That is the essential question being posed by Catherine Ruvolo and Carla Suskin, principals of the leadership consultancy Lead Together Now. And nowhere else is team leadership more important than in commercial real estate, where property professionals often lead large building teams to successfully operate complex assets.
Ruvolo and Suskin, who spoke at the recent BOMA International Conference & Expo in Salt Lake City, broke the concept of leadership down to a simple mandate: “Leadership is getting other people to do something.”
And while that is a solid entry-level definition, the duo did a deeper dive into the true nuances of successful leadership of staff members at their different stages of development. These softer skills are key not only to team building, but ultimately to the corporate (and your building's) bottom line—Ruvolo and Suskin attribute at least 30 percent of an organization’s profitability to leadership skills.
Using a situational leadership model created by Drs. Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard, Ruvolo and Suskin advocated for a leadership style that flexes to fit “the team or individual, the task and the time.” Toward that end, the duo profiled four types of team members and aligned these with specific management styles:
R1: People new to the team are typically marked by a high commitment, but low competence. Leadership here needs to be more directional and focused on training.
R2: With time and training comes higher competency, but a shaky level of confidence, which can lead to wavering commitment. Such staffers need a leader who can coach with a combination of direction and support, the latter coming in the form of explanation and encouragement.
R3: As competence continues to grow, there’s a subsequent growth in confidence, but commitment can still be erratic. Direction might dwindle here to make way for that confidence, but support needs to be high.
R4: Ultimately, a strong team is made up of members who are both highly committed and competent, and as Ruvolo and Suskin indicated, these are the professionals who are ready to lead their own teams and are highly promotable. Support and direction here are nominal in the face of that confidence and commitment.
But remember that you as a team leader are here for the greater good of the company, and promotions could mean losing that team member to another department. “This is about moving the company forward,” said Suskin.
Responding to your team’s leadership needs is not “one and done,” said Ruvolo, and in fact, your management style needs to transition fluidly among all four styles, “ratcheting it back as necessary to help team members make better sense of the current situation they may face.”
Click here to view the slide deck from Ruvolo and Suskin's presentation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John Salustri is editor-in-chief of Salustri Content Solutions, a national editorial advisory firm based in East Northport, New York. He is best known as the founding editor of GlobeSt.com. Prior to launching GlobeSt.com, Salustri was editor of Real Estate Forum.