you know what everyone around you WANTS?
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