Robbin Jorgensen (She/Her)

One of the ways to build trust with your team members as a new manager is to "Design an Alliance" as a team. It's a framework to consciously and intentionally design a relationship(s). How do you want to work together? Outline what they can expect from you and what you would like to expect from them. It clarifies expectations and establishes a strong channel for communication. It builds an active living container that changes over time as the needs of the relationship(s) change. It provides an opportunity to share expectations and hopes, and to build a shared vision for the team.

A great way to identify problems before they become major issues is by having consistent 1:1 meetings with those who report to you. They key word here is consistent. This builds trust and encourages your team to be more open as to what's really going on. It also gives you a "voice of the system" on a weekly basis where you can ask strategic questions to identify any challenges that could potentially lead to major issues. Another great way of identifying problems before they become major issues is to "inspect what you expect". When leaders know what's going on with their team, they can course correct as needed and avoid major issues.

As you are designing any leadership dev. program, a few key things to keep in mind are: Conduct participant interviews ahead of time tailored to what they want to get out of the training, challenges that need addressing, etc. What do you want for them (the participants)? What does success look like? Let that be your anchor. Ensure that the order of the exercises/activities follows a natural arc. For every activity/exercise, identify what you want the participants to get out of it beforehand. Pay attention to what shows up in the room and be flexible enough to adjust the timeline if needed. Pivot in the moment and bring in what's needed. To the degree that you can, have the program be interactive and experiential. Minimize powerpoint.

A great tool to use for minimizing conflict when managing a L&D team is learning how to "design an alliance" with each other. A designed alliance is a framework to consciously and intentionally design relationships. It clarifies expectations, establishes a strong channel for communication and builds an active living container that changes over time as the needs of the relationship (team) changes. It's an opportunity to share expectations and hopes, and to build a shared vision for the team. Each person takes responsibility for the relationship and gives power to it by specifying at the outset—and on-going—what they want to achieve and exactly how they want to be and work together.

Learning the 3 Levels of Listening is essential. Having the ability to determine when each is needed equates to more effective communication. Level 1 - Focus on Self The conversation in our head. Our attention is on ourselves - our thoughts, judgments, opinions, feelings, experiences, needs and desires. Level 2 - Factual Listening Sharp focus on the other person - facts, details, content. Intense listening without much awareness of the outside world. Level 3 - Global Listening Attention is on what is NOT being said - body language, facial expression, tone of voice, circumstances, environment. Everything you observe with your senses - tactile and emotional. It's intuitive. These skills have people feel seen and heard. That they matter.

The two tools below can assist in determining HOW to go about developing a prospective leader by understanding them at a deeper level. Kolbe A Index - This measures a person's instinctive method of operation (M.O.), and identifies the ways they will be most productive. It is the only validated assessment that measures a person's conative strengths. Positive Intelligence (PQ) Assessment - It reveals "saboteurs" that hold this prospective leader back and could sabotage their success. Once you know what they are, you can guide them more effectively.