Alli Murphy

Leading by example is the best way for you and your team to help stave off burnout. - take your PTO and unplug - set work boundaries - embrace a flexible schedule - infuse joy into work & projects And while you’re at it, restructure workloads, processes, and team collaboration to help combat burnout. Burnout isn’t an individual solve, though self-care can help.

In addition to formal development through courses, conferences, or coaching, set up stretch projects that are in their area of interest and will help propel them to the next level. Bonus points that the more you develop your team, the more you’ll have room for development yourself.

I work with a coach weekly to help me reflect on and grow in my leadership journey. I also have regular feedback mechanisms in 1:1s and quarterly meetings. On top of that you can listen to podcasts, find a mentor, sit down and assess how your approach is working, pay attention to your triggers, and take time to journal or openly reflect on your leadership. In our culture that’s go, go, go and rarely stops to pause and reflect, reflection and self awareness can set you apart.

Numerous studies show that high performing teams have less to do with having individual rockstars on your team and far more to do with how well your team knows each other and how well they work together. In addition to what’s shared in this article, build a culture of psychological safety, embrace failure and appropriate risk taking, get to know your team as people (what motivates them, hobbies, family’s names, etc), and develop systems and process that work for them. By helping your team know each other and work better together you’ll create a high performing team.

I like to celebrate success by starting each of my 1:1s with my team sharing a win they had in the past week - big or small. We also talk about wins and celebrate success not just at the end of a project but along the way, too. It sets us up for great momentum!

Remember that women and people from historically marginalized identities can easily be interpreted as more aggressive when they speak up for themselves or their teams. If you’re on the receiving end of the conversation, take this context into account.