Four Leadership Lessons I’ve Figured Out Lately

I recently joined Tyler and Adam on Ask Adverb to talk about some of the things we’ve learned throughout our careers about leadership and building successful working relationships. 

I’ve worked for Tyler in various capacities for the better part of the last five years. In that time, I’ve had the opportunity to not only learn from his leadership style, but to have his support and guidance as I develop into a leader myself.

Here are a few things I’ve figured out during that time.

Get to know your people. Like…really get to know them. 

When I work with people who take the time to genuinely understand who I am as a whole person—beyond what I bring to the table as an employee—I’m exponentially more engaged in the work. And when I feel comfortable having fun, it makes my work even better. 

Here at Adverb, I can see the impact that our close relationships have on our work and our culture. These are the folks I often turn to first when I have an exciting life event to announce, or something vulnerable to share. I know I can go to my leaders with anything and they’ll do their best to support me. That’s the kind of trust I aspire to build with the folks I lead, too. 

Seek clarity on how you can best support your colleagues—and how they can support you. 

Ever been in a situation where you need to vent, but the person you're talking to insists on being helpful? Annoying, right? But when I’m dealing with a difficult or frustrating situation at work, it helps me to let off some steam.

Here’s the thing. Tyler is always in problem-solving mode. When you go to him with something, he won’t rest until he’s either found a solution, or helped you come up with one.
But sometimes I don’t need a solution. I just need the space to be annoyed or frustrated about something. 

I started being clear about my intentions and clarified exactly what I needed from the conversation. If I needed to vent, Tyler learned to just listen (or let me know if he couldn't at the moment). And if I needed help with a problem, we would put our heads together to find a solution.

You need time and space to lead. 

A few months into my role at Adverb, we hired a communications specialist—the wonderful Maya Smith. I suddenly found myself in a leadership position for the first time. 

Being a good leader takes time. Connecting with your people, setting them up for success, and being available to help them is work. And it means I spend a little bit less time doing and more time leading.

Just because I’m no longer the one always writing the social media posts doesn’t mean I’m not still doing important work. Or so I keep telling my imposter syndrome. 

Feedback is an opportunity—not a threat. 

I recently had my performance review. And it was actually fun. Who knew that was possible?
When you work in a culture that values and supports people, you can start to see feedback as an opportunity to  room to grow. 

At Adverb, feedback is driven by a genuine desire for our team to reach its full potential. It keeps us moving in the right direction.

There’s a time to be a safety net, and there’s a time to let your people fly.  

I mentioned that Tyler is a chronic problem solver.  It means that I started to rely on asking him what we should do—rather than thinking it through myself. 

That changed as Tyler started to challenge me to grow as a leader. He encouraged me to come up with potential solutions instead of just asking questions. He pushed me to lead client meetings and take more responsibility for building client relationships. The more I took on, the more confident I became.

I’ve recently had the privilege of nudging some other Adverbians out of their comfort zones and empowering them to take on more and greater responsibilities. It’s incredible to watch how our people step up to the plate and flourish when given those opportunities. When you truly support your people, they can stretch beyond what’s familiar, and do great work. 

I’m grateful every day for the opportunity to work with Tyler and the rest of the team at Adverb, and to learn from some of the brightest, weirdest and most supportive folks I know.