Leadership lessons from the Lionesses.
I'm not sure if you watched the European Championship Football Final on Sunday night, but England won. So even if you have been living under a rock for the last three weeks while the tournament has been taking place, you will have undoubtedly read about the England team's performance and that of the manager, Sarina Wiegman.
Once the final whistle had blown, Sarina was interviewed pitchside, and although it was super short, it made me think that there's a lot we could learn from what she had to say regarding the importance of leadership.
She talked about managing expectations, communication, clarity, and living and breathing the teams' values in about three minutes. Talk about a power-packed interview!
The importance of good leadership and the impact of bad leadership is always a hotly debated topic.
Leadership is no longer about having a specific set of traits that we all adhere to - it's not about having all the answers and solving all the problems, but for a long time, that was the expectation. If we look at the evolution of leadership and start with the great man and trait theory back in the 1800s, we get a real sense that leaders are born, not made. Thomas Carlisle led the 'Great Man Theory approach, and leaders were just thought to be men predominantly. It took well over 140 years to start looking at different leadership styles. As leadership models evolved, there was more focus on employees and maximising shareholder returns. The latest leadership theory is focused on being an authentic leader, and there hasn't been much change since then.
While there has been significant progress in the leadership style of many organisations, many still adopt this original approach from the 1800s; leaders must know all the answers. Often leaders measure their value by how helpful they can be. As a result, there is a temptation that they need to adopt the fixer/superhero mode to solve problems for their teams.
This can put a lot of unnecessary pressure on leaders and managers who haven't trained appropriately for their role - and have become accidental managers - promoted to have managerial responsibilities because they are good at their day job.
So how could you start to embody some of those leadership traits that Sarina Wiegman spoke about? Here are some tips:
Take a step back to pause and reflect before you share an update with your team. Ask yourself - does this provide clarity or create confusion? What do you want the outcome of the meeting/update to be once it's happened, and does my approach mean that will happen?
Over-communicate with your team rather than the opposite, especially when changes are afoot in the organisation. One of the main reasons for conflict in the workplace is a lack of change management communications and the assumption that everyone knows what's happening. Likely, they don't. My Dad always used to say, "Don't assume. It makes an ass out of you and me" - that's kinda stuck.
Use more open questions to foster an inclusive and supportive environment where your team feels empowered to make decisions.
Be patient. It takes time to foster company values and ethos. And even then, it's essential to recognise that while employees may embrace company values, they also have their own, which might not always align. Make sure that the company and team values accurately represent the day-to-day, are reflected in policies and procedures so they are living and breathing throughout, rather than part of a well thought out marketing plan.
Whatever you take away from the game on Sunday or any leadership tips you pick up from this article, take small steps to make a change. It will have more of an impact than you realise.
