Archaeologist Dr Chloë Duckworth shares lessons from the field on trust, teamwork, and leading with humanity in challenging environments.
Key Takeaways: leadership lessons from archaeology
- Conflict is natural in a team. Handling it well makes it productive, not divisive. Utilize shared challenges to reduce stress and build team cohesion.
- Trust is essential. Model honesty and admit your mistakes. This will build trust and create an environment of mutual reciprocity.
- Believe in delegation. Even when there’s risk, empowering others is worth it.
- The long view of history. Throughout most human history, we've lived in small groups. We want some form of hierarchy – but not too much.
About Dr Chloë Duckworth
Dr Chloë Duckworth is an author, television presenter, lecturer and public speaker. As an historian and archaeological scientist, she is based in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at Newcastle University. She is the author of "The Great British Dig," a book tie-in to a popular British television show.
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Let's Act: lead like an archaeologist
Chloe shared that she sometimes deliberately breaks finds in front of her team to help them relax and know that it's OK to fail.
You don't always have to have the answer or get everything right. Commit to allowing vulnerability in the team.
Make this commitment today:
- Share something you're learning with your team.
This way, you'll prove that you aren't infallible and that the team manager has room to grow. It will also model a growth mindset and signal to the team that it's safe to be yourself and not have all the answers.
Explore these Mindtools resources to get you started:
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- Article: Vulnerable Leadership: The Power of Opening Up
- Article: Self-Disclosure
- Video: Building Psychological Safety With Your Team
- Video: Fixed Vs. Growth Mindset Video
- Podcast: Pain Points Podcast: Graceful Leadership
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