Leaders should encourage a culture of “trial and success”

The future of leadership will increasingly be marked by a model where collective decision-making and shared responsibility are the norm. Leaders will enable, not dictate. They will promote a culture where each team member is empowered to take initiative.

According to Mark Emdin, an experienced team coach, this inclusive approach will not only lead to stronger and more agile teams, but will also ensure that the team’s internal strengths are utilized for greater innovation and long-term success. Mark Emdin has already been with us at last year’s #loveHR Summit, where he impressed with a lecture on how improvisation can enhance the efficiency of work in teams. This year, he will discuss strategies for building teams that maintain high levels of energy, creativity, and motivation.

What are the most common issues that teams face in today’s work environment and what approach is best for resolving those issues?

All teams are unique however there are a few common issues that they face. One prevalent issue is the lack of a unifying and compelling team purpose. Without this, team efforts can become disjointed, leading to diminished motivation and productivity. The remedy lies in crafting a purpose that is clear, challenging, and consequential, aligning organizational goals, stakeholder expectations and personal values of the team members. This purpose should be regularly revisited and if needed updated to ensure it remains relevant and engaging.

Another common challenge is the absence of aligned and effective ways of working. Teams often suffer from ill-defined roles, inadequate decision-making processes, or unclear communication channels. I often see teams jump straight into doing their work without aligning on ‘how’ they need to work together. To resolve these issues, it’s crucial to establish and adhere to a well-designed framework, such as the 6 Team Conditions Framework, which emphasizes the importance of a real team, right people, and compelling purpose, supported by a sound structure, supportive context, and team coaching. This structure not only clarifies roles and responsibilities but also supports a cohesive effort towards the team’s goals.

In both cases, always start by answering the question, ‘what is the work that this team needs to accomplish?’

What strategies do you use to maintain high levels of energy, creativity, and motivation in teams? And how do you measure and assess the energy dynamics within a team?

The key here is for the team itself to determine what works best, not for me as a coach or facilitator telling them what to do. Maintaining high levels of energy and motivation in teams is a dynamic process that hinges on creating an environment of psychological safety. This allows team members to voice their ideas and take risks, thereby enhancing their intrinsic motivation and engagement.

Leaders have a crucial role in defining the team’s overarching goals and vision, which provides a clear sense of purpose and direction – and then ‘get out of the way’. By empowering the team to devise their own strategies and processes to achieve these goals, leaders can foster a sense of ownership and autonomy that is highly motivating. Conversely, micromanagement can stifle creativity, lead to disengagement and a lack of motivation. No one likes to be micromanaged. 

Finally, it can be very powerful having a coach alongside the team. A coach, particularly a relational team coach, works with the team identifying and addressing underlying issues that may affect team morale. They can step out or above the task and read the room, notice what is happening and then invite the team itself to reflect. Here I have found great value in my ORSC and relational team coaching training.

How do you identify and nurture hidden talents within teams?

Effective teams leverage the diversity, skill and talents that exist within the team. To unearth these, it’s essential for a team leader to sometimes take a step back, adopting a more facilitative rather than directive role. This approach allows team members to step forward and take the initiative, often revealing abilities and interests that were not previously visible. Leaders can encourage this by creating opportunities for team members to lead projects or components of work that align with their skills or interests which they’re passionate about, even if these don’t fall within their formal job descriptions.

One effective method is the implementation of ‘self-directed work teams’ where team members set their own goals and choose the methods to achieve them within the parameters of a project. This autonomy can reveal leadership, organizational, and creative skills that may go unnoticed in a more rigidly structured work environment.

Leaders should also encourage a culture of ‘trial and success’, where risk-taking is supported, and failure is not penalized but seen as a growth opportunity. This environment can lead to team members showcasing skills they might have been hesitant to use.

Can you share an example where your approach helped a team achieve a breakthrough?

I recent worked with a senior country manager and her leadership team in the FMCG sector. This was an existing team with her as a new team leader. What was great is that the leader and team recognised that becoming a high performing team is a continuous journey rather than a singular event. This allowed my role to shift between facilitation with coaching.

I started by working with the team leader in drafting a compelling team purpose and team norms or ways of working. This groundwork led to a two-day ‘launch’ workshop where the team sharpened the purpose aligned with immediate team goals, and cemented their collaborative norms and mutual expectations. 

A pivotal moment came when, a month in, the team completed the Team Diagnostic Survey (TDS) informed by the 6 Team Conditions framework. This self-assessment pinpointed areas for growth and established a benchmark for progress tracking. 

I then shifted to take more a relational coaching stance where I worked alongside the team. This method brought focus to relational patterns and the essential interpersonal connections that underpin team cohesion. A significant breakthrough with this team was when they recognised their tendency to avoid challenging or difficult discussions due to being too polite with each other. Together, we developed respectful yet direct communication strategies for moving conversations along or not allowing previous decisions to be reopened. 

Nine months later, a second TDS revealed marked improvements in team performance and alignment. This mirrored the positive feedback from their internal employee survey. The leadership’s evolution was evident, but the most profound outcome was the team’s strengthened bond—with each other, their mission, and those they led. Their efforts were recognised by others including regional leaders who were explicit about this teams impact across the business.

Which current trends in leadership and team building excite you the most?

Amongst the many there are three trends that excite me.

The first is in how organisations are starting to see the importance of leaders as team leaders. For many years, leadership training curricula has focused on “leading self, leading others, and leading the organisation”. When we look closely at leading others the content tends to be on one-to-one relationships, giving feedback and for example holding a GROW conversation. We are slowly seeing a change in leadership development programmes as they give more attention to leaders leading teams. At the end of the day, leadership is a team sport – the team I lead and the leadership team I am on. Another way to look at this is shifting the focus from developing emergent leaders, those that rise through the ranks quickly, to effective leaders, those that deliver results through the teams they lead. The folks at Hogan Assessments have written some great articles on this and my colleagues at 6 Team Conditions have developed leadership development materials that put the leaders as team leaders front and centre. 

The second is the approach that some organisations are taking to organisation change. Namely, addressing change management through the lens of teams. Teams offer a diverse range of perspectives and a robust support system, fostering a sense of shared ownership in the change process. When teams are involved in designing and implementing change, they are more likely to buy into the new direction and work collaboratively to overcome challenges. This collaborative approach not only increases the likelihood of successful adoption in the short term but also ingrains the change into the team’s culture, ensuring its longevity and integration into everyday practices.  

The third is the topic of micro cultures. These exist within teams. They are the unique and dynamic interpersonal ecosystems that influence team members more directly and consistently than the broader organizational culture. It is often difficult for teams to make meaning of high level culture statements crafted in a boardroom on the other side of the world. It’s the micro cultures that truly galvanize team members, driving engagement and collaboration. They create an immediate and tangible impact on daily interactions and can become powerful catalysts for team cohesion, leading to higher performance and more effective integration of organizational values at the ground level. As Charlotte Sills beautifully writes ‘team culture is the result of the interplay of individual and organisational scripts’.

Are there any trends or practices that you find problematic or overrated?

It may spark debate, but I believe current inclusion training often misses the mark. The expectation that attending workshops on unconscious bias automatically leads to a more inclusive team is not backed by research. Such training usually adopts a generic approach, focuses on the short-term, and often fails to provide actionable steps, sometimes even causing a counterproductive reaction. There’s a common misconception equating a team’s visible diversity, or optical diversity, with its inclusive culture. Real inclusion goes beyond appearances, diving into how we appreciate and integrate the diverse perspectives within a team.

What we need is inclusion training that nurtures inclusive leadership and an inclusive mindset, deeply rooted in a team’s everyday activities—making it practical and impactful. Transformative change requires ongoing effort, not just a one-off session. To address these issues, my colleague Carolyn Pickard and I have created a four-part learning series for teams. This program actively reinforces inclusive experiential learning. It blends the best of DEI practices with team theory. It is tailored to the unique context, needs and composition of each team whilst aligning with organizational inclusion goals. 

I also worry about team leaders who are driven to “implement agile”. The agile methodology was originally designed for specific environments like software development and is increasingly being touted as a universal solution, which I find to be overrated. Its widespread application across all types of projects, regardless of their suitability for an iterative, flexible approach, can create as many issues as it seeks to resolve. There is a difference between being agile (verb) and the agile methodology (noun). Teams do need to be reflective and responsive to their changing environment and context, having an agile mindset. This is very different to implementing agile. 

How might technology impact teams in the future? 

In contemplating the future impact of technology on teams, it’s essential to explore this through the dual role that teams play; team tasks—how teams function—and performance tasks—what teams accomplish. Technological advances during the pandemic have significantly enhanced our ability to connect, with VR bringing even the most distant members into the ‘room.’ Communication platforms like WhatsApp, Signal, and collaborative tools like Miro are now integral, allowing teams to seamlessly alternate between joint and independent work.

On the performance side, AI, particularly generative AI, is revolutionizing many team performance tasks. Teams are employing AI for meeting transcription, summaries, and automating project management tasks, like tracking metrics for report generation. Organisations are investing heavily into people data analytics to look deeply into performance and employee engagement. Such automation frees team members to engage in more intellectually demanding work, enhancing productivity and focus on tasks requiring critical thought.

However, these developments bring challenges, stirring anxiety among senior leaders and those less tech-adept. Organizations grapple with hybrid work models, data security, and technological cohesion. Even routine decisions, like camera usage during virtual meetings or managing notification etiquette, raise complex questions about workplace norms. Companies are also grappling with emerging ethical dilemmas that come with working with AI.

The key to leveraging technology effectively lies in leadership’s ability to integrate these tools in ways that strengthen team bonds and individual well-being. I do believe there will always be a place for human interaction and connection. Ultimately, the success of teams in a technologically advanced future will hinge on their ability to harness digital tools while nurturing the interpersonal connections that underpin collaborative success.

Studies show that everyone, including leaders, should “pause” – take breaks to be more effective at work. How do you promote work-life balance within teams?

There are two aspects to this question that I would like to cover. The first is to rephrase the label of work-life balance. Work is part of our lives and vice versa. The boundaries are every more blurred and we need to acknowledge this. Each of us make choices as to what this mix is, and we are seeing shifts in areas such as working from home or remote working, more part time work and even people having multiple jobs.

Key here is to have open and direct conversations within the team about the needs of each team member. Needs in terms of requirements at home, needs in terms of personal development and growth and needs with respect to help and support from colleagues. This all starts by having clear priorities on what work is important at a team and individual level. 

The second aspect is for teams, and leaders, to slow down. I too often hear leaders saying, “but Mark, we are an action orientated and delivery focused organisation!”. I am yet to walk into a leader who says the opposite. Sometimes we need to just slowdown! That is, go slow to go fast. The benefit of this lies in taking the time to ensure clarity, buy-in, and proper planning, which ultimately leads to more efficient execution and fewer mistakes down the line and less stress. I worked with an executive leadership team who were habitually frustrated with their team meetings. After observing them in action I noticed that they were trying to define complex organisation challenges, develop solution options and move to implementation all in the 45-minutes that had been allocated on the agenda. Because they were too action focused, not everyone had a chance to share their points of view, ideas, or concerns. The result was topics would continually be reopened. We addressed this by changing the patterns of behaviour within the team and slowing down the conversations. We separated out problem identification and collection of divergent ideas from developing options for the team to explore and then finally converging on a preferred outcome. This was often done over three separate meetings. The result was better quality decisions making with higher levels of commitment and follow through. 

What advice would you give to someone looking to improve their leadership and team-building skills?

To enhance your leadership and team-building skills, start by grasping the essence of what makes a team effective. There has been much written on this and it is important for all of us to develop our own point of view. My suggestion is to familiarize yourself with frameworks like the 6 Team Conditions, which provide a structured understanding of team dynamics. Read the work of Peter Hawkins on system team coaching and Michael West’s book on effective teams. 

I would also encourage those working with or leading teams to develop an understanding of organisation systems. At the end of the day, a team is a system of relationships and operates within a web of external relationships. I have very much valued the Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC) workshops I have attended. 

It’s also vital to understand the distinct roles you may play: as a team coach, you’ll guide the team through challenges; as a facilitator, you’ll help them find consensus and encourage participation; and as a trainer, you’ll provide them with new knowledge and skills. It is important to be able to flex our styles and role. I love the way that the academic Laura Hauser refers to this as shape-shifting.

Finally, remember, as a leader, the onus of building and refining your team rests with you. While HR and consultants can offer support and expertise, they complement rather than replace your leadership in fostering a strong, effective team.

How do you see the future of leadership and team building?

I am excited by the future of team leadership and team building, particularly as it mirrors the shift in organizational design from traditional top-down hierarchies to more fluid and open systems. This evolution will advance the promotion of leaders who truly place the power and wisdom of teams at the forefront of their leadership philosophy. Embracing emotional agility will be key, as leaders guide diverse teams with compassion and foster an environment where every member feels understood and valued, thereby driving collective innovation and problem-solving.

We read and hear a lot about teams and leaders needing to be agile and respond quickly to changes in context. The move towards organic organizational structures will also spur leaders to cultivate adaptability within their teams, preparing them to pivot quickly and effectively in response to emerging challenges and opportunities. This will necessitate leaders who are not only change agents themselves but who can also instil a culture of resilience and continuous learning within their teams.

Incorporating these organic systems, future leadership will increasingly be characterized by a shared and distributed model, where collaborative decision-making and joint responsibility are the norm. Leaders will facilitate rather than dictate, encouraging a culture where each team member is empowered to take initiative. This inclusive approach will not only lead to more robust and agile teams but will also ensure that the innate strengths of the team are leveraged for greater innovation and long-term success.

Finally, the coaching role of the team leader will take on greater strategic importance. We are seeing through both research and direct experience that the level of coaching skill of the team leader has a direct impact on the effectiveness of the team’s skill and awareness in areas of business knowledge, team routines and practices and relationships with others across the organisation. Organizations are encouraged to invest in nurturing these competencies among their managers and team leaders, ensuring that coaching methods are finely tuned to the unique temperaments and dynamics of both managers and their teams. Moreover, it’s advisable for organizations to adopt a more holistic approach to assessing the impact of coaching, to truly capture its breadth and depth within the team’s operational framework.