Jamie Richardson shares his experience of the challenges he faced when taking on a progressional role managing a new and larger team than he had managed before. Jamie reflects on the importance of managing resistance to change, getting to know your people, active listening and how you, as a leader, can make people feel valued. He shares some great initiatives that he developed to get to the crux of the issues that his team were facing and to raise awareness of civility in the workplace. This is an excellent watch for anyone taking on a new management role.
3 Quotes to lead by...
1. BE CIVIL AND BE KIND
‘We spent a lot of time talking to staff around what it means to be civil in the workplace but, more crucially, what it means to be incivil and the problems that causes and the knock on effect on the individual and the wider team.’
Q. What does being civil in the workplace mean to you? How can you promote civility within your team?
2. KNOWING YOUR PEOPLE IS CRUCIAL
‘The first few months, I spent quite a lot of time getting to know people, and I think in a leadership role, that’s absolutely crucial. You need to know people’s strengths, people’s weaknesses, what makes them tick and what their issues are.’
Q. Jamie came up with the ‘What matters to you’ initiative. Can you think of something similar that could help you to get to know your team better?
3. ACTIVELY LISTEN
‘It was very early on in my career when I worked in Warrington Hospital as a Student Pharmacy Technician, where I saw my first experience of what I would call an exceptional leader. One of the things that I found with this individual is the ability to listen, and being an active listener is probably one of the key things I’ve taken from that individual because she listened and she acted.’
Q. How could you improve or enhance your listening skills?
External Resources
Why Civility Matters in A Complex World
When rudeness in teams turns deadly
Active Listening Definition, Skills, and Examples
