The Importance of Surfacing Unspoken Roles
Sometimes the unspoken roles we hold are the most powerful, and surfacing them can help a team to understand itself better and manage change.
A member of a team I am part of is going on leave shortly for a few months, and I am going to miss them greatly during this time. Of course, part of what I will miss is their friendship and collegiality, and while the team has great resources to draw on for covering their professional role, doubtless I’ll miss the contribution they make to their designated portfolio within the team as well. But as I have reflected in the period leading up to this person departing, more and more I have found myself focussing on the unspoken roles this person holds.
They are a force for social cohesion, binding the team together – often through humour, kind words, and looking out for people. They are our empath, able to read the room and the situation of each person, and able to say the thing that unlocks how that person might be feeling. They help to scan the emotional field of the wider community, and they keep a close eye on people who are struggling with something. And when we are leading a change, they ride the boundaries of the change and make sure everyone can stay on board. It is these contributions I will miss most of all.
Over the years we have done a variety of things that have helped the team to surface these unspoken roles – telling each other our leadership stories, analysing our profiles as team members, and generally spending time with each other and working through challenges. Certainly you learn a lot about unspoken roles when things get tough! Whatever way a team finds to unpack and draw out the unspoken roles held within their system, I have found this to be valuable work and time well spent. And as I have pursued my own journey as a systems coach, I have valued the methodologies of this approach and the way in which they can quickly reveal what is happening with such roles. Among other benefits, surfacing unspoken roles can help with transitions and succession arrangements because, alongside the designated professional responsibilities under transition, unspoken roles can be taken into account and planned for.
Some useful questions to ask, especially at a time of transition:
- What unspoken roles are going to change as a result of transition?
- What capabilities and strengths does the system bring, that can help manage this change?
- How can the unspoken roles held within the system be surfaced and celebrated?