“A rising tide lifts all boats.” – John F. Kennedy famously said this referring to a growing economy, and over the years it’s been applied to many different contexts.

As leaders, how can we be more of a rising tide? How can we be in the boat-lifting business as a team? Here are 3 focus areas for boat-lifting:

1 // Intentionally create team values: take the time to define and talk about the values that are important to the team, make the implicit, explicit. Many times values like trust, respect, and having fun are assumed to be important, but talking about them together and sharing their personal importance help a team connect tightly, honoring and practicing these values every day. Lift the boat.

2 // Always aim to be clear: the quality of a team hinges on the quality of relationships, and communication is the fuel that fosters those relationships. If your team is feeling and showing tension, listen for clarity in how you’re communicating together, and signals where miscommunication is happening. Experiment with moves that add clarity for everyone. Lift the boat.

3 // Continuously work on psychological safety: talk about and learn from mistakes, and encourage open and authentic conversation. Show each other that it’s OK to be vulnerable, to take risks with each other, and patiently listen to each other. As a leader, try to go first, and work towards making it safe. Lift the boat.

For today: what’s one thing you can do to rise the tide and lift the boat, for your team?

In closing, I have a public cohort launching for the 10-Week Multipliers Leadership Development program soon, here’s the quick form I can use to send you more information – the program is full of practical tools useful for all leaders, from new Managers to seasoned Execs. Multipliers are boat-lifters, 100%.

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Here are a few resources worth checking out, that I’ve been sharing with clients lately:

1 // Two basic mindsets shape our lives, and it’s no surprise they show up at work too. (8 min read)

2 // “Resilience can be found by holding onto our certainties just a little less tightly.” Even certainties like the tooth fairy. (1 min read)

3 // “What is this really about? How do we feel? And, who are we?” One of 3 conversations that happen every time we speak, and supercommunicators know this. (2 hr podcast)