3 Ideas for Being an Advocate of a Team of Unsung Heroes
One of the most popular goals I see among the tech leaders I work with is what I call the “unsung heroes aspiration.” Many leaders in tech find much of their team’s work is behind-the-scenes and although it is vital, it goes… well, unsung. Strong leaders are advocates for their teams, ensure they are recognized for their great work, and facilitate their voices being heard when it comes to cross-functional objectives.
So, this begs the question – how do you advocate for your team? There is not a one-size-fits-all answer to being a great advocate, but here are some thoughts that may help you generate creative and strategic ideas.
1. Educate Others On What Your Team Does
Tech people are known for “lunch-and-learns” which is essentially exchanging and sharing technical knowledge (usually when food is involved). Why not have a lunch-and-learn with marketing, accounting, HR, or sales? You may not go into great technical depth, but it is an opportunity to show others what you do and how it connects the overall business and customer needs (it’s easier to recognize the value in what your team does when there is a clear connection to business outcomes).
I once worked for a company where we rotated this type of learning every quarter. There were a lot of “light bulb” moments when people from other departments got to walk in the shoes of their peers on other teams. Not only that, it also helped the cross-functional teams to work better together.
2. Share Wins With Your Peers
As the leader of your team, you have a unique opportunity to promote what they do like no one else can. When you are interacting with your peers, whether that be in a leadership team meeting or a 1:1 check-in, you have a distinct opportunity to communicate the progress, challenges, and wins of your team. And again, connecting that to business outcomes makes it most meaningful and helpful to others.
In some situations, there may even be an opportunity to support one of your people in sharing with or presenting information to your peers. Not only is this a great way to help others understand the importance of what your team does, it also helps develop and grow your employees. This leads to my third idea…
3. Develop Your People
Developing and growing people on your team is a natural way to create additional advocates and evangelists on your team. Whether they are an individual contributor or an up-and-coming leader of people, when you develop your team members to be high performers, others notice, and opportunities present themselves.
One of the most satisfying parts of my job as a leader was to see my people promoted into new positions – usually outside of my team. This was always good for the person being promoted as well as the company because it facilitated the cross-pollination of information and ideas throughout the organization.
Taking even one step in being an advocate for a team of unsung heroes can make a big difference in boosting morale and increasing cross-functional collaboration. The key is to be planful about it and then give it a go!