The Art of Being a Collaborative and Supportive Team Leader
Good boss? Bad boss? Which do you want to be?
I come from three collaborative fields (filmmaking, publishing, and publicity and marketing). In all these, I have worked as a team member or leader. I have had occasional arrogant and self-centered team members (who were quickly replaced) and leaders (who I had to endure), and hundreds of giving, thriving, and valuable team members with incredible ideas. Often, a change in relational style can make a difference in the performance of all involved parties. This team tone comes from the team leader, who, in your case, will be the writer.
As creators, we are leaders. But being a great team leader is more than just being at the top of the food chain. It's about fostering an environment that encourages each team member to grow and contribute their best. We must lead others properly and supportively, not just for our own success, but to bring out the best in our team.
Having to be the most intelligent person in the room is unproductive for team productivity. The author's job is not so much to suggest (suggest, of course, if you feel you have a great idea) but rather to listen. Ideas flow to you. You have the final decision on a “go.” Still, that decision is made within the context of collecting ideas from the total team, even allowing yourself to be overruled if the team argument objectively proves better than yours.
Part of the problem I have found when looking at and consulting with writers about their careers is that the author views everything regarding his career. Note the pronouns here. This is shortsighted. For the writer (or anyone), it is not about you. If the author has chosen the best team members, he is wise to view himself as the dumbest person in the room. When working with a team, it is not about your career; it is about everyone’s career. It is not about your success; it is everyone’s success. It is not only about your opinions and goals but also the collective opinions and goals of the team. Every team member must have skin in the game. It is essential that the team leader put the team's success ahead of even their own. This gives the collective team the emotional and intellectual freedom to be and express their best. Going further, nothing is wrong or ego-damaging about a writer letting himself be out-voted by the team.
Because resources are limited, team optimization is the only way to go. Writers normally cannot “throw money at it,” but they can encourage and create an environment where the team works smarter and more strategically. Four strategies for working with teams are to focus only on the main task at hand, not add new main tasks until the previous main task is completed, let the team and team members work independently of you (the writer) so you don’t bottleneck the process by being a micromanager, and let your team concentrate on long-term, not short-term returns.
We want team members to be engaged, which only happens when team leaders (the writer) recognize, appreciate, and encourage their strengths. The key to what I’m talking about here is respect and listening. You’ve chosen your team members, or they have been assigned to you, and you want to maximize their relationships and synergy. You only do this by being the writer, the team leader, who puts everyone else’s ideas and career goals ahead of your own. Share the wealth, and then you’ll see the wealth.
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