In a recent article from consultancy juggernaut McKinsey, they outlined, in uniquely gratifying detail, how no less than five leadership shifts can ‘unleash an era of sustainable, inclusive growth for companies looking to outperform in this era of disruption’.
Naturally these included admirable actions like upgrading your managers to bold, visionary leaders and shifting focus from profit-making to the impact you hope to achieve. Among these gems of knowledge, there was something in particular I was keen to examine in more detail—the restructuring of leadership models, specifically moving from individual leaders to ‘self regulating’ teams of leaders by cultivating staff to have an entrepreneurial mindset.
A team of leaders that all manage themselves sounds too good to be true and, at best, unfeasible so how can this be achieved? Where do you begin with cultivating that entrepreneurial mindset?
As a market leading global consultancy, McKinsey would never make such a radical claim without strong case studies and evidence to back it up.
However, as previously mentioned, the case study they shared about how global bluechip financial services provider Aon achieved this, understandably took years to complete.
So in the interests of time, let’s examine some practical ways business leaders can start immediately streamlining their workforce into self directed teams. According to Forbes coach, Brian Tait a self-directed team is defined as follows:
‘A self-directed team is a set of individuals in an organisation who incorporate various talents and abilities to work toward a common goal or objective without the standard administrative oversight’.
Brian also recommends a team headcount of no more than 25 although the optimum would be between five and nine members. If you’re building the team from scratch, it’s important to look out for people with the following personality traits:
Self-motivation
This might seem obvious but not everyone is suited to working under their own steam. Being proactive and able to use initiative are essential when working as part of a self directed team.
Resilient
Bearing the weight of decision making is challenging, so to ensure someone isn’t going to bow under the pressure of authority and be able to demonstrate resilience is crucial
Ability to problem solve
Certainly this is a skill that can be learned, but if someone already has keen problem solving skills and experience in conflict resolution, then they’ll be well placed to thrive in a self directed team.
Trustworthy
Not something you can easily gauge without knowing someone well, but trustworthiness is an important prerequisite for a self managing team to function and perform. Without a strong foundation of trust in place you’re unlikely to relinquish the urge to monitor or micromanage them.
The right kind of confidence
Another trait that’s tough to identify without working closely with someone: possessing self-assurance without being arrogant while being open to admitting mistakes. It’s one of the holy grail of behaviours that could define both the success and tenure of a self directed team.
Once you’ve got your team of leaders in place, Tait outlines five key features that are essential to form the basis of a charter for your team to adhere to, to ensure best practice, cultivate success and a collective entrepreneurial mindset moving forward:
- Collective responsibility
Ensuring every team member understands they are accountable for the team’s output.
- Harmony
Everyone must be able to trust that others will complete their workload. Even though team members may work independently, their tasks are connected, so they need to work together smoothly and efficiently.
- Autonomy
In particular in the ability to know when a project has been completed to a high standard without the approval of senior colleagues.
- Shared goals
While each individual might be working independently, keeping the shared goal in focus is a core principle of an effective self-directed team. These must be defined, successfully communicated and regularly revisited.
- Communication
Good communication is especially important in a self-directed team as not only will it ensure the success of the team but it will help ensure people working independently don’t become siloed.
Tait also shares an important reminder, that while a self-directed team will be able to tick over without supervision, they will still need support from senior colleagues, especially at the beginning. You may need to be hands-on with providing training and most importantly of all, you will need to make sure the team are all held entirely responsible for both their collective success but also their failures.
In conclusion, creating self-directed teams may seem ambitious, but with the right approach, it can lead to transformative results. As McKinsey and others highlight, this shift is not just a theoretical ideal but requires a practical strategy for fostering innovation, agility, and resilience in an era of disruption.
By embracing this model and focusing on cultivating entrepreneurial mindsets within teams of leaders, organisations can unlock the potential of their workforce and position themselves for sustainable, inclusive growth in a rapidly evolving business landscape.
