Okay, so you're not a manager of any kind. There are some employees that stand out. You notice them. You know who they are and for a good reason. I think there are three types of employees that take the word "worker" to a different level.

1. The Cheater
• Knowing how to cut corners is not a bad thing! It demonstrates that you know how to be efficient. It means you know what to spend your time on and what is a waste of your (and other people's) time. These employees help let you know when to "not worry about it" and that's great for saving time and saving money!
2. The Suck-up
• There is the "friend" of the office and that's not a bad thing! When someone knows what is going on in people's private lives, knows what the strengths of each person is, they are the only you go to when you need something. They can help walk you over to the person you need and schmoose them a little bit to work for you.
3. The Juggler
• Oh the multi-tasker! You have so many things going on that you are on every project under the sun but that's not a bad thing! When you need to know something technical, they likely know the answer because they've done it at least once. They get s*** done! The tough part will be getting on their calendar but they do love to help out.

One of the age old difficulties of working with other teams outside your own is that they have no prior context of your abilities. There is no trust built and even though you are working together, you aren't on the same team yet. How can you bridge that gap and help them feel confident that you have their best interests in mind and want to get the best outcome together?

There are a couple tactics that I have in mind, but there is no tried and true method yet. What do you think?

1. Make them feel smart by proving you're not always smarter
• Okay, that's a little strong but when you're in the midst of change, everything is running a mile a minute in your head. We forget the simplest things. We rush around trying to get too many things done. You need to slow down. Don't always blurt out the answer or say, "here I'll just do it for you". They know the answer, let them get to it at their own pace.
2. Make them feel like leaders by praising their ideas
• Everyone loves hearing "good job". They like knowing their hard work is noticed and their efforts are worthwhile. As leaders, you have to be a thought leader. It may be your job to work out the details of how to make that idea possible, but make a point to say "that's a good idea".
3. Make them feel in control by giving them easy decisions
• When I'm doing a training session, I am the trainer and the one in charge of the schedule, attendance, and making sure that everyone learns something. It can make managers of that team uneasy. Give the manager a say by asking yes/no questions or letting them choose between three choices in some of the activities. If you give them ways to contribute they won't try to bulldoze your control during the actual training. A good example is asking them who should/shouldn't attend certain session together. Use their social knowledge to make your job easier.

A couple weeks ago, I posted about three key tools that every project manager needs. Being a people managers is tough as a lot of your needed skills are soft skills and are hard to learn, buy, or teach. I do think however that there are a few that every manager must have. I think these few things help "boss" become "leader" and so that a people manager can connect on a personal and genuine level with their team.

1. The Hard: Feedback Phrase
• Whether required annual reviews or weekly one-on-one time, you need a way to give and receive feedback. You can ask for it simply and directly but it is rare that you'll find subordinates that feel comfortable enough to actually say something valuable. What I've learned is you need something to coax it out of people. It can be a phrase that puts them at ease, the delivery, or the candor that you create but it has to be yours and it has to be genuine.
2. The Clever: Email filters
• If you're a manager, you get a lot of email and if you want to get anything done the hard truth is you can't read them all. In Microsoft Outlook (and Gmail and other email providers) you can create rules that filter and place emails into organized folders. If you do it right, you can keep your inbox to only those that require responses. If you don't have the expertise yet, here's a quick video.
3. The Silly: Favorite Restaurant
• No joke, everyone has a favorite spot and if you can share it with others and show them why it's your favorite, you've got instant comradery. Our team did a team dinner at an Italian place once before a client visit and another time we did a cooking class. It was awesome and it was years ago but we all still have photos on your desk with genuine smiles.

There are a lot of star quarterbacks hurt this football season already: Luck, Roethlisberger, Romo. Here's to hoping that they get well soon! What I think is special about football teams is that these injured players are always on the sideline. They don't miss a game, stay at home, or become a lesser part of the team. It makes me think of my own two teammates that are out on maternity leave. They're promising to return to the game as valuable players again too! Here's some thoughts I have on why we should keep the sidelined, benched players.

1. Morale
• It's tough enough to not have them playing next to you, don't ship them off entirely! Changing the game can have emotional consequences so keep the team spirit together by keeping the benched players engaged. Make sure to continue including them in your team email announcements and locker room pep talks and keep them as active as possible.
2. External perspective
• You can still learn a lot by watching instead of doing. You can see the blitz coming in a whole new way. You can watch the competitor's coach making calls on the sideline. You can think about "what would I do" in a whole new way. For maternity leave, you demonstrate work-life balance and that you can (and should) take time off for your family and it doesn't ruin the football season (or financial quarter).
3. Relevant related skills
• Even if you aren't actively engaged in the daily grind, there are ways to stay relevant in the industry. Instead of lifting weights or going on business trips you might have more time to attend conferences or read. You know you're coming back soon so use your time wisely and brush up on industry standards or competitor tricks of the trade.