How Respect, Synergy and Empathy Help This Colorado Leader Manage a Diverse Team

by Alton Zenon III
December 3, 2020
Zayo managing a diverse team Kathleen Buccholz
zayo

There’s no black and white approach to leading a diverse team. 

To ensure that employees — no matter their personal or professional background — feel valued and heard, leaders must take a multifaceted approach to management. Leading with empathy, respect and approachability are all part of the process in creating a sense of unity among a diverse team. 

After working at fiber network company Zayo for over 12 years — being promoted through half a dozen leadership roles and working across international teams — Kathleen Buchholz shares what she’s learned about creating synergy between individuals with different perspectives.

The senior VP of integration and financial systems said it starts with building mutual respect between team members so everyone feels comfortable and empowered to share their ideas. It’s also important that leaders understand what drives their direct reports and lead each individual based on their unique motivations. These lessons and others have helped her shape her leadership strategy over the years to create space for everyone’s voices to be heard.

“Regardless of personal perspective, all employees have unique contributions to make,” Buchholz said. “Giving them a platform for their voices and contributions to be heard is essential for team success.”

 

Kathleen Buchholz
Senior VP of Integration and Financial Systems • Zayo

When leading a diverse team, what is the most important thing a manager can do to ensure they’re providing adequate support to each team member?

Ensure team members are comfortable approaching you. They should be confident that you will take the time to sit with them and work through challenges that arise in their day-to-day work. This time also provides insight into what motivates employees, which is important because motivations can be very different for individuals on diverse teams. Recognizing each individual’s motivators provides the best opportunity to supervise and coach a team effectively.

It is equally important for all team members to feel that unique perspectives, backgrounds, education or cultures are truly valued and that each contribution drives the overall success of the team. 

 

Recognizing each individual’s motivators provides the best opportunity to effectively supervise and coach a team.”

 

What training have you received for managing and working with a diverse team, and how has that training shaped your approach to management?

My work at Zayo during the years of high merger and acquisition activity provided ample opportunity to work and collaborate with diverse staff in France, Great Britain and Canada. The experience provided hands-on training for effective collaboration across backgrounds, cultures and educational levels. I also learned that, regardless of personal perspective, all employees have unique contributions to make. Giving them a platform for their voices and contributions to be heard is essential for team success. I shaped my management approach to allow for all voices to feel heard and valued.

 

More from Zayo:The Hidden Fiber Keeping the World Connected Amid a Pandemic

 

How do you create synergy among a diverse team and ensure all voices are heard, valued and respected?

The most important factor when it comes to creating synergy among a diverse team is a mutual feeling of respect. I encourage each of my employees to participate, speak their minds and bring new ideas to the table. This practice creates not only synergy but a sense of accountability across the team. The success of a team is not dependent on any single contributor; it requires the team to collaborate, trust and rely on each other. Once trust and collaboration are in place, we discover that there is far more in common between people than there are differences. 

It’s also important to let employees know that you care. Before we began working remotely, I began each day by walking through the office and greeting each of my employees with my now-infamous salutation of “G’morning and have a great day!” While I miss this in-person ritual, we found the simple practice of daily remote engagement to be equally effective.

 

Jobs at Zayo

Colorado startup guides

LOCAL GUIDE
Best Companies to Work for in Denver & Boulder
LOCAL GUIDE
Coolest Tech Offices in Denver & Colorado Tech
LOCAL GUIDE
Best Perks at Colorado Tech Companies
LOCAL GUIDE
Women in Colorado Tech