A team that excels consists of leadership team mentors and leadership team members. Leadership team members are individuals who remain accountable for the work they are responsible for completing and desire to improve the organization they are working with. Leadership team mentors simultaneously motivate the individual team members towards self-improvement for the good of the organization as well as for their own personal growth.
So how does one become a team mentor rather than a team member? First, team mentors want to build a relationship with their team members. Knowing your team members beyond the work can elevate a team dynamic immensely. For example, a team mentor begins a meeting by asking the team members what they genuinely enjoyed about their time off from work. Likewise, a team mentor may encourage the team to get together outside of the work environment such as a group dinner, enabling the team members to form a more personal bond. Building a relationship with your leadership team member peers will not only improve the working relationship formed but may also influence your team to work harder and more cohesively on projects.
Team mentors create an honest environment and promote active listening. Team mentors encourage their team members to provide honest feedback in terms of successes, challenges, and areas of concern. Team mentors should instill confidence in their team members to speak up and know their voice is heard by the team to increase productivity and eliminate communication barriers. Team mentors also expand this courtesy to their organization as a whole; not only their ingroup of leadership team members. For example, when I held an internal communications leadership position, I began an anonymous Google Form that enabled the entire organization to voice their opinions on what can be improved, their concerns, etc. The organization had about 150 members but our ingroup of leadership members was only 20 representatives; hence, including the voices of the entire organization needed to be incorporated.
Team mentors are optimistic, creative problem solvers. Team mentors spend their time productively preparing for the outcome they desire while acknowledging alternative plans because team mentors understand the likelihood of an unexpected situation. For example, as a student leader in a global pandemic, we were forced to adapt roles, working environments, and the utilization of technology to persist in achieving our mission. Overall, team mentors are confident in their preparation, stay calm under pressure, open to new ideas, and flexible to change in order to achieve the overall success of the organization.
Being a team mentor is obtainable for all members of an organization. First, one must make a conscious effort to build relationships with peers. Second, foster an honest environment. Third, focus on being flexible in terms of problem-solving. Remember to be optimistic and confident in your abilities, which will translate into how you carry yourself, your attitude towards work, and your influence on others.
