Team on me, team on 3!
1, 2, 3
TEAM!

You decide to or were maybe appointed to lead a team. And now you ask yourself the questions:

• Where should I start?
• What is expected of me from those I will lead?
• What decisions am I expected to make?
• What are the actions I need to take to form the team?
• What <insert question here>?

I think the rabbit hole of questions can become endless. And for some security leaders, or leaders in general independent of the domain where they lead, there are very few questions. They know what to do, how to do it, what is needed, and where to start. This is not as clear for everyone in a leadership role or position. Or in each and every situation. Each of us as leaders and humans comes with our own experience and knowledge from the past related to leadership.

THE TEAM

What is a team? Have you ever thought about it? Have you ever sat down and discussed this subject with those you lead? If you haven’t, this is a very good starting point for you as a leader together with those who you lead to have a conversation around. And I can almost for sure say that you will get a bunch of different answers. And guess what? There is nothing wrong with those answers or that they sprawl. I would say that it is the opposite. This exercise aims to bring out those perspectives so that you and your team can agree on what a team is. If each team member doesn’t share the same understanding or perspective of what a team is, how will you be able to form one?

 

Keep this one in mind: “team” can and will mean different things in different forms and situations. A team can be a composition of a formal and/or appointed leader and a set of individuals who together have a common goal. Or it can be a composition of a group of leaders operating at the same hierarchical level in an organization. Or it can be two individual contributors, from two different parts of an organization or different organizations. These are just three examples, I think you get the drill. A team can and will take different forms.

For me, a team is much more about forming a common mentality and attitude compared to rank, role, hierarchy, stripes on the shoulder, skill level, and all that jazz. Many called this, “common values”. Whatever it is called, a simple and effective exercise to do in a team, to very quickly understand each other is to form “Does & Dont”. Two of my personal favorites to that “Dont” list, which I have carried with me and have done for years are:

• Don’t be an asshole

• No backstabbing

I don’t think any further explanation is needed or how they can be manifested. They are pretty clear, aren’t they? I think that most of you reading this article understand what they mean and have some sort of personal reference. Everyone of us has to some degree experienced them both. And these forms of mentalities, attitudes, and behaviors are for me not ok in a team. A team can still experience the things I listed but the thing here is that if you and your team agree that this is not something that is ok, you all have agreed that it is also ok to say “Hey, this is not ok! Your type of behavior, mentality, attitude, way of doing things are not aligned with our agreed <values/principles/agreed rules/…>.”. And you, as a leader, carry the responsibility to call things out that are not ok. Don’t make the mistake of letting small “don’t things” become ok. Make sure to take care of the stuff immediately, don’t let things slip. Leadership is about actions and not about those words you put down on paper.

And no, a team is not accomplished because someone decides that the word “team”, “team player” or “teamwork” shall be a core value. Or that there is something fancy written on the wall, like:

“We win and lose together!”

I love strong quotes and taglines. And I kind of like the one above as well. There is some clear power in them…if the words are practiced in reality within the TEAM. Yes, actions speak louder than words. And cool quotes and taglines can for sure be helpful to unite a team but they do not do the work on their own. They can though be a piece of a puzzle forming a strong team that provides some common foundational and agreed upon “instructions” of what a team means for each and every one.

Many high-performing teams, in the military, sports world, and corporations use taglines such as the one above to unify their team. I like it but I do not think that they are magical. They don’t “fix” a team. Fixing a team is accomplished through leadership. This is the magic. Leadership is “the magician” who can put together the pieces needed to create a strong team.

In reality, there is no form of magic that a leader needs to have. It is more or less doing the same things that are found in my article about self-leadership but applying the principles on a team.

But to answer the question, “What is a team?” I think the below words summarize it pretty well:

A team is a group of people who trust each other, help each other, and accomplish goals together.

Quite simple, at least in theory. But when practiced in reality, it is not always that simple. Leadership does not come for free or without effort. “We are a great team!” is not something that just takes place due to the leader or team member wishing this to be the case. Becoming a great and strong team is something that requires those things in that sentence to be practiced in reality. So let’s take a look at each piece of them.

TRUST EACH OTHER

I am a believer that a strong team is built on certain foundations and where trust is the most important one. If you and those within the team don’t trust each other you will not be able to bring out the best from each one or from the team as a totality. To ensure trust is established there needs to be psychological safety in the team. This means, for example, but not limited to, that each one in the team feels that they can be vulnerable, ask for help, speak up, provide feedback, be themself, are shown respect, and many other things. The list can be made longer but without psychological safety in a team it will be hard, if not impossible, to bring out the best from each one.

There are loads of exercises and methods for how to work with psychological safety in a team. And personally, I think that it is something that needs to be practiced in a continuum. You need to make it an integral part of your team’s DNA and you as a leader need to show the way. Again, actions speak louder than words. Having the courage to show vulnerability as a leader is one of the best ways to lead by action. Trying to be the alpha <*BIIIIP*> is a less good approach. Of course, if you know it all and know how everything is done. You have accomplished it all –> done everything, don’t have anything to learn from someone else, listen to someone else, or ask questions of someone else. In that case, you don’t need to listen to my advice. (Yes, I'm trolling <buuuuuhuuuuuuuu>).

HELP EACH OTHER

Being a part of a team means that you are a part of something bigger where your team is dependent on you and your contribution. It is very few professional jobs where you are riding down the sunset alone, i.e. not being a part of a team. In a team, there needs to be a mutual agreement that help is something everyone can ask for and provide. That cliche “A team is not stronger than the weakest link.” for sure has very much truth in it. Fixing that weakest link can many times be done if help is provided or asked for.

And for some people to be able to ask for help there needs to be a certain degree of psychological safety in a team. There are loads of professionals out there who are afraid day in and day out to ask for help. Some of these walk around with that imposter syndrome. Others are just not comfortable asking for help due to that is something they never learned. But, what you as a leader need to do is to form this “mentality”/culture/environment in your team. We as security leaders have the responsibility to ensure that “asking for help” is something that is a natural part of the environment we have in a team.

But, unfortunately, this is not always the truth. These things should not take place in a team but they do here and there. They are real and they are also, according to my emperic experience, common. Asking for help is not always a natural part of a team. You as a leader have a unique position to demonstrate how to, ask for, and provide help shall be done. Actions. Lead by actions. Actions. Show how asking for help shall be done and be brave to show the way for your team.

ACCOMPLISH GOALS TOGETHER

I believe that most of us as humans have leadership capabilities within us to some extent. For some, they are more developed or activated. Some people just have them switched on. They take on a leadership role naturally and the people around them are willing to follow in their footsteps. Personally, I have seen that people who come from a team sports background have a bit of an edge here when it comes to leadership. This is not an absolute fact, but it makes perfect sense as within a sports team there are always formal and informal leaders. Those who are on the field, like a captain for example, and those leading the team in the roles as coaches. And in a team sport, you are dependent on each other.

Winning a gold medal, in most sports is not a one-man show. You need to have a team around you. Someone who challenges you. Someone who mentors you. Someone who coaches you. Someone who picks you up when you fall. Someone who inspires you. You need people around you who make you successful. Yes, some people are “self-made” champions and pros, but this is not something that goes hand in hand with security.

Security is a team sport. Security will, very few times, be a one-man show in an organization. As a security leader, you need to have a team, and your team needs a security leader who leads the team toward a common goal you have set up to accomplish together. If you have decided to be the best security team in the world, that is something. But in that case, to be the best out there in the world, you also need to go out and compete against other security teams. Becoming a world champion in something is not done in isolation from competition. But at the same time, I think that a far better goal is to establish something that is internalized and relatable to your own organization. Security is not a competitive sport against other security teams. There are very interesting “security competitions” out there of different kinds that can be used to tighten a security team. Something that challenges and creates a competitive environment where that teamwork mentality is demonstrated and practiced together. I would use these forms as something fun. Something that is a part of the journey you, as a security leader, do together with your team to grow. In the end, you as a team decide on the goal you want to accomplish. And this should be done together.

I think that a team needs to spend time together forming a common goal/vision that everyone takes ownership of. How this goal/vision will look will depend on the team. And the method for developing that team goal/vision can take different forms. There are for sure some methods I personally believe in more but in the end the goal/vision and method for developing it should also, according to my belief, be chosen to fit your team. You as a leader are there to do what is best for your team, not the other way around. But I strongly believe that the better that goal/vision is understood by everyone in the team the stronger you will become as a unit. Seeing is believing and a way to accomplish this is through using visual models and images together with feelings.

“How do we want to feel when we have reached the mountain top together and look at that beautiful sunset on the horizon?”.

You as a leader shall turn that goal/vision into something visible. Make sure to do so and be consistent, spend time with your team looking at the goal/vision to focus your common efforts. Create focus, and momentum and keep going together. Show the way for your team and make it to an exciting growth journey towards the goal/vision you have created together. And do not forget to celebrate, when you together achieve big or small milestones and of course when you have reached the goalposts on top of that mountain.

BORN? BUILT? CHOSEN?

I don’t think that leaders are born. I think they are to some extent built. But first and foremost, a leader is a person who has chosen to lead. As I described in my previous article, the building of a leader starts within each one of us. Maybe this sounds like a spiritual statement or awakening (and for some it is) but this is the truth. And before the building can start out the person must choose to become a leader. You do not need to be handed a role or position to lead, it can be done without a formal position. But here and there the formal appointment of a leader is needed. Someone who points out the direction and acts as a role model who inspires others, and empowers the team to grow. In a utopia, a team is self-led. But this is not, as I have experienced, something that just happens because of that you as a team decide on it. It requires investment from each and everyone in the team. It requires that you as a leader build up a climate and environment where your team feels safe and comfortable to make decisions, make mistakes, not be judged, and feel respected –> Psychological safety.

Back to the scenario in the ingress: Now you stand there and have been given one of the most powerful positions that may impact the future trajectory of those you lead in the rest of their careers. You maybe did not choose to be a leader but someone made the decision and chose you. And you are now, as a leader, having the power to make an impact on your team for the rest of their careers and lives. Have you ever thought about the responsibility of leadership in this way before? That you might hold on to a responsibility that will echo through those people you lead through their entire lives? This is not some mumbo jumbo I’m coming up with. This is the truth.

More or less each one of us remembers those leaders who crushed it, that made us grow or feel unbeatable. But we also remember those doing the opposite, those who made us feel unappreciated, and not respected, threw us under the bandwagon. And here is the thing. It is your responsibility and up to you as a leader to take ownership of how you want to be remembered.

People will (most often) remember you for how you made them feel. Not how cool you were or how you performed as an individual. They will remember how you took care of the team and each one within the team.

Ask yourself:

How do I want to become remembered?

How would you like to be led by a leader? When you start asking yourself these questions, the rest becomes so much easier. Trust me. But the truth is, at least according to my empirical experience, these forms of questions are less contemplated by many leaders. Too little time is spent on self-reflection and inner contemplation. Why is that?

I think one of the answers to this question is that time is not really invested or sanctioned for leaders to have the time to sit down and reflect. Or the other way around, leaders do not invest the time. In the end, it is up to you as a leader to take ownership of your growth. You do not have the benefit to blame your team for holding you back as a leader. If you are leading you are responsible for taking the time to lead yourself and your team. And if you skip the self-reflection part, I think that growth for you and your team will stagnate at one point. Humans are humans and the needs of your team will change over time. Growth does not take place if things remain the same over time. There needs to be some form of a change that goes in the same direction as the needs of you and your team. Practicing and doing the same thing over and over will most likely not generate new results in terms of growth. Going through change is needed, normal and what will make you and your team progress and mature.

If you have been appointed or chosen to lead I highly recommend you spend time understanding what your team needs from you. A great way to understand your team and each individual is to sit down and listen to the team and each one of your team members. The needs of each individual will most often be slightly different. And you need to conduct this in a continuum. This is not a one-off thing that you do when setting up the team. You need to make sure to stay dialed in with your team and each individual. And this can only happen if you invest the time in these forms of conversations. You lead, you need to listen. You need to understand what your team and the individuals need. You need to coach your team and improve each individual’s self-leadership capabilities. You shall have as a goal to develop and create new leaders. Are you planning for your own succession? If not, it is a good time to start doing so. This is one of those very good exercises for each leader to take on and that directly will translate to that you need to create a “Next Me”.

If you don’t spend time with your team and make them feel safe, trusted, respected, understood, listened to, and fulfilled their expectations and needs you will have a hard time succeeding as a leader. Spend the time and invest in your team and individuals. You as a leader are the product of the collective capabilities and strengths of your team and the people around you.

Link to original article – Click Here
Follow Henrik Parkkinen on LinkedIn – Click Here
Visit HenrikParkkinen.com