Uplevel’s Post

This is my Slack status right now. There are a few reasons I shared this with the team... 1️⃣ I want to make sure people have notice of my potential absence. That way they can get in touch with me today if there's something pressing that needs attention before Wednesday. 2️⃣ I want to normalize sick days and make sure people feel comfortable speaking up when they're not available. Taking time for personal matters shouldn't induce guilt — and actions speak louder than words. 3️⃣ I want to lead by example from a communication and expectations-setting standpoint. Especially since we're a distributed team across time zones and borders, communicating frequently and openly is key for being on the same page. Tomorrow morning I'll change my status based on how I'm *actually* feeling. 🤞 -- #DistributedWork #FutureOfWork #RemoteWork #Leadership

🚀 New Blog Alert! 🚀 In an era of transformative shifts, how we lead matters more than ever. Learn from Swati Raju, Head of Engineering for Confluence Cloud at Atlassian, as she shares the key elements that guide her remote leadership philosophy, including: 📌 How to set foundational ground rules for remote work 📌 How to navigate turbulent waters with empathy and transparency 📌 How to motivate in the face of uncertainty Thank you Atlassian for sponsoring this keynote conversation for our community! Check out our key takeaways from this talk by WEST member Guadalupe Emigdio and watch the recording here. #womenintech #mentoring #leadership #inspiration #remotework #engineering

Do you interrupt your team with requests for status updates? ❓ How far along is A? ❓❓ Where are you on B? ❓❓❓ What's the status of C? They may seem like important questions. As leaders, we are responsible for delays, missed deadlines, and setbacks. But even a quick question in Slack interrupts their focus and flow. You don't want your team summarizing their progress in lieu of making progress! Here are a few points to consider: 1: Make it easy. No update should take more than a few minutes of their time. 2: Make it automatic. Set a specific cadence for information sharing with the person and/or team. 3: Make it asynchronous. Don't set a meeting, and instead allow communication to happen on each person's own schedule. For updates to be as unintrusive as possible, my team and I used a daily standup as our model. At the start of each person's day wherever in the world they might be, they shared the following in Slack: • What they worked on yesterday. • What issues they might have faced. • What they intend to work on today. At most, each person wrote a few sentences, taking no more than 2-3 minutes of their time. If there were any questions or concerns, then they were addressed asynchronously. No one was expected to immediately answer messages. ➡️ If necessary, I could ask: "What can I take off your plate?" This let me provide support without taking over the project or undermining their trust and confidence. ➡️ Or I could say: "Don't worry about those other tasks."   ➡️ And with a collaborative team culture, then these status updates also allow others to share resources, provide input, or offer help. You don't want to become a micromanager, nor foster an environment in which you interrupt other's work. PS. How does your team share status updates? 🔔 Follow Chris Cotter for more on #leadership.

Incorporating a transparent and aligned OKR system is crucial for collaborative and efficient progress in organizations. Transparency in OKRs not only boosts motivation. Americans, in particular, express increased motivation when peers can see their progress, but also ensure that everyone's efforts are aligned with the organization's vision. Rather than a top-down approach, a hybrid model fosters autonomy and innovation, exemplified by Google's '20 percent time' concept, which led to the creation of Gmail. However, alignment can be challenging, as seen in MyFitnessPal's initial struggles with OKR coordination. Addressing this, the Lee brothers organized quarterly meetings to ensure departmental OKRs were interdependent and supportive, leading to more cohesive teamwork and effective achievement of organizational goals. #OKRTransparency #CollaborativeGrowth #OrganizationalAlignment #EfficientProgress #TeamworkInAction

Your daily dose of communication & leadership tips are ready to read! We hope you’ll want to check it out! We aim to tackle one of our pillars in a way you might have yet to consider. Fresh insights await. Intrigued? Grab your coffee, tea, or matcha, and let's dive in. The Unseen Power of Asynchronous Communication

✅ Embrace collaboration. Involve the right set of people with the skills needed and work as a team to find solutions. ✅ Some individuals are highly passionate to ensure the things are delivered with high competency, they are the spark to get milestone achieved. ✅ Relax, recharge, refresh. Managing stress is crucial. Engaging in non-work-related conversations helps gain a fresh perspective. "With great power comes great responsibility" - and challenges accompanying that responsibility. It's not about being invincible; the true test lies in overcoming any challenge with the right set of people. #leadership #collaboration #technologytransformation #microsoft

When you're fully booked, you guarantee every request has to wait. Or triggers a wasteful round of Calendar Tetris. "I found a slot in two weeks." 🥴 100% utilization is always a wasteful mistake. Normalize being responsive. Normalize slack time. Normalize focus. https://lnkd.in/dCrtrr8p -- PS. I'd had at least an hour daily as a buffer in my calendar for the last 15 years. Having this space has allowed me to absorb emergencies, respond to my team, wrap up some work, or just take a moment to think. Don't you want the same? #management #LeanStartups

𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 🔍 In software development, seamless collaboration is crucial. Here’s a power question to consider: What could I do or stop doing that would make it easier to work with me? This question encourages honest feedback, fostering a culture of trust and continuous improvement. Why This Matters: • Promotes Open Communication: Enhances trust and openness. • Identifies Barriers: Helps spot and remove collaboration obstacles. • Drives Personal Growth: Provides insights for self-improvement. • Boosts Team Morale: Shows the team their opinions are valued. How to Implement: • Regular 1-1s: Use this question in one-on-ones or retrospectives. • Anonymous Feedback: Use surveys for candid feedback. • Action Plans: Act on feedback and show tangible improvements. Create an environment where feedback leads to action. Ask this powerful question and be ready to listen and adapt. How are you fostering open communication in your team? Share your strategies below! #Leadership #SoftwareDevelopment #TeamCollaboration #ContinuousImprovement #AgileLeadership

Unpopular Opinion: Productivity Hacks Are Overrated for CEOs... As a CEO, I’ve tried countless productivity hacks, but here’s my unpopular opinion: they’re overrated. Focusing on the fundamentals is what truly drives success. Here’s why: 1. Obsessing Over Productivity Tools Distracts You Constantly switching between apps and techniques wastes time and energy. Stick to a simple method that works and focus on execution. 2. Multitasking Is a Myth Juggling multiple tasks at once dilutes your effectiveness. Instead, concentrate on one high-impact task at a time. 3. Meetings Aren’t the Enemy Strategic, well-planned meetings can be incredibly productive. It’s about quality, not quantity. 4. Embrace Downtime Overloading your schedule leads to burnout. Downtime is crucial for creativity and long-term productivity. 5. It’s About the Big Picture Day-to-day productivity hacks won’t replace strategic vision and leadership. Focus on long-term goals and let your team handle the rest. Real productivity comes from simplifying your approach and focusing on what truly matters. Let’s stop glorifying hacks and start leading with purpose. What are your thoughts? #Leadership #CEO #Productivity

How frustrating is it to have to answer questions you’ve already answered?   How frustrating and inefficient is it when you have to train new people or to train existing people?   Daily Shake Up No. 886 is a reminder that we have a powerful training and development tool (and an efficiency enhancer) literally at our fingertips. It’s called the Record button on Zoom, Teams, Google Meets, etc. Thanks in part to the pandemic video meetings have become the norm, and these platforms offer us an easy and efficient way to capture everything for future use. If you’re training someone, do it on a video platform, share your screen, and record it. If you’re answering questions that someone will likely ask in the future, record it. We all struggle with finding efficient ways to train our people, and the video platforms are an awesome tool, especially when you’re onboarding a new team member. Enhanced training, development and efficiency is just one button away – Hit Record! #SnowGlobeLeadership #NischwitzGroup #SnowGlobeLiving #Leadership #Training #Development