Many of us live in a diffuse organization today, either by design or by necessity, and leaders need a trusted circle of people to lean on.
Leaders are responsible today (perhaps more than ever) to keep teams committed to a shared understanding of mission, vision, ethos, and norms. The people are the magic that brings the movement to life and distance creates complexity. With so much change, leaders must consistently keep a finger on the pulse of personnel, our most valuable resource.
This is the awesome mantle of leadership. Caring for your people as they care for the mission and our stakeholders, and it’s a weight that shouldn’t be borne alone.
Executive and Senior Teams experience this stress every day. Today, perhaps for the first time from remote locations. From a distance, we all have to trust just a little more and try a little harder. While leaders extend the authority to operate across the reaches of the enterprise, the weight of the consequences and responsibility still rests squarely on them. Many leaders do a great job caring for their teams, but also need to allow themselves to be cared for by others who can relate.
Remembering some of the early days at Team RWB, we had a lot going on and investing in our relationships was critical. In 2015, as a National Organization, we had 30 full time employees in 20 states, and another 2,000 volunteers leading in over 150 cities.
We were experiencing incredible growth, doubling events from 20,000 to 45,000 per year, adding thousands of members per month and another 30% year over year in revenue growth. It was a rocket ship and we were starting to fray at the edges. With so many incredible leaders across America running this critical mission, we were overjoyed, and we were overstretched.
To support one another, we had to get creative with our Executive Team living in four different states on a non profit travel budget.
We felt the weight because we cared so much. We needed the support of our teammates to weather the challenges and manage the stress. We are certain you do as well.
The stakes were getting higher, the expectations were mounting and our customers needed us to deliver. As senior leaders, we needed each other more than ever. We deployed a number of tactics in response, but“Beer:30” seems a timely (and fun) one to share in this season of social distance.
“Beer:30” was a weekly, four-person Executive Team video call to decompress and build relationships.
The Beer:30 Ground Rules
Intentionality: One hour together, no distractions, beverage of choice
Protect the time: No cancellations, no over-scheduling...this was important
Equals at the Table: No rank, no title, no duty
Relationally Focused: Highlight family joys and family struggles, connect and empathize with challenges
All Business is Win Business: Celebrations allowed, obstacles could wait for tomorrow
Fellowship and Fun: If we were going to create another hour of time on the calendar, we were going to enjoy it
Those moments mattered and strengthened our connective tissue. The investment built trust between us that transcended deep across the business. It made us better people, better for one another, for our teams and for our customers. That trust allowed us to speak as one voice through the good times, the bad times and the tough decisions. Additionally, we built lifelong friendships that last to this day.
The concept is not novel. Businesses have been doing this for years. Happy Hour, a time to decompress and connect with one another outside of the tasks and the grind. Soldiers have been doing this since the creation of warfare. We call it “Forced Fun”, but we all know we actually valued the Dining Outs, Platoon Barbeques and Team Outings.
Applying this in today’s world, may be new to many, but give it a try! Put the time on your calendar with your people and protect it fiercely. In these times of high stress, the need for support is more critical than ever.
Leaders, we need to give ourselves permission to develop close circles of trusted confidants who can relate and understand us. Investing in our relationships today will help us manage stress and be better for our people, our families, our businesses and our customers. Many tough decisions lay on the horizon and our teams need steady hands steering us through choppy waters.