Presented at Chicago Camp’s Prototypes, Process and Play design leadership conference in August 2018.
Not everyone wants or needs a warm, supportive manager, and not everyone wants or needs the tough, task-focused boss. I’ve come to realize that my usual style of mentoring and motivating people on my teams does not work for everyone, much to my dismay. There are many shades of leadership in between, and knowing what each team member needs means discovering the answers to deeper questions about what makes them who they are.
You’ll need to uncover what inspires and motivates each individual team member, while also understanding how they’ll respond to ambiguity or sudden change. You’ll also need to do this while handling your day job and while also keeping them–and yourself–from burning out. We’ll discuss some approaches to tackling most of this (that burn out one…) and share tips on empathy and emotional resonance that can help you build stronger and more genuine ties to your team in order to set them all up for their best success.
