The Leading Edge: Connecting is the First Step to Leading a Team

By: Anza Goodbar

I was first introduced to John Maxwell’s books in the 1990s while I was still figuring out what I wanted to do with my life and career. At the time, I was working for a prominent Christian non-profit that was experiencing explosive growth.  

The IT department, where I had just started working, was undergoing significant changes. Four directors had been removed and a group of out-of-town consultants took charge to oversee the realignment of structure and focus. To my surprise, I was selected to be the point person to help manage the transition.

Out of the blue, I was moved from an invisible position to one that had perceived importance in the reorganization of a highly visible department.  Emotions were raw.  People were deeply loyal and committed to the former management team.  The abrupt change didn’t fit the organization’s paradigm and caused mistrust, resentment, and fear.

I quickly learned what John Maxwell meant when he said, “Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.”  In his best-selling book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, the Law of Influence states that leadership influences people to follow, and management focuses on systems and processes to follow.

Being thrust into this new position as a liaison with the perceived enemy, it was important to connect with our team and regain their trust.  If we were going to succeed as an organization, we needed to pull our team back together and focus on finding a way to build the infrastructure necessary to support the growth and serve our donor base.

I discovered that our staff felt betrayed because they were excluded from the decision-making process.  Up to this point in our department, new ideas were discussed with the team, and everyone had input.  They felt valued and took pride in finding solutions.  Even though most of the team agreed that changes were needed to support the explosive growth and that the current infrastructure was not adequate to support the increased order volume, they were hurt and frustrated because they were not invited to contribute to the changes in the process.

I was fully aware that I was not in a recognized leadership position by our organization; in fact, you wouldn’t see my position on an organization chart.  I had to find another way to influence this group of people to help turn the ship around.  There were rumors of a mass exodus, and that would not have been good for our team morale or the organization.

I knew that, at the heart of the matter, everyone wanted to serve at a high level, and they wanted to feel valued and acknowledged.  There was little I could do but listen and let them vent.  So, this is what I did:

1. I used the concept of common ground to unite our conversations.  I redirected the grumbling and focused on our goal of serving others as our primary mission.  I limited the amount of time team members could gripe and complain.

2. I listened intently without interrupting.  I let them share their feelings and opinions openly and honestly.  I compiled a list of points they made to discuss with the consultants so their ideas could be taken into consideration in the decision-making process.  I assured them that their voice would be heard moving forward.

3. I recognized there was no reason for them to follow me.  I had to show them how much I cared about them and the organization.  Just like John always says, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Significant changes were coming, and I wanted to ease the pain of the transition and help our team see a way forward.

Stanley Huffty says, “It’s not the position that makes the leader, the leader makes the position.”  I certainly found that to be true in the months that followed.  Leading beyond my stated position was not easy, but it was necessary to accomplish the revamping of the IT department and reduce human resources costs to keep the organization afloat.

In the end, the team and the organization were strengthened. Valuable lessons were learned by the executive leadership that was implemented in retooling other departments.  Executive leadership realized the importance of casting a vision that people will follow and preserve trust by communicating and connecting before making drastic changes.

Anza Goodbar is a serial entrepreneur. Born into an entrepreneurial family, she started working in the family business at age 11 by teaching cooking lessons on the weekend.  As a girl who didn’t know what she wanted to be when she grew up, she experimented with several careers before going on to own several multi-million dollar companies. She is the proud mom of four amazing entrepreneurial kids and grandma to an adorable granddaughter. Currently, she teaches leadership and empowerment as part of the John Maxwell Team as a certified trainer, coach, and speaker.  To learn more about Anza, visit her website at www.anzagoodbar.com.