Read the room: How to avoid leadership snafus

1 Be sensitive to the signals

Pay careful attention to people’s body language. Non-verbal cues and indications of genuine interest are the key ‘tells’ rather than what people are prepared to say out loud or state in writing, particularly in a group setting.

2 Notice group dynamics

Take a step back and look to see how people are interacting with each other. Are they sharing complicit glances? Are they avoiding eye contact? Pay particular attention to silence and inattentiveness – both are strong signals that you have lost your audience.

3 Don’t just talk – listen and ask

To test whether your audience is really listening to you, ask them questions about what you’re saying, such as, “What haven’t I covered?” and “What would you like to achieve in this project?” The more questions they ask, the more engaged they are with you – and with your vision – and vice versa.

4 Avoid favoring individual success over team achievement

Collaboration and entrepreneurial spirit are often highly encouraged by the senior leadership team – in theory. But is the corporate culture more results-oriented? Are you more focused on project completion and celebrating individual successes, including yours? If so, you need to dial down the ‘hail-to-the-chief’ vibe and shine the spotlight on teamwork and shared achievements.

5 Avoid sending the wrong message

Just as important as heeding the signals from others is avoiding sending the wrong ones yourself. Do you tend to focus on the challenges and difficulties ahead? If so, you may be unintentionally signaling to colleagues that they don’t have what it takes. Remember, many people in the team are ‘just doing their job’ and won’t necessarily feel that a major milestone for you reflects their hard work, so be careful not to make everything seem about ring-the-bell outcomes.

6 Be honest with yourself

Be honest: Have you stopped to think about impediments to team collaboration and satisfaction? Of course, you want to drive the project forward, but are you communicating your ambition with empathy, acknowledging the efforts of colleagues, and showing deference to other senior stakeholders? Sometimes the hardest conversations to have are with ourselves – but they also often pay the greatest dividends.