How do you balance the demands of multiple teams and manage your own resources?

As a leader in Business Intelligence, I can't stress enough the importance of setting clear expectations with your teams. It's like playing a game of soccer - everyone needs to know their position and what's expected of them to score goals. By defining your role and deliverables, you're setting the stage for a winning strategy. Remember, clarity is key! 🎯🏆 #LeadershipGoals #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork

In the current dynamic scenario one has to wear multiple hats delivering across the spectrum on time in full. Resources will always be stretched and as a person managing multiple teams 1. Empower the people 2. Identify and prioritise the tasks 3. Some tasks are dependent upon completion of other tasks 4. Reach out to extended teams which can help with data faster 5. Be available for key tasks for guidance and hand holding 6. Use the “passengers” for z priority tasks so they don’t burden the “drivers” 7. Follow up at the right time (eye on the clock) 8. Think of Plan B

Achieving clear role definitions and expectations amidst multiple teams requires proactive communication, adaptable organization, and consistent feedback. Tailor your approach to each team's preferences, actively listen, and establish structured channels for collaboration. Regular check-ins, balanced resource allocation, and transparent reporting maintain alignment. Empower teams to contribute and adapt your approach as projects evolve. Ultimately, this blend of strategies fosters clarity, minimizes conflicts, and enhances overall productivity.

Additionally, provide cross-functional team members with work experience they cannot get in their current roles and that advances their careers. This can include more scope and responsibility, development of new skills, people coaching, executive representation, and more. Team members are then highly incentivized to do work they may not normally be required to do.

In my experience being completely transparent and clearly communicating the goals and expectations of each team, down to the individual contributions is key. As a leader, you have to be open to opinions and suggestions from the team on how to reach the goals and expectations, you have to anticipate change and have the team ready for change, and with change, be ready and willing to pivot when needed. Failures are common-place and being able to accept those, learn from them, and quickly move forward together is also a necessary skill to instill in any team in order to be successful.

Balancing the demands of several teams while efficiently managing your own resources as a cross-functional team leader can be difficult, but with the appropriate techniques and practices, you can succeed. Here are some pointers to assist you manage these obligations: 1. Set goals and assign responsibilities to each team and project. 2. Using approaches such as the Eisenhower Matrix, you can effectively manage your time. 3. Delegate duties and have faith in your team. 4. Maintain open and clear communication with team members and stakeholders. 5. For tracking and organizing, use project management software. 6. Resource allocation based on project priorities. 7. Set limits to avoid burnout. 8. Encourage decision-making that is collaborative.

Encourage your team to do the same. Everyone, including you, should start their week with a Weekly Planner that they've reviewed with you. In this way you can work with your team to re-prioritize their tasks if necessary. And you can identify potential conflicting priorities before the week even begins. Anyone who starts their week with a plan is planning to win.

Establish an engagement model to review incoming work requests and proactively manage your team's workload. Streamlined process for team prioritization through a single intake channel, with a clearly defined approval process for changes in in-stream work would help. Accurate sizing of the incoming work by your team's SMEs is crucial. Additionally, identifying dependencies with other teams is vital. Instead of subjective prioritization labels like High, Medium, Low, collaborate with stakeholders to define a prioritization matrix based on revenue impact, customer impact, compliance, etc to differentiate Urgent/Important tasks. Establish "Cost of Delay" to objectively discuss trade-offs between competing priorities.

By embracing a realistic and flexible planning and prioritization system, individuals can optimize their productivity, efficiency, and the overall quality of their work. It empowers them to maintain a healthy work-life balance and deliver consistent results despite competing demands.

1) Set Boundaries It's tempting to say yes to every project or request that comes your way, but this can quickly lead to burnout and decreased productivity. Learn to say no when necessary and set boundaries to protect your time and energy. Prioritize projects based on their strategic importance and feasibility. 2) Prioritization Urgent or important? Assess the importance of each project and prioritize accordingly. Collaborate with your teams to determine which projects deserve immediate attention and which can be deferred or delegated. 3) Time Management Effective time management is your ally in managing competing demands. Use tools and techniques to allocate your time wisely. Be disciplined about sticking to your schedule.

"Delegate tasks, empower minds. Success springs from empowerment." To succeed in delegating and empowering teams: 1. Align tasks with team members' strengths for efficient results. 2. Assign responsibilities evenly to avoid overload and optimize performance. 3. Delegate authority according to roles and expertise for decision-making. 4. Offer guidance and coaching for skill development and confidence. 5. Define motivating goals to drive performance and growth.

Delegating and empowering team members is a fundamental aspect of effective leadership in any organization. This step not only lightens the workload for individuals managing multiple teams but also contributes to the overall success and growth of the teams themselves. Delegating not only empowers but motivates people to improve and get better. Team members start leading their own processes, driving and boosting results for the organization.

As a leader, it is your responsibility to eliminate obstacles your team might encounter. These obstacles may include lack of training, staff shortages, unclear expectations, or inadequate resources. It is important to bear this in mind while taking steps to empower your team. Once these obstacles have been tackled, you must ensure your team knows they own their performance. I often remind my team that they are the CEO of their respective functions. This implies they have the authority to operate their functions as they see fit. However, it also means they are accountable for the outcomes. To ensure you are not leaving your team helpless, it is recommended to schedule periodic check-ins to ensure they remain focused on their goals.

Key insights I've gained from my experience in delegating and empowering team members include: Building Strong Relationships: Invest time in building strong relationships with each team you work with. Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular check-in meetings with each team to assess progress, discuss challenges, and strategize. Delegate with Trust: Trust your team's abilities and provide them with the autonomy to make decisions within their areas of responsibility.

Delegation is crucial for leaders, but it's not a single-step process. Delegate to the capable individuals in the team entrusting them do to the job, and then step clear of their path, yet remain engaged on the sidelines, ready to provide assistance and remove obstacles. Instead of just delegating and withdrawing, elevate overall team effectiveness by offering direction when team is stuck and providing coaching and support as needed. Empowering teams to be self-reliant nurtures accountability for the whole team, and boosts team's confidence, ensuring their success.

Conduct regular meetings and touch-base with your teams and promote two-way communication and feedback mechanism. Ensure everyone in the team are on the same page when key decisions are communicated. Be transparent when communicating with your team and stakeholders. Prioritize overcommunication, especially when your team handles numerous high-stake priorities across multiple cross-functional teams. Proactively inform key stakeholders about anticipated delays, rather than waiting until the last minute after a project is already delayed. Continuous communication with stakeholders not only builds strong partnerships, but also encourages stakeholders to provide you the support you need.

I have found that push communications work best for senior leadership (C-Suite, VPs) while pull communication works best for teams, managers and directors.

Make sure you have a plan in place to use these insights and advice otherwise there is little value to both teams and the broader organization. Be able to communicate how you plan on using this data at the time of engagement. Why are you gathering this data? Also have strategies in place for updating stakeholders on progress, outcomes and impacts that have resulted from the sharing of insights and advice. It doesn't stop once you have collected data.

Having a solid plan for documenting progress helps to ensure that everyone is informed about the current status and any next steps. One tool that I love (if your team operates in an Agile environment) is Jira. It's a great tool that allows you to keep all stakeholders adequately (and equally) informed throughout the process. It also builds trust, because stakeholders can easily see what's being worked on at any given time. It also has some really neat reporting capabilities, which allows you to illustrate and evaluate success/failure more easily.

While I support alternative views, regular meetings based on the time of day or week is less efficient than pre-scheduled meetings related to accomplishing a key task(s) and the requirement of new planning. Meetings that review progress (past) add little to finishing properly. Good team leaders should trust that no news is good news and expect any deviations from the plan to be communicated timely.

The key notion to make this happen is cultivating a mindset of continuous improvement. Embrace every experience as an opportunity to learn and adapt. Prioritize self-reflection, proactive problem-solving, and seeking feedback. Approach change and challenges with curiosity and humility, valuing growth over ego. By consistently applying this mindset, you can steadily enhance your skills, confidence, and influence as a cross-functional team leader.

Talk & listen to the grass roots and junior team members. They will see issues some managers will try to ignore or hide. Also promotes an open door policy which some leaders suggest but never truly live by.

This is absolutely important. Failing to balance work and life can lead to work stress impacting overall well-being, straining personal relationships, and hampering workplace performance. Remind yourself not to excessively worry over things beyond your control. Transition gradually from work mode during your commute, ensuring your mind disengages from work as you near home. Although challenging, consistent practice pays off. Once your work schedule ends, engage in a hobby or activity to shift focus away from work thoughts. Personally, I find sanctuary in my backyard post busy work hours. Spending 15-20 min daily to care for my vegetable garden and water the plants allows me to disconnect from work mode and fully embrace family moments.

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is one of those statements that are easy to say but difficult to do. I learned early in my professional career that I am most optimal in the morning. However with an early start to my workday it was leading to quick burnout at the end of the day. I would leave work feeling anxious and constantly struggling to switch off work even when I would get home checking and responding to email. To maintain a healthy balance and working optimally I blocked my calendar from late meeting appointments [with exceptions of course]. This have led to less stress and helped with organizing my thoughts to closeout the workday.

It's essential to consider balance could have a different definition for anyone. There needs to be flexibility for team members to define what it means for them and pursue it to have a fulfilling life.

As a proficient cross-functional team leader, adept at harmonizing the multifaceted needs of various teams while judiciously managing limited resources, it is imperative to acknowledge that your team constitutes your most invaluable asset. It is essential to cultivate an environment where you empower and instill unwavering belief in your team's capability to meet and exceed expectations. Reflecting on my own professional trajectory, it is evident that the mentors who provided opportunities for growth were instrumental in shaping my leadership prowess. Witnessing individuals who have traversed their developmental journey under my guidance ascend to remarkable heights remains an unparalleled source of gratification.

While leading cross-functional teams, its critical to manage the interdependencies. But how do you do that? Every team should be aware of the common objective, and how that objective will be impacted if they do not deliver on time, within budget, scope and quality. Its leaders responsibility to bring that awareness. It is extremely important to manage the demands, issues and concerns of the teams.

Cross Functional is a way to prevent silo’s… It’s how we managed to figure the Regression Formula to accurately price a Private Jet up-front (…by the hour) to purchase an aircraft and pay for All scheduled & unscheduled maintenance.

Being a cross-functional leader of business-critical teams with high-stake outcomes and multiple demanding stakeholders could be challenging, yet rewarding. When there are too many hungry mouths to feed, keeping everyone (other teams) satisfied without killing your own team or yourself would be a challenge. In those cases, being firm on the agreed commitments, and not passing the pressure to the team will help keep team shielded. It is ok to say no or to push-back. If you cannot meet their timelines, remind them that you are not necessarily saying no to their ask, but to the timeline, and propose alternatives. Purposeful and considerate push-back helps others understand your stance and willingness to collaborate.

Regularly assess your progress and adjust your approach as needed. Tailoring your approach to different individuals and teams is crucial for effective management. Recognize that people have varying communication styles, work preferences and strengths. Some may prefer frequent check-ins, while others prefer autonomy. Adapt your communication and management style to accommodate these differences, providing the support and guidance each person or team needs to excel. This flexibility fosters better collaboration and helps you cater to their unique needs and preferences.