SHORTS | Modelling, Accountability, and Elevating Team Performance with Erika Sinner

When you was trying to bring in that new way of working and moments that matter and really putting some emphasis on running good one to ones with your team, how much of the implementation was about you just modeling the way yourself to start with. So is that how it worked? Did you sort of do it yourself first and then talk to your kind of direct reports about it or did you sort of do both simultaneously? Because that's one of the things that we do as leaders. Right. We model the way we show know others. We let people follow our actions rather than just telling them what to do. Like what was your. We're getting quite into the. The details. I'm just curious how you sort of rolled that out.

It's a great question because I've actually had my own aha moments about it over the last couple of years. I used to believe if I just modeled it, everyone would see it and say, oh right, I should be doing that too. And what I realized is how the power of simply drawing attention to something and connecting the dots to some something for someone, it's not enough to just model, but it's if you can also help them understand the why or I'm so glad we're meeting for our one on one. It gives me the opportunity to talk through what. What the benefits are. They then are like, oh right, this is a benefit for me versus just experiencing the benefit. I think that's the first part. So it's, it's drawing attention to what it is that you're doing beyond just modeling. To me, modeling is table stakes. The second is accountability. So this is my aha moment in the last year and a half is asking them how are your one on ones going with your team? What's something that you learned last week and now they're hearing me ask about it. And so it's not just a document that's living somewhere. It's not just an expectation that Erica has for her employees. But she keeps asking me about it. So it shows to them. It's important enough to me that in the time that we have, I'm asking you. And so it's a reminder for them too of, oh gosh, if I did cut mine short. I don't want to micromanage anyone either, but they're starting to see if I continue to ask and they are not having answers for me or if I'm digging into some of those answers that they themselves have to kind of elevate their game.

Yeah, I'm so glad you shared that as well because one of the things I've realized over the past few years as well is that in business, one of the sayings that we use and hear all the time is what gets measured, gets done. Which invariably, sorry, undoubtedly there is some truth in that and I think what gets spoken about gets done. So if we are talking about one to ones, how are your one to ones going? What have you learned recently? That is another way of making sure that the important stuff gets done right. And I was chatting to somebody recently and they said when they get to the point where sort of their team are almost ridiculing them and saying I don't say it, I know what you're going to say. Ben, how are my one to ones going? Like that's the point, you know. No, they've, they've got it. And until you get to that point, if you're trying to make a change or land a message, if that's not happening, arguably you need to keep going. I think that's right.

I love that. Yes. Because for me I, after I get through that transition period. It's so funny that you say that. I just had one of my team members say this to me a couple of weeks ago when they're like, I already know you're going to ask, but our last one on one with them before even saying I know you're going to ask. Hey, I just wanted to give you an update on my team. These are the things they were working on last week and now it's proactive because they've, they've made it through the introduction phase. They've made it through. Erica keeps asking about this phase. They've made it through. I know you're already going to into instead. Wow. I see the value. I see the conversations we're having about it. I see the additional resources because of those conversations I was able to secure for my team. Then moving forward, I'm just going to tell her about these things and look what can come out of it.

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