In this episode, I talk to Jen Bunk, Ph.D., career coach for technical managers and founder of The People Stack. This episode is part of a series we are publishing focused around the 4 key drivers of successful engineering managers and in this episode, we will focus on the second key driver – an Inclusive Management Style. Jen will discuss how engineering managers can provide an inclusive leadership style that engages the team and displays openness and trust.
Engineering Quotes:
Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Cultivating an Inclusive Leadership Style:
- One of the most important aspects that is needed when starting to cultivate an inclusive management style is building trust. Not only do you need to include your team in conversations, but you also need to empower your entire team.
- Trust is built over time through having a series of conversations, and it cannot be established in one day. You need to cultivate a habit of building trust in your career in everything you do.
- Get to know every single one of your team members. Know them to their soul, enter their world, and really understand where it is, they are coming from.
- Unless you know people — and you get to know them well — you can’t learn their different patterns and work with them to the best of your abilities.
- One of the challenges leaders have is that they often tend to think they have reached a certain level and know more than the people they are leading, but a lot of times they have more answers than we do.
- A big part of having an inclusive environment is to include your team in the mission of your company. You also need to know what your individual mission is as a leader as it will help you to lead in a more inclusive leadership style.
- To build trust, you need to have compassion and empathy toward your team members. Have a heart-to-heart connection with your team members and learn to feel what it is they might be feeling. This is when you are going to be able to enter their world and truly understand them.
- You need to focus on the things that you can control and not the things you can’t. People cannot be controlled, but you can control the way you respond to situations.
More in This Episode…
In the Take Action Today segment of the show, Jen gives you an actionable piece of advice that you can take to cultivate an inclusive leadership style.
About Jen Bunk, Ph.D.
Jen helps tech managers build thriving high-performance teams so that they can advance in their careers. She is the Founder, CEO, and Architect of the People Stack®, a network of people, places, and things that help tech managers build better teams so their teams can build better tools, and so those tools can build a better world. Jen geeks out about the intersection of people, work, and tech. She also loves yoga, traveling, and pretending to be a world-class foodie. She’s a wife, mother, and dedicated lifetime scholar. Every day, she strives to balance it all.
Management is the opportunity to help people become better people. Practiced that way, it’s a magnificent profession. ~ Clayton Christensen
Books Mentioned in This Episode:
Resources and Links Mentioned in This Session Include:
EMI’s YouTube Channel
Engineering Management Accelerator – People Skills Course (Online) | 5 PDHs
Project Management Accelerator – PM Skills Course
TECC 174: Strategies Tech Managers Can Use For Building Effective Teams
Jen Bunk’s Website
The People Stack
Connect With Jen Bunk
How can you cultivate an inclusive leadership style with your engineering team?
We would love to hear any questions you might have or stories you might share about an inclusive leadership style.
Please leave your comments, feedback or questions in the section below.
