Model and reward vulnerability on your team

For a team to innovate, people must be willing to disagree, dissent and challenge the status quo. As a leader, it’s your job to set the conditions for this kind of intellectual bravery. First, check yourself: make sure you reward vulnerability, rather than punish it, and be mindful of the signals you’re sending, implicitly or explicitly, that discourage disagreement or outside-the-box thinking. Next, encourage your team members to think beyond their role and function. You can also specifically assign someone on your team to play the role of devil’s advocate — their job is to challenge a course of action or find flaws in a proposed decision. Make sure you rotate that role so you can get a variety of perspectives. Whenever you reject a suggestion, express gratitude for the idea and explain your reasoning. Finally, model vulnerability by sharing your mistakes, asking questions and admitting what you don’t know. Laying the groundwork for open and honest discussions could help your team come up with your company’s next great idea.

(This tip is adapted from “To Foster Innovation, Cultivate a Culture of Intellectual Bravery,” by Timothy R. Clark.)

Maintain your integrity when making tough decisions

Every leader faces complex, subjective decisions, such as who to promote into a critical role, whether to do layoffs during a downturn, or how to handle employee misconduct. When there are no easy answers, one option is to consider the problem along three dimensions: the ethics (what is viewed as acceptable in your organisation or society), morals (your internal sense of right and wrong), and the responsibilities associated with your specific role. Thoroughly interrogating the problem and possible solutions in this way will help you come to a decision and clearly articulate your reasoning. Start by clarifying your personal worldview: what do you stand for, and does that align with what your organisation stands for? Next, ask yourself if there’s a path forward that aligns along all three dimensions. If so, great. If not, what are you willing to compromise? Once you’ve made the tough call, do some self-reflection. Which values did you give precedence to? Why? And at whose expense? This kind of soul-searching is challenging, but it will also prepare you for the next hard decision you face.

(This tip is adapted from “A Framework for Leaders Facing Difficult Decisions,” by Eric Pliner.)

Try blue-light filtering glasses to improve sleep and focus

The shift to working from home means that most of us are spending even more time looking at screens. And we all know the science on how harmful excessive screen time can be to our sleep and focus. The good news is that new research suggests that blue-light filtering glasses (which reduce the amount of light that reaches your eyes) actually work. Specifically, the study found that the glasses boost the quantity and quality of people’s sleep, and this can lead to all sorts of positive benefits at work, including improved engagement, more ethical behaviour and increased creativity. Wearing blue-light filtering glasses may be particularly useful when you’re at home, where work time often bleeds into personal time, and screen time can pile up fast. We all want to be our best selves at work, and this may be a relatively low-cost and straightforward solution that can help you do that.

(This tip is adapted from “Will Blue-Light Glasses Improve Your Sleep?” by Christopher M. Barnes.)

Design a better bereavement policy

While many organisations are rushing to rethink parental leave policies, wellness programs and flexible work arrangements, there’s one employee benefit that may not seem like a priority: bereavement leave. But, unfortunately, now is the right time to reconsider your policy and how it serves (or doesn’t serve) grieving employees. First and foremost, give your people more paid time off for bereavement. Given all the demands associated with arranging a funeral, sorting out finances, and mourning one’s loss, a few days just doesn’t cut it. Be generous: ask them what they need, and follow their lead. Also, don’t limit the coverage to immediate family. Include the loss of any loved one: a partner, child, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend or neighbour. Miscarriage should also be covered. Don’t require a death certificate, obituary, or letter from a funeral home or hospital — it’s uncomfortable and unnecessary.

(This tip is adapted from “It’s Time to Rethink Corporate Bereavement Policies,” by Mita Mallick.)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, November 2nd, 2020