6 Comments
User's avatar
Michelle L Smith's avatar

A smallish company (18 staff) I worked with found itself at an inflection point. We'd spent a long time with blurred lines of job descriptions and titles and the cracks were showing. We spent 2 days with a consultant who took us through The Birkman Assessment. I learned so much about my own style of decision-making and leadership. Better still, I learned how best to interact with others and they with me.

Expand full comment
Kathy Wu Brady's avatar

I love that you saw the cracks and then chose to get support to help you through it. I haven't experienced The Birkman Assessment, but I appreciate the tip!

I've gone through led programs that use Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, and Patrick Lencioni's Working Genius model.

I think any program that helps you facilitate dialogue and create greater trust to help your team work through the more gnarly subjects is worth the investment. I'm a big believer that sometimes you have to go slow in order to go fast.

Expand full comment
Matt DiGeronimo's avatar

Hi Kathy. As a decades-long author, thinker, and leadership practitioner, I was beginning to think that I had “heard it all.” Thank you for disabusing me of this notion. This “operating manual” is amazing, and quite frankly, if I were king for a day, I would make this a requirement for every leader of teams. I will work on mine this weekend and share it with my team next week. Thank you!!

-Matt

https://curiousleaders.substack.com/

Expand full comment
Kathy Wu Brady's avatar

Thanks, Matt! It's one of the most useful tools I learned from another colleague and I'm simply passing it forward. I think every organization should have this concept as a default. You can get so much more done and done well if you sync up how you work, not just what you do.

Expand full comment
Wendy Scott's avatar

Fantastic idea Kathy, as an operating manual ensures that people share how they like to work in a non-threatening environment.

A few more questions could be:

How do you like to be rewarded?

How much social interaction do you like at work?

What sort of environment do you need to do your best work?

How much notice do you need before being asked for input?

Are there any days or times when you need to work uninterrupted?

Expand full comment
Kathy Wu Brady's avatar

These questions are wonderful. Thank you for sharing, Wendy!

Expand full comment