When Your Team Outsmarts You: A Manager's Guide

Drawing from my extensive experience in treasury and capital markets, I have worked alongside many brilliant individuals who are often more intelligent than myself. Managing such individuals can be both exhilarating and demanding, as they bring a wealth of skills, creativity, and fresh ideas to the table. However, independent thinkers may not be receptive to traditional management styles. As their manager, it is your responsibility to strike a balance between autonomy and accountability to ensure that your team is productive and motivated. In this response, we will explore some strategies for effectively managing smart people.

Selecting the Right People

When joining an organization with an established team, it may not be feasible to choose your team members. However, selecting individuals who are self-driven, curious, and passionate about their work and appointing them as team leaders can be beneficial. They should have a track record of success, a willingness to learn and grow, and the ability to work independently, collaborate with others, and think outside the box. During the interview process, ask questions to assess these qualities.

Establish Clear Expectations

Once you have assembled your team, setting clear expectations is crucial. Define your goals and objectives, communicate them clearly to your team and their leaders, and ensure they understand what is expected of them and how their work contributes to the organization's success. Be specific about deadlines, milestones, and deliverables, and encourage your team to ask questions and seek clarification if needed.

Provide Autonomy

Smart people thrive on autonomy. They want the freedom to explore new ideas, experiment with new approaches, and take risks. As their leader, it is essential to provide them with the space, tools, resources, and information they need to do their best work. Then, step back and let them work their magic.

Encourage Collaboration

While autonomy is vital, collaboration is equally essential. Smart people often have different perspectives and approaches, and they can benefit from bouncing ideas off each other. Encourage your team to work together, share ideas, and collaborate on projects. Create opportunities for brainstorming sessions, team-building exercises, and cross-functional collaboration.

Offer Feedback

Smart people do not like to be micromanaged, but they do need feedback. Offer constructive feedback regularly, be specific about what you liked and what needs improvement, recognize their successes, and offer suggestions for how they can improve. Encourage them to seek feedback from others, and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Embrace Failure and Celebrate Successes

Smart people are not afraid of failure, and neither should you be. In fact, failure can be an opportunity for growth and learning. Encourage your team to take risks, try new things, and learn from their mistakes. Embrace failure as a natural part of the learning process, and use it as an opportunity to course-correct and improve. Finally, celebrate your team's successes. Recognize their hard work, acknowledge their contributions to the organization, and celebrate milestones, achievements, and breakthroughs. Make sure your team feels valued and appreciated. This will motivate them to continue doing great work and to strive for excellence.

In conclusion, managing smart people requires a delicate balance between freedom, accountability, and patience. By selecting the right people, setting clear expectations, providing autonomy, encouraging collaboration, offering feedback, embracing failure, and celebrating successes, you can create a productive and motivated team that achieves great things. Remember, your job as a manager is to enable your team to do their best work and then get out of their way.