Topic of the Week

A quick story on how NOT to transition authority:  Every year a college coach held a team meeting to elect captains.  Conversations were lively around what the team needed in a captain, what the role entailed and who would be the most successful.  After the list of names was created, everyone would close their eyes, the coach would say each name in succession, and count the hands voting for that person.  Each year there was chatter after the vote that it was ‘odd’ that the coach’s top choice always seemed to win.  One year it was ‘leaked’ by the captain that the coach actually didn’t take the vote into account.  He knew who he wanted to be captain.  He always made sure that name ended up on the list.  Regardless of the vote he said the winner was who he wanted.  The fallout and backlash was tremendous. At the end of that season, the coach was out of a job.

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For high school and college coaches it is graduation season and this is a very timely topic as seniors move on and you look to the freshmen arriving in August.  In the business world it is less regimented, but change still happens.  Maintaining momentum and retaining knowledge are crucial.  So what can you do to make sure the strides the team has made don’t get lost?If you coach a high school or college team you know this feel all too well.  It happens at the end of every season.  In the business world it is less regimented, but it happens.  Maintaining momentum and retaining knowledge are crucial.  So what can you do to make sure the strides the team has made don’t get lost?

The good news is you have already made the first step.  You realize having team members leave is more then just losing headcount.  If not managed correctly your team could revert back to the storming stage of team development.  With good planning and team involvement, you will continue clicking along without a problem.

Plan early – The time to think about change is not two weeks before someone leaves.  The better you understand how your team functions emotionally the better prepared you (and they) will be to adjust to the loss of a key individual.  If you didn’t have time to plan, it will take a little more effort buy you can still make a successful transition.

Who are your second in command? These people are likely to be your emotional leaders.  They may not have a leadership title (yet) but their thoughts and ideas hold power with the team.  You need them to step up as the team changes.

Do you have any power hungry individuals you need to watch? A team is in transition is vulnerable to what amounts to a hostile take over.  Having key players leave will leave a leadership vacuum if plans are not in place to fill it.  A self-serving individual will notice and exploit that weakness.  Your best defense against it is being aware.

What roles going to be open? What exactly do the people who are leaving do?  Not just the position they play or the tasks they complete.  What emotional roles do they fill?  Are they the person who notices when someone is a little “off” and checks in with them?  Do they make sure that the lines of communication on the team stay open?  Maybe they notice when conflict is brewing and make sure the team addresses it.  It is much easier to fill a role when you realize it is going to be vacated.

Involve the outgoing individuals. Nothing give new leadership authority like an endorsement from the existing leader.  If it is possible, include them in the discussion about how the change will be made and who is taking over.

Notice I used the word “discussion”. Bring the whole team in and talk about what is happening.  Pretending the team isn’t going to be affected is just that, pretending.  Take their thoughts, ideas and desires into account.  They are going to have the best understanding of what it means to have a particular person(s) leave.  When the whole team is involved in the conversation and feel part of the transition it will be much more seamless.

Having a key member of your team  leave can be a risky time for your team.  Manage it well and it will hardly be noticed.  Manage it poorly and your team may backslide into confusion.

Do you have a story about a transition that really worked or one (like the one at the beginning of this post) that really didn’t?  Share it with us!

Last week we talked about how to manage overwhelming responsibilities in Moving a Mountain or Eating an Elephant

Next week: Do you really need to fix that weakness?

Tags :Champion Performance Development, changing of the guard, Doc Robyn, graduation, losing team members, passing the torch, Robyn Odegaard, seniors, team building, team development