#63 | 9.13.24 - 3 Team Trends Shaping the next 12 months / Starbucks’ New CEO's Strategic Vision / 7 Patterns In Couples Who "Made It" / 100 Pieces of Advice

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3 Team Trends Shaping the next 12 months

I have the honor of engaging in diverse conversations for my work, and this week was no exception. As I’ve reflected on the conversations I’ve had over the last several months, it has caused me to reflect on some of the trends that are important to teams now, and will become increasingly important in the next 12 months:

1. Flexibility

I was having a conversation with a co-worker in which we remembered a time when productivity was measured by the amount of time you were in your seat (actually, there are still organizations that behave that way).

Here’s the truth - for most knowledge workers in the US, a rigid work schedule doesn’t fit the bill anymore. Our staff lead complicated, busy lives with multiple responsibilities outside of work. We have a greater chance of our staff staying longer if we recognize they have more going on in their lives than what lives in a job description. That said, yes, the work still needs to be done. If you can focus more fully on outcomes and less on ‘how long did that dentist appointment take?’, your employees will stay much longer. 

Practical tips:  

• Set clear expectations: Flexibility is great, but without clear expectations, both you and your staff will be frustrated. Ensure you’re clearly (remember, clarity is kindness!) communicating what's expected regarding work outcomes and deadlines.

• Trust your team: If you have to micro-manage your team, something is wrong. Ideally, you hired a competent, capable team. Focus on outcomes and trust your team to complete their work.

• Outline required staff time: To build a highly effective culture, you need time when everyone is together. There’s a good chance that your productivity will go down on those days but trust me, it’s worth it because your morale and culture will go up. Find a good rhythm and make sure everyone knows the values of those together times. (I find once a week, mid-week, works for our staff).

2. Mental Health

As crucial as our organization's logistical details are, the mental health of our team members is equally more important. It has become increasingly essential to ensure our teams are functioning at their best, not just physically but mentally as well. 

Practical tips:

• Encourage open conversation: Let your team know it’s okay not to be okay. Make it part of your regular 1:1s to ask how they are doing. Give them space to talk about it. You might be the only opportunity they have!

• Provide resources for mental health: This will vary depending on your organization. Perhaps it’s providing articles or videos on managing stress and anxiety or providing access to professional counseling services - whatever it is, let your team know there are resources available to them.

• Lead the way: Value your mental health to demonstrate its importance to your team, encouraging them to do the same.

3. Inclusion

Lin-Manuel Miranda once said, “I just want to be in the room where it happens.”

There’s a good chance most people on your team want to contribute and make a difference. They want to be part of the discussion. Inherently, there’s tension there as more people in the discussion add to complexity and slow down execution.

Be that as it may, I believe that our staff wants to collaborate. They want to be represented and contribute to the discussion.

Here’s a secret: Getting your team ‘in the room where it happens’ isn’t about adding more chairs to the table or increasing the meeting size—it’s about finding ways to increase their influence.

Practical tips: 

• Ask for participation: Foster a culture where staff are comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. I recommend actually saying this to your team and then following up with regular staff meetings and 1:1s. Make it part of your team's cadence and culture. Bonus tip: When you ask for thoughts and ideas, be comfortable with silence initially. Don’t answer their questions for them with another question.

• Delegate Responsibility: Craig Groeschel is credited with saying, “When you delegate tasks, you create followers. When you delegate authority, you create leaders”. As you’re compiling action items from your team meetings, ask, “Can this be accomplished by someone else?”

• Ask “Who can we include?”: It’s easy to fall into the trap of going to the same people all the time. Get in the habit of asking yourself, "Who can we include as we make this decision?" Finding ways to have more people speak into a conversation not only results in a better decision — it builds a collaborative culture.

As we look ahead to the next 12 months, I believe these trends will continue to shape how our teams function and thrive. By leaning into flexibility, mental health, and inclusion, we set the stage for a stronger, more engaged team ready to tackle whatever comes next.

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Starbucks’ New CEO's Strategic Vision

Brian Niccol, who has also been called “the Lebron James of the restaurant industry” (how would you like that title! 😂), outlined his strategic vision for the coffee giant, which includes making cafes more welcoming by targeting hectic stores and overwhelming menus.

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7 Patterns In Couples Who "Made It"

A couples therapist recently posted this list on IG. Really, really good stuff here!

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100 Pieces of Advice

I’ve written before about how much I enjoy articles like this. There are some clever thoughts here I’ve never heard articulated quite as well as Matt did. I particularly enjoyed #7, #13, and #83. Admittedly, I’m not sure what to do with #63.

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Words to wrap up

Frodo: "I wish it need not have happened in my time."

Gandalf: "So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring