Recently I was asked to play a role of a regulatory expert during a virtual workshop. We were testing out a new process that we recently developed. Even though I had no experience in that role myself, we were able to find a couple of gaps in the new process easily.
Before the pandemic, when we were still able to do live workshops, I always asked the participants to put on a baseball cap with their role on it. This was hilarious to do and resulted in great outcomes at the same time. I really miss those days….
When working in teams, unfortunately people do not wear baseball caps with their roles on it….
How do other people know what role you have in the team? Are you the leader, the project manager of a subject matter expert?
What do you do if you have multiple roles in a team? How do you make it clear to others which hat you are wearing?
If your role is not clear to yourself or others, people will make assumptions and so do you. The outcome can be miscommunication, frustration and often lack of progress.
Knowing what hat to wear and changing hats are key skills for successful leaders.
I would love to hear your experience in the comments below.
Do you want to get better at this? Get in touch!
