Peer Magic

Did you see this on Substack?

We know how important it is for leaders to build effective teams. It seems every second post on LinkedIn touches on this subject, and we have courses coming out of our ears on this topic. We need to remember though, it’s not the only team we need to have working effectively. Now don’t get me wrong, this is obviously extremely important, in fact you could say it’s vital but it’s not the only show in town.

My latest role with the 2023 Census project provided me with a first in terms of working with a team.

I was fortunate with the Census to be given the opportunity of recruiting the team leaders I believed would fit the role. I didn’t recruit skills, I recruited people for who they were as people – and I hit the jackpot with all of them. They were immense. Simply speaking, it was their mahi the glued everything together and got the job done. The six of them deserve so much respect – and I really hope they head into their own futures filled with pride for what they achieved.

I also had a manager who enabled and supported me to do my role. Knowledgeable and a real people leader, she trusted us to get the job done while supporting but never micromanaging. Another jackpot for me.

What was significantly different for me with this project was the team of my peers.

Having worked as a leader in small organisations, or as a leader in non-standard roles in bigger organisations, it was a unique experience for me to have a cohort of people undertaking the same role as myself. Of course, I have worked in teams previously, but this was a team of senior leaders and that was unique for me.

The situation was different from the word go, with 35 Area Managers all starting the project at the same time. It kicked off for us with three days training together in Christchurch. This naturally enabled a bond between us – like new kids on their first day at boarding school. Forget technology, starting off ‘in person’ is simply the best way to set the scene for new staff – and this is coming from an introvert! This team of 35 were open, supportive, and sharing throughout the project. The combined knowledge and passion enabled us to be strong leaders, both for our staff but also in supporting those above us (as well as being very influential).

What I really want to talk about though is our regional team of five Area Managers.

Our Regional Manager set the scene and spent the time to build a great team spirit. She did everything right and as we got to know each other; we built a strong bond. As experienced leaders though, we didn’t just leave it up to the manager, we all knew the value we could provide and receive from each other. We all worked proactively to ensure that we were genuinely a team.

The results from having a committed team were amazing. We supported each other, shared information, and experiences, sent our teams to help where needed, helped each other learn, had a laugh together and totally had each other’s back.

Best of all, we were there for each other. Sometimes we don’t need help or advice, but a hug or smile still goes a long way. This wasn’t simply ‘what is expected from managers’, I’m talking about what is longed for from people.

I’ve written before about how leadership needs to focus not just on our teams, but also external of our organisations. I also recommend that true leaders should take responsibility for ensuring that they proactively support the team culture amongst their peers.

We talk about our teams doing this, but we also need to do it ourselves. Most of us will be doing this subconsciously but we need it to be stated more, thought about more and definitely expected more.

Leadership needs to look towards: