As organizations look to ring in the New Year, it's apparent that teams have faced attrition, and many leaders are dealing with new team members , and in some cases - a whole new team or a transition to a Contingent Workforce.

There is no reprieve on annual year-over-year delivery or veto card to the objectives the organization has set for 2023. Now more than ever, Leaders are faced with having to deliver results with the team they have. Some leaders will roll up their sleeves and get it done themselves (the same way the company has always done it), while others will invest in their people and build a team to deliver results.

Now, one approach might seem "easier" and "faster" while the other takes time - but in order to sustain a healthy work-life balance and culture of growth, development and accountability, we must fight the urge to do it ourselves and begin to lead with HEART.

I have a fairly mixed bag of new and tenured employees on my team, and the following approach has helped us be more cross-functional, involved, clear, and ultimately left with a feeling of success and accomplishment.

"Your employees need to trust that in their time of need, you’re there to support them. This requires a leader to walk the walk and talk the talk”

Here’s how I lead my team with HEART:

Hear them out

● Your employees are far more connected than you think; when you give them the opportunity to speak up – hear them out! They bring a different level of experience and perspective that live outside your peripheral vision.

Earn their trust

● Sounds cliché, but it’s true; your employees need to trust that in their time of need, you’re there to support them. This requires a leader to walk the walk and talk the talk. If you say something, do it. Got busy and didn’t return their call? Acknowledge it and reschedule.

Accept their opinions/objectives

● Not everyone agrees on everything. Accepting your employees’ opinions and suggestions demonstrate you value them and that you care about their contributions and outcome. If this creates a debate, accept it for what it is and seek understanding, alignment, and common ground. This is a blessing in disguise and where the work gets exciting, and results start to grow.

Reach a common ground/goal

● Teamwork requires all teammembers to work towards a common objective; if the above steps are followed, and the employee feels valued, this is where success becomes inevitable. If the objective is clear and the employee has an understanding of ‘Why’ and ‘how’ they contribute to the teams success, they are more likely to do the “thing” that results in a win.

Trust their work

● Once you’ve established the roles and responsibilities of your team, trust they will execute and do the work. Your role as a leader is to keep them on track and remove obstacles, whether that’s addressing KPI in coaching sessions or reviewing the scope trust in their abilities to do the job and to do it well.

Leading with HEART requires consistency. Whether dealing with tenured employees or new joiners, it’s never too late to refer to these five steps when managing a high-performing team. Lead them differently – lead with HEART.