3 leadership principles to help juniors in your team crush any project
You are sure to face this question soon if you haven't already: should you staff the next available position in your team or project with a junior team member or a more experienced person?
If we need to choose one, there seems to be an obvious answer. Think again.
Table of Contents:
Why might you choose juniors over seniors?
Experienced employees have seen a thing or two, and they can play a key role in your project. They are often more independent and can get started quickly by deriving from their experience.
Think about the composition of your team, or perhaps the last cross-functional project you took part in. Have you noticed symptoms such as a lack of consistency in attention, delayed delivery, too many meetings and/or constant complaining about others, or feedback about a lack of learning opportunities?
When you have a team that is comprised mostly of experts, these symptoms might occur due to:
Reduced focus - seniors tend to juggle more balls at the same time, and might spend less time on what they'd consider a "side job"
Increased time to deliver - experts tend to perfect their craft, often because they know a lot about the subject, which can delay the delivery of projects
Mis-communication - people who know more tend to ask fewer questions and to assume their terminology is clear to others
Personal development is hindered - it's a simple equation, if a senior is staffed, that means that the junior is deprived of an opportunity to learn
Lack of innovation - a pitfall for anyone of us who's more experienced is the tendency to stick to the familiar, the tried and tested, which can be at times a mediocre solution
It's not that seniors are bad by any means; they usually level up your organization. It's just a matter of balance. Experience is not always all that it's cracked up to be, and there are many more qualities that teams can benefit from. As a leader, it’s in your hands to make the sum of your team bigger by sprinkling a little freshness into the mix and unleashing these properties.
When talking about junior employees, I mostly mean those who are during and immediately after their academic studies (e.g working students and interns) and team members who are typically not so independent with most of their responsibilities. These colleagues often:
Have less on their plate, allowing them to address any topic with more intent
Might focus on the bigger picture as they are not aware of fine details, allowing them to deliver faster
Ask more questions (if the team created psychological safety)
Are eager to show their worth and could have a steeper development curve
Come with new unbiased perspectives
The 3 leadership principles | setting up juniors for success
So you've decided to mix it up a little and add more junior colleagues to your project, now how do you set them up for success?
It's like baking a fresh loaf of bread or a drool-inducing cake, you should have these three ingredients handy:
Flour - Match authority with accountability.
Referred to as the "Golden Rule" in the book Principle-based Organizational Design, it's the basic ingredient that is in the heart of any baked good. Ensure that the employees understand what they are accountable for, and provide them the space to make the decision. A junior employee who is accountable for the results of a decision would often make a better decision than a senior who has no stake after the project is delivered.
Think of this as the relations between a customer and a contractor. The customer might not be the expert, but she is accountable for the results and can, therefore, cast a better judgment on the course of action. It doesn't mean that she holds better expertise, but would likely opt for the result that helps her hit her goals.
Wet ingredients - the crosshair.
What is expected from the team is the ingredient that holds everything together. To elaborate further on this, I'll be paraphrasing a concept introduced by author and leadership thought leader, Liz Wiseman, dubbed the three 'whats' of delegation:
What's the goal (what does done look like)?
How do you know you did good (what good or great look like)?
What is not in scope for the project (what's not in range for the task)?
Clearly defining the scope is even more crucial when tasking a project with those earlier in their career.
Heat - treat employees as specialized problem solvers
Once you combine the ingredients, you'll need that energy to transform your recipe into something delicious. Employee engagement is that energy that drives a successful delivery. Engagement doesn't come from pep talks or perks.
Want your team members to bring their best to work? Then treat them as problem solvers, not task executors. Yes, your inexperienced workers can solve problems. They might come up with a better solution with more experience, but it doesn't mean they can't exercise their skills, so allow them to come up with their own solutions, challenge their ideas, make sure they covered their bases.
Self-Reflections
The three leadership principles work for any team. The effect they have on juniors can be the difference maker between excellence and acceptable. Furthermore, it will set the standard for employees in the first years of their professional careers, acting as a launchpad for their development.
Here are a few points for you to reflect on in regards to the talent composition of your team or project:
What is the ratio of more experienced collaborators and relatively inexperienced ones in your team?
Are you happy with the contribution of your junior team members? Do you think they can do more but are not quite sure how to get them there?
Thinking about your organic team or a recent project you were on, were the stakeholders given the authority to match their accountability for results?
Do you define clear goals for tasks and projects? do you articulate them verbally?
When defining the scope, do you include what should not be addressed?
How do you encourage un-learning across your team, peers, and the wider organization to help unleash innovation and avoid?
Footnote: If this article sparks your interest in baking, I recommend opting for sourdough. It proves as a more enjoyable and also healthier habit 😉
