Do you have a hard time managing team dynamics? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Facebook executive Julie Zhuo. They talk through what to do when your subordinate is bossing around others on the team, a star performer you’ve hired threatens your status, or you want to help an underperforming team member.
From Alison and Dan’s reading list:
HBR: Make Sure Everyone on Your Team Sees Learning as Part of Their Job by Kristi Hedges — “A good starting point is simply to talk about your own development. When managers open up about their personal areas for improvement, it becomes more acceptable for everyone else to do the same. Ask yourself: What skills are you most excited to develop? What areas do you need to grow the most in? What insights have you found helpful in accomplishing these goals? Then share your answers with the rest of your team.”
Book: The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You by Julie Zhuo — “Running a team is hard because it ultimately boils down to people, and all of us are multifaceted and complex beings. Just like how there is no one way to go about being a person, there is no one way to go about managing a group of people. And yet, working together in teams is how the world moves forward. We can create things far grander and more ambitious than anything we could have done alone.”
HBR: How to Manage Your Former Peers by Amy Gallo — “Becoming the boss is an exciting transition, but it can also be a nerve-wracking one. This is especially true if you are now managing people who used to be your peers. You need to establish your credibility and authority, without acting like the promotion’s gone to your head.”
HBR: How to Manage Your Star Employee by Rebecca Knight — “Superstars can generate team tension. Perhaps they expect performance equal to theirs from others, or peers are jealous of their abilities and treat them differently than everyone else. You can’t control others’ emotions, but you do have a say in the way they act.”
Dear HBR: