We’ve all heard about managers who micromanage and those who seem indifferent. Despite being two extremes, both result in employees feeling overwhelmed, unsupported, and unrecognised.
When Juliette Modolo, Senior Insights Manager at GWI, started managing, she knew that she wanted to avoid these extremes. In this latest blog post Juliette explains how she discovered that “creating space” for people is far from passive, it’s a conscious daily effort and an amazing catalyst for growth and inclusivity.
Giving Space for Growth
The first step is identifying space for growth. This must be co-created by both managers and employees through regular performance catch-ups (monthly or quarterly). These meetings help identify:
- Employees’ strengths and areas for growth
- How they can prepare for future senior roles (if growth in their current role is limited)
- Their appetite to develop specific skills
Regular meetings are crucial to staying up-to-date with people’s development and motivations, which can change quickly.
Managers can then “create space” by combining insights from these catch-ups with business objectives to identify growth opportunities. These opportunities must be safe for growth:
- Propose opportunities. If they don’t feel ready, propose again later. And again.
- If it’s their first time, give clear directions to ensure they’re set up for success.
- Regularly check on their progress and how they feel about it.
- If they raise concerns, assess whether they need a confidence boost or direct support, but ensure concerns are addressed.
- Have a plan B ready so it truly feels safe.
Giving Space for Inclusivity
Inclusivity is at the forefront of most business strategies. It enhances creativity and innovation, making businesses more competitive. While we receive training on unconscious bias to avoid prejudice, is that enough to foster real inclusivity?
The workplace tends to normalise certain behaviours. How we speak, the interests we share, and how we dress and behave can differ significantly from who we are, depending on how far we are from the office norm. Multiple studies have shown the impact of conformity, defined as a change in behaviour due to social pressure.
Managers can play an active role in creating a space that’s not normalised, allowing people to safely connect through their differences by:
- Being curious about people (what excites them, how they are when they’re spontaneous)
- Making them feel comfortable expressing these differences. If you feel zero connection, it’s an even greater reason to praise it—it’s definitely something you won’t be bringing to the team!
- Ensuring the neutral line—the one that says your freedom stops where others’ starts—turning differences into strengths rather than sources of conflict.
In Conclusion
Giving space to people in your team is a must, but it must not be passive.
By regularly assessing what this space looks like and how they feel about it, you ensure your team keeps growing and feels challenged. You can also identify where you should provide support. Creating space for the expression of identities helps avoid conformity, fostering richer exchanges across the team, and leading to greater innovation and competitiveness. Combining active space for growth and inclusivity helps articulate your vision at an individual level, making it relevant and engaging. It ensures everyone moves in the same direction with purpose. By cultivating a unique combination of strengths, it promotes complementarity in the team and inspiration, rather than unhealthy competition
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