Author: Jaswant Kaur
Those fears can run deep. But here’s the thing about fear. If you don’t have power over fear, fear will have power over you.
January 2nd, 2024, marked a significant milestone in our pursuit of fostering leadership and cohesive teamwork at Protsahan. The day unfolded as a transformative journey, facilitated by Swati and Agyatmitra from Play for Peace, nudging us to challenge the status quo, thereby illuminating key areas of growth for our team. For organizations, self-improvement requires humility and a willingness to “look naive.” That’s where the starting line begins!
The session was a meticulously curated endeavour with the organization’s Board, not just an ‘activity,’ designed to foster a deeper understanding of communication nuances within our team. As we embarked on this strategic investment of time and resources, the profound exercise revolved around arranging cards in alphabetical order. Each flip of the card uncovered layers of insight, revealing the intricacies of team dynamics and the importance of crystal-clear communication pathways.
Critical Insights from the Engagement:
Precision in Communication: It’s crucial to ensure everyone comprehends a plan or strategy uniformly before execution, as interpretations can vary widely.
Diversity of Perspectives: Recognizing and embracing the diverse experiences and viewpoints within our team emerged as a cornerstone for effective and cohesive teamwork.
Comfort in Inquiry: Cultivating an environment where team members feel comfortable asking questions is vital to prevent misunderstandings later on.
Listening to Silence: Paying attention to quieter voices during discussions is as important as addressing louder ones.
The subsequent session was not merely an ‘activity’; it was a purposeful exploration into the intricacies of leadership styles based on the No-Doze Leadership Framework. Participants were categorized into archetypes, revealing valuable insights into their approaches to problem-solving, decision-making, and empathetic team collaboration. To briefly explain these quadrants, the relationship masters are good at expressing themselves while they won’t generally take an unpopular stance. The Analysts are information seekers, full of ideas but they generally find it difficult to make decisions in time. The drivers are quick at taking decisions, like to give information but are mostly in a hurry and at times solve the wrong problem and do not like to consult everyone. Spontaneous motivators instill a lot of energy in the group, motivate others but generally do not learn from past mistakes. They start off well but may leave things in between if they lose interest.
Navigating Pathways to Growth:
Post-reflection, each team member identified personal areas of development and self-crafted tailored plans for the next three months with their buddies as accountability partners. Collaborating with these accountability partners, a commitment was made to embark on a journey of continuous improvement and mutual support.
This strategic investment in cultivating grassroots leadership and fostering a culture of collaborative excellence at Protsahan is poised to not only impact the communities we serve but also catalyze personal and professional growth within our team. If everyone is moving forward together with deep self awareness, then success will take care of itself.
Our people matter. Their growth matters.
