3 Ways a Clearer Leader Creates Space for a Stronger Team

Leading With VOICCE® Series.

I remember being such a strong worker during high school that I got promoted to shift manager - at 17!! I was putting in close to 40 hours at work while attending class, and at the time I thought I was killing it. And then I think about some real skills that I was lacking - communication, self-awareness, and the ability to create psychologically safe environments. 

I am so grateful that the leadership saw something in me during my time at McDonald's, but if I knew then what I know now, I would certainly have made some real adjustments.

I remember one moment in particular when an older team member came to me with an issue. I was feeling stressed and communicated very poorly. In the past, we'd had a good relationship. But something changed on that day. It reminds me of Maya Angelou's quote: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." In this case, I remember how I felt after the exchange. I knew I wasn't operating as my best. Yet I didn't have the maturity or emotional intelligence to fix it. 

People often call things like communication, self-awareness, and the ability to build trust soft skills. But I can tell you, without them, teams and organizations risk facing some very real, and very tough consequences. 

Clarity-Driven Leaders Communicate Better

Leaders who are willing to seek clarity also tend to be better communicators. They value the importance of clear communication and therefore can usually sense when a message has not landed, a team member seems confused, or otherwise disagrees. They open the door for discussion, thereby leading to better conversations, expanded perspectives, and often times stronger buy-in. Leaders who are unable to communicate clearly often fail to notice the disconnect. Creating an even greater chasm in communication. 

Self-Aware Leaders Build Psychologically Safe Environments

A few weeks ago we talked about the role of self-awareness in leadership performance. Self-awareness presents itself in two parts.

First, leaders must move from introspection alone to then deliberately seeking honest feedback from others. This allows them to test their self-perception against how others actually experience them.

Leaders who have a clear sense of their own impact tend to regulate themselves better under pressure, creating psychologically safer environments for their teams to show up and thrive in. According to Project Aristotle, led by Google, identified psychological safety as the single strongest predictor of team performance. And teams can feel this. Leaders who struggle to regulate their own stress response under pressure unintentionally shift the energy of an entire room or project. Conversely, self-aware leaders who can stay grounded under pressure provide the foundation for her team to stay grounded as well. 

Leaders Who Understand Their Own Strengths Are Better Positioned To Amplify Strengths of Others

Building off of point two, environments that are psychologically safe often result in team members feeling safe enough to show up fully. Rather than shrinking they step forward more boldly because there is more tolerance for risk. And when leaders are adept at applying their own strengths, they become more adept at strength-spotting in others, which leads to meaningful gains for the individuals and the organization. 

Gallup research found that when managers actively focus on employees' strengths, active disengagement drops to just 1% compared to 40% active disengagement among employees whose managers focus on neither strengths nor weaknesses. Recognizing strengths moves from being seen as a soft skill to a recognition and retention strategy. 

What would your team say changes in the room when you're the most self-aware version of yourself?

Tian Philson - Leadership Transformation & Decision-Making Coach | Creator of the VOICCE® Decision Making & Empowerment Framework | Helping leaders go inward so they can go upward.