One Foot In

Team Management and The Power of Small Steps

team management and the power of small steps

A common phrase among the OFIOFO team is: “no big reveals.” This philosophy goes beyond collaboration and involving teams and clients in the process—it also reflects our belief in the power of change.

Team management, project management, change management, you name it, at the end of the day what we’re looking for is results. Often, people are inclined to go for the big win. Keeping their work behind the scenes until it’s perfect—ready for a big reveal.

However, time and time again it’s proven that leaders, clients, and even teams, aren’t looking for the big reveal. What they want is incremental change and better outcomes.

Incremental Progress = Bigger Results = Better Outcomes

Several behavioral factors contribute to the effectiveness of this team management technique. Two key behaviors are worth noting:

  1. Risky behavior is wearing us thin. In the face of the pandemic, economic unrest, and global conflicts, people seek predictability. Smaller, gradual changes are more predictable, allowing us to better understand where things are going. They are easier to handle, both in terms of acceptance and implementation. On platforms like Reddit, trending words such as journey, adventure, compound, and investment indicate an increased desire for incremental progress. People, teams, and especially leaders managing teams are seeking durability and longevity in their endeavors.
  2. Recency bias also plays a role here. People tend to remember what they have recently experienced. While big corporate strategies often focus on the long term, providing small, incremental, and bite-sized changes that add up to the whole proves to be more effective.

Leadership workshops are the perfect training ground for building good team management techniques.

Leadership workshops present an opportunity to take a macro view of significant changes while identifying smaller shifts and adjustments along the way. They are a great place to practice a team management technique that’s proven to deliver better outcomes.

Psychologist Becky Kennedy often discusses this idea in the context of relationships with children, but the concept applies equally to teams. When people are brought into the plan, they feel respected. Incremental change fosters this sense of respect, which, in turn, leads to better behavior, improved team dynamics, and ultimately drives the desired change.

So, let’s start small, shall we?