Jamie Morley

Shana, It sounds to me like you are an insightful leader! Taking the opportunity to make the most of informal meetings and interactions is so important. Having an open door policy may sound cliché, but it is a sign of a transparent culture, which employees need to feel comfortable. My one suggestion would be that you take the time to memorialize the informal meetings somehow. So often, brilliant ideas flow when there is not the pressure of a formal meeting and these ideas can be quickly lost. Putting up a “brainstorming board” in your office or in a public space,… >>>

Katherine, You are exactly correct! One of a manager’s primary responsibilities is to bring out the best in their team members by encouraging open dialog and respecting diversity. Checking to make sure your own internal voice is appropriate is a great place to start! One way to drive consensus is to establish meeting norms so that everybody knows what to expect and understands that they will have the opportunity to have their opinions heard. You are also spot on when you talk about the importance of recognition. Especially in today’s climate, praising one’s own accomplishments is often frowned upon. Many… >>>

Douglass, You have incorporated a couple of good ideas in your post. First, you mentioned soliciting opinions from all the team members. This is very important. Brainstorming allows everybody to feel invested in the decision. You also touched upon the importance of codifying the results of the discussion. The importance of taking minutes is often overlooked. However, writing and distributing minutes makes sure that everybody is on the same page and enables members that missed the meeting to stay in touch. Another strategy to consider is to create monthly task lists and include those in the minutes so that all… >>>