3 Ways to Navigate the Pressure while Strengthening the Team

"It doesn't matter how you do. What matters is that you try your best and that you support others."

How would it feel if someone gave you that advice?

That "permission"?

That was what I told my oldest daughter this morning when she was nervous about cross country try-outs today.

Was it the right advice for her? 

I don't know. I hope so.

Would it be right advice for you in your current moment? 

I think so. I hope so.

When You’re the One Facing the Unknown

The reason that "I think so" is because while I'm no parenting expert, I am an expert at helping purpose-driven organizational and team leaders like you when...you're nervous about something.

I mean, we don't start with the fact that you're nervous about something.

We start with the fact that:

• You need a retreat for your team.
• Or that you need a strategic plan.
• Or that you have a nagging problem / initiative that the team just keeps getting tabled to next meeting's agenda, and then next meeting's agenda...and then -- you guessed it! -- next meeting's agenda...farther and farther down the list of doom. 

Either way -- at the core of it is that:

• You have a lot of pressure on you. A lot of responsibilities.
• You aren't sure how fill in the blank for the nagging responsibility that's hanging over you like a dark cloud going to go. You're conscious about how that's going to impact your team, and how it'll make you look. (Which is natural and normal.)
• You want your team to be relatively happy at work, and you want them to like and respect you. (Which is not always natural to some, but to you it is. That is a sign of strength in my book.)
  
  

What That Looks Like in Practice

So, what do you do in this situation?

Well, obviously the easiest is to hire me to help you bring your team together to collaborate deeply and make you look really good to your team (kidding...and also not kidding). 😜

Though other than / in addition to that, I recommend that you:

1. Calmly and professionally tell your team:
   • that you recognize the importance of said dark cloud,
   • that you're nervous about it and it's OK if they are, too, and
   • that you're going to get through it together. 
2. Collaboratively determine with your team:
   
   • when doing the bare minimum is a wild success,
   • when trying 80% is a wild success, and
   • when to activate their full potential to achieve excellence.
3.  Kindly, confidently, and clearly communicate to your team:
   • what you need from them,
   • how, when, and why to best communicate with you, and
   • that you trust them.
     
     

Want to Lead This Way?

These are the actions of true leaders: focusing not as much on how you do with the challenge, but more so on trying your best and supporting others along the way.

That's also how you get better results in the long run.

You've got a lot on your plate right now, and your team is dealing with a lot, too, both at work and out in the wild.

I recognize that the advice I gave above is easier said than done, but I'm confident that when you lean on your team, your support people, and outside partners like me, it can really have a transformative effect.

Like an example? Check out this case study: Maximizing CEO Time & Impact through Retreat Partnership.

If you’re ready to explore how a strategic partnership with me could work for your next initiative, let’s talk about what breakthrough results could look like for your team! 

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• Book a complimentary Coffee Chat with me

You've got this!

Megan

P.S. And yes, I do think it's ridiculous to make 5th graders try out for the cross country team at a public school...but that's another soap box for another day. 😉

About Megan E. Mozina (she/her)

As Owner and Principal of Cresta Solutions, I serve as a strategic partner to purpose-driven leaders when they need their teams to innovate and collaborate in order to deliver on strategic change initiatives. To get there, I serve as a facilitator, consultant, and executive coach who leverages expertise in Creative Problem Solving, Team Building, Organizational Change Management, and Strategic Initiatives to ensure my clients get innovation-focused results. I bring over fifteen years of diverse experiences with purpose-driven organizations across four continents. To ensure that changes work and goals are achieved, I use my facilitation superpower to supercharge team collaboration and output. 

I hold a Masters from The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education & Human Development and a Bachelors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am certified in Change Management, Strategic Planning, and Creative Problem Solving (FourSight®), with additional formal training in Lean Process Improvement, Project Management, and People Management. I regularly present at regional and international conferences on topics such as facilitation, change management, and project leadership. I’m proud to have been a teacher in South Korea and a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras.

I’ve lived in five countries, so while I bring my Midwestern friendliness, work ethic, and accent everywhere I go, I see the world through a global perspective. I consume dark chocolate daily, can talk about books all day, and think that Lake Michigan might be my soul mate.

Learn more about my story here: https://www.crestasolutions.com/about.