The Story of Great Teams

26 Apr The Story of Great Teams

I invest a fair amount of time working with teams.

 

And I’ve come to a few conclusions on why the elite few separate themselves.

 

It’s been many years since I first read Patrick Lencioni’s seminal work on the subject – The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team – but the insights I still carry with me.

 

He posits that – at the core – a lack of trust and an unwillingness to address conflict are ultimate team killers.

 

I would add that they are equally corrosive at the macro level for many companies.

 

The trust thing – in particular – is becoming increasingly elusive.

 

Which is why more than half of my professional investment today is on the subject of sourcing and developing leaders.

 

Leaders – not managers.

 

I have no axe to grind – but the world is replete with managers – desperately searching for leaders.

 

No company will build a culture of great teamwork without them.

 

It’s guaranteed.

 

Ask most CEOs to identify the ratio of leaders to managers in their company and the common landing point is about 1 to 5.

 

I disagree.

 

I believe the figure is much more lopsided.

 

And most of the experts who study the subject – intently – agree.

 

So, what’s the difference in the two?

 

Managers handle things – they administrate – they organize – they oversee.  The Peter Drucker descriptors of the mid-20th century still apply.

 

Control – Plan – Staff – Direct – Organize.

 

We need managers to be sure.  They help make certain our world runs.

 

Companies won’t survive without them.

 

But we thirst for leaders – they’re the ones that make sure our world is headed in the right direction.

 

And no company will thrive without them.

 

Leaders evoke movement– they give us purpose.  And the extraordinary ones inspire an unprecedented level of trust.

 

A manager’s success can be measured in a host of ways – but a leader’s can only be measured in one way – the number of willing followers that stand with them.

 

Ready to step into any battle – and at any time.

 

If you want to test that hypothesis – pick three people in positions of authority in your company – take away their titles – and see how many would still give them the time of day.

 

Enough said.

 

Position power, in turns out, can be accorded to even the worst of humans – but it cannot grant them the influence that authentic leadership does.

 

Even if there is a corner office involved.

 

Which takes me back to this notion of sourcing and developing real leaders. In some of our coaching sessions we often point senior executives toward a few fundamental truths – truths that few companies fully embrace.

 

To build a world-class leadership culture your organization must:

 

• Source exceptional individual(s), not just the traditional. That means moving beyond the simple focus on management skills and abilities – and examining far more closely character and values.  We can “train up” skills – not so when it comes to the latter.
• Set the standards. Conveying what’s expected of a leader – from Day 1 – goes a long way in determining the success of that leader. The number one reason many never hit the mark is because they never enjoyed a clear vision of what greatness should be…or could be.
• Train to the standard. There is probably someone, somewhere that walks into their new company fully equipped to meet and exceed the job expectations. I haven’t met them yet. Want to get a Quick and Easy diagnostic on a company’s future leadership prowess? Take a look at the development they provide today.
• Coach, coach, coach. Each of the preceding points becomes meaningless unless there is effective coaching to pull them through.  And to be honest, coaching diminishes as we ascend in most organizations.  A travesty.
• Ensure accountability. The elite senior leaders demand it – of themselves and of others.  If we hire for greatness but then accept something less then we send a message to the company.  Good is okay. Except it’s not.

 

Now most companies might contend each of the above is a part of how they conduct business – how they source and nourish quality leadership talent.

 

No.

 

They don’t.

 

As part of our diagnostic on the above we sometimes encourage some clients to do an inventory of current leadership – at every level – and then discuss the findings.  A few of the questions that drive that dialogue:

 

• What is your current percentage of world-class leaders?
• Who are they?
• What led them to their current level?
• What are the insights?
• How must this change (if at all) if we are to realize our goals in the future?
• So what should we do – today…and tomorrow?

 

 

The insights are astonishing.

 

It’s a simple formula to be sure.  But it works.

 

Wishing for great teams – wishing for great companies – is not a strategy.

 

It’s an aspiration – a hope – or a prayer.

 

Knowledge, I’ve decided – is the accumulation of data and information. Most organizations have it in abundance.

 

But wisdom is in understanding what to do with that knowledge.

 

Big difference.

 

The heartbeat of your company can always be traced to its people, its leadership and its culture.

 

That second factor is where it begins…or doesn’t.

 

Great leaders offer us stability.

 

Hope.

 

Compassion.

 

Trust.

 

And the latter begins and ends with the same essential element.

 

Truth.