curiousity Archives - Let's Grow Leaders

Leadership Skills for More Teamwork and Better Problem Solving

David Dye — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 10:00:05 +0000

What if mastering your leadership potential and fostering more teamwork started with mastering yourself? Are you ready to discover how self-mastery can transform your team’s performance and spark creativity?

In today’s fast-paced world, leaders struggle to juggle endless demands while inspiring their teams. This episode dives into the three dimensions of power—power over, power with, and personal power—helping you become a more mindful and purpose-driven leader. Whether you’re seeking to build stronger teamwork, co-create with your team, or tap into your intuition, this episode equips you with actionable strategies to stay ahead.

Here’s what you’ll gain from listening:

A clear framework for understanding and applying the three dimensions of power in your leadership.
Techniques to frame problems creatively and unlock your team’s collective genius.
Strategies to master your mind and emotions, enabling you to lead authentically and foster trust.

Don’t miss this episode—press play now to uncover the secrets to leading with clarity, connection, and creativity and become the leader your team deserves.

Unlocking Self-Mastery and Personal Power to Foster More Teamwork

[00:32] – Meet Lisa Danel

In this episode, we’re joined by Lisa Danels, founder and executive director of Human Edge and author of The Human Edge Advantage: Mastering the Art of Being All In. Lisa shares her expertise in unlocking leadership potential, fostering more teamwork, and creating authentic connections in the workplace.

[02:12] – Early Leadership Lessons

Lisa reflects on her childhood and how self-awareness and emotional clarity helped her develop her leadership skills. She emphasizes how mastering yourself can lead to stronger teamwork and better decision-making.

[05:30] – The End of Command-and-Control Leadership

Lisa explains why traditional “command and control” leadership doesn’t work in today’s fast-paced, collaborative workplaces. Discover how shifting to “power with” can inspire teamwork and innovation.

[13:08] – The Power of Asking Better Questions

Learn how clarifying, empowering, and igniting questions can help leaders unlock their team’s creativity and encourage more teamwork. Lisa also shares the pitfalls of close-ended questions that limit progress.

[18:39] – The Three Types of Power

Lisa dives into “power over,” “power with,” and “personal power,” highlighting how personal mastery enhances your ability to lead collaboratively and build more teamwork across your team.

Co-Creation and Framing for Innovation

[33:11] – Framing Problems for Collective Genius

Lisa outlines how leaders can frame problems in a way that unlocks collective creativity. She shares strategies for fostering more teamwork by encouraging every team member to contribute their unique ideas.

[35:54] – Bringing a Brick, Not a Cathedral

Lisa introduces the concept of co-creation through “bringing a brick, not a cathedral,” where leaders provide the framework and allow their teams to build solutions together, leading to stronger teamwork and more innovative results.

[37:29] – Walking Around the Problem

Lisa discusses how stepping back and viewing problems from multiple angles leads to systemic solutions. This approach promotes deeper collaboration and, ultimately, more teamwork within the team.

[39:22] – Improv and Leadership

Discover how the principles of improv—like being fully present and co-creating moment by moment—can strengthen teamwork and spark creative breakthroughs within your team.

[41:01] – Practical Steps for Self-Mastery and Team Connection

Lisa wraps up by emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and curiosity for leaders. These traits not only enhance your personal leadership but also inspire more teamwork and authentic connections in your organization.

The post Leadership Skills for More Teamwork and Better Problem Solving appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Creative Teams: 12 Habits That Foster Curiosity and Collaboration

Karin Hurt and David Dye — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 10:00:48 +0000

Creative teams stay open to what’s possible and explore alternative perspectives.

One of the fastest ways to get to the root cause of a workplace conflict is to show up genuinely curious about the other person’s perspective. Your sincere curiosity helps people feel seen and gives you a better understanding of what it will take to solve a problem.

This is often the hardest part of constructive conflict because you have your point of view for a reason. It’s hard to be curious when you feel angry or disrespected. And yet… the cool thing about curiosity is that when you ask a good question, it automatically helps pull you out of that reactivity. It’s hard to be angry and genuinely curious at the same time.

Great teams stay curious and creative. They show up genuinely interested in other perspectives and what’s possible.

And, curiosity is one of those skills that can feel hard to teach. Do, we’ve curated this list of curiosity habits and resources to make it easier to infuse curiosity into your team’s culture.

Click here to hear more of our thoughts on curiosity and collaboration.

Note: This is part three of our four-part “Better Teamwork” series. You can check out the other dimensions and their powerful habits here.

Part 1: Better Teamwork: 12 Practical Habits to Build Deeper Connection.

Part 2: Great Teams: 12 Practical Collaboration Habits to Create Clarity

Part 4: Create Commitment: 12 Habits that Build Agreement and Accountability

12 Habits to Foster More Curiosity and Creativity on Your Team

1. Seek New Approaches

Habit: I explore possibilities and look for alternative paths to achieve goals.

In today’s fast-paced, uncertain world, it doesn’t make sense to keep doing what you’re doing without serious conversation about whether the status quo still makes sense. Creative teams learn from what’s working (and are honest about what’s not). They’ve got an eye out for new ways of working.

You can download our FREE I.D.E.A. Incubator Guide Here.

2. Challenge Assumptions

Habit: I ask provocative questions to help us think at a deeper level.

This habit is about peeling back layers, not to be contrarian, but to understand deeply and maybe find a better, more effective path.

Here are a few questions to ask to inspire more creativity in your team:

How would our competitors approach this problem?
How would we handle this issue if our budget was cut in half?
What would happen if we did the opposite of our plan?

3. Change My Mind

Habit: I’m open to new information, insights, and perspectives—and am willing to change course

The willingness to change your mind doesn’t signify weakness or indecisiveness; rather, it’s a strength, a testament to your intellectual flexibility and curiosity.

It means being open to new ideas, perspectives, and evidence, even if they challenge long-held beliefs or opinions. In a world brimming with diverse viewpoints and groundbreaking discoveries, the ability to adapt and reconsider is not just beneficial, it’s essential.

Related Article How to Work for an Indecisive Boss

4. Try New Things

Habit: I regularly step into the unfamiliar or uncomfortable to do what we haven’t done before.

Creative teams are willing to experiment. If you want to build this habit on your team, one way to do this is through a “mini personal experiment.” We’re also big believers in trying new things with a carefully measured pilot.

Related Article: HBR How to Scale a Successful Pilot

5. Share Ideas

This habit is about sharing best practices and proactively speaking up to share your ideas, which if you’ve been hanging around us for a while you know we’re all about this.

Habit: I’m on the lookout for new approaches and confidently bring them up

Psychological Safety: Why People Don’t Speak Up at Work

6. Take Appropriate Risks

(P.S. These habits are all part of our SynergyStack System. Learn more here).

Habit: I make decisions doing the best we can with the information we have.

7. Invite Input

Habit: I ask for ideas, information, and perspective.

This is more than saying ideas are welcome, or that you have an open door. What matters most is to make a habit of proactively asking in different ways.

For example, build a cadence of asking for input into your one-on-ones, and executive visits. This is a great place to start.

And Article: Empower Your Team to Make Better Decisions

8. Ask First

Closely related to the invite input habit above, this one can be tricky when you’re passionate and have lots of great ideas.

A few Powerful Phrases that come in handy here.

“I’m curious what this looks like from your perspective.” and “Tell me more.”

Habit: Before stating my perspective, I invite others into the conversation.

9. Ask Courageous Questions

Habit: I ask practical, specific questions that make us better.

We love Courageous Questions because they are easier to answer and get your team talking. Inviting your teammates to consider ONE way or ONE idea to do something specific is a great way to encourage your team to be more creative and solutions-focused.

10. Learn from Experience

Habit: I pay close attention to what we did before and help our team to do better next time.

One of our favorite ways to do this is with a “post-project celebration” where you ask strategic questions to celebrate success and learning.

From Fiasco to Opportunity: How to Reframe a Team Setback With Better Words

11. Investigate How Things Work

Habit: I ask “why” repeatedly to understand how our organization does what it does.

It’s amazing to see the lightbulbs go off in our training programs when people get a chance to ask some of the “why” questions they are holding back. Take time to slow down and make it more than “okay.” Expecting people to ask the “whys” behind the “what’s” is a fast track to more creative teams.

12. Walk in Others’ Shoes

Habit: I want to understand your perspective and what my decisions and actions mean for you.

We’re big fans of a good field trip (literal or figurative) where you work to understand the inputs and outputs of processes and decisions. This is particularly vital in a matrix organization.

These twelve habits are a great place to start when working to build more creative teams, foster connections, and make work, work better. We’d love to hear from you about your best practices.

What habits are making the biggest difference as you work to take your team to the next level?

Want to de-stress your workday, build collaboration, and calm difficult customers?

Our new book, Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Workplace Conflict: What to Say Next to Destress the Workday, Build Collaboration, and Calm Difficult Customers has 300+ practical techniques and useful words for better collaboration, You can take a quick peek at some of our new conflict and collaboration programs here.

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