From a sole leader to an empowered and “leaderful” team

Background

The managing partner of a medium-sized company was struggling to adjust to the new ways of working as a result of COVID-19. He felt that the team’s productivity and wellbeing were nosediving and that their sense of connection had been lost. 

Solution 

Through a half-day facilitated Zoom meeting, team members openly discussed what they wanted for their working relationships and team culture: how they wanted the atmosphere to feel, what values they wanted the culture to express, and what responsibilities each of them would own to deliver on their desired outcome. 

Impact

The newly created “team contract” gave a renewed sense of purpose and empowerment and created a “leaderful” team, full of individuals jointly leading the way to the team’s goals. The designed team agreements resulted in a revolution in team attitudes and enabled team members to find alignment and become co-responsible for creating their desired culture. The Managing Partner felt a new sense of togetherness and positivity, connected and supported by a team full of colleagues ready to share the challenges of leadership. A few weeks later, the team reported increased motivation, engagement and performance levels.