Are We There Yet?

…Or Are We Merely Sitting In A Boat In The Middle Of The Lake?

     So the team is in the boat, some reluctantly, others ready to charge headlong into success. “Give me my oar”, can be heard under this one’s breath, (as he chomps at the proverbial bit just aching to try out his newly discovered information). Also in the boat is the conservative & cautious preparer, “We really should wait until we are ready to proceed. I don’t think we’ve had enough trial runs.” …and the coach yells through the bullhorn, “Stroke! Stroke! Stroke!” Beside the coach sits the coattail king who chirps, “OK, I’m here, come on every body let's go! Coach, tell me what you want me to do.” Coach looks at him over the bullhorn and shouts, “Stroke!”

     Right about now, we realize that we still require full execution of our plan and a motivated team to get to our destination... the other side of the lake. as the team has developed and evolved, forward movement has occurred. Distance has been created between the present location and the point of origin. Realization has begun to set in that significant work is still yet to be done to travel the remaining distance. The middle of the lake is far from home and certainly, not yet an arrival. The team has gradually begun to mature according to Dr. Tuckman's model (see last post), but occasional self interested action still hinders a complete team commitment and goal achievement.

     Conflict, as discussed in our last post, must be managed. Personality types must be understood to effectively harness their attributes and diffuse the power of any associated negative characteristics.
Dr. Stephen Covey wrote that great leaders should “Seek first to understand, and then to be understood.” As effective and attuned leaders, we must understand what developmental stage that our professionals are at. Either invest, or move them out, but own your results as a product of the team you’ve assembled. Manage for results, according to your understanding of potential and talent. Manage your team’s personalities toward success and focus on what is possible rather than on the obstacles that represent barriers in the path. Avoid “because I said so” leadership. This is both demoralizing, and demotivating to those who are essential and invested participants in the achievement of success. Seek a developed understanding of your talent’s stage of professional development and ability and speak to it accordingly, then set expectations appropriately.

     While a belief in what is possible is essential to growth and success, avoid establishing expectations that may not yet be deliverable. Be self-aware as a leader and observant regarding teaching moments and mentoring opportunities. It is not uncommon as leaders to assert a “I know how to get there” approach, and an "I know what is required to arrive at a CHOSEN destination" drive. This practical knowledge will not pass to our support through osmosis or from an infrequent "Watch what I do" example. Leaders must share knowledge to promote growth, break down the elemental components of a function or process and you will progressively move toward goal achievement. "I'll do it myself!" is not leadership, it is not coaching, nor is it effective management of a team. As leaders, we cannot allow our driven, “type A” personalities to lead us into the water without anyone to help row the boat. Having stated that, I must admit that one of the hardest personalities I’ve ever had to manage as a leader, has been my own. My passion, my driven nature and my earned “know how”, have sometimes eclipsed my patience and the need to teach. I can occasionally hear myself saying, “I can see the path…, I see the light shining through the dark, we’re almost through the tunnel. Now, COME ON YOU GUYS! ROW THE DARN BOAT!”

     …but, while performance by command may provide a result, it may also breed dissention and a desire to “jump ship” at the first opportunity. “Because I said so” is not leadership, the passion and driven nature of a leader must sometimes be restrained in order to build the conviction and engagement of those who row the boat. Poor leaders are revealed in the actions and reactions of their teams. Loyalty may be demanded from some Captain Bligh’s of the corporate world, but what is subsequently received, more readily resembles submissive behavior and passive aggressive compliance, as opposed to passionate service.

     Loyalty must be earned and willingly given. This is achieved when team members are able to “see” the leader’s vision of success as their own. The team must see their arrival at the opposite shore as their achievement. They must vividly imagine the success and celebration as they set foot on their chosen shore. The leader must help them “see” the inevitability of this arrival and convey the reward in terms that represent value to each of his (her) charges.

     Strong leadership must exemplify those behaviors that represent the consummate coach, leader, guide, mentor & manager. That said, do not forget that someone must be the boss. Do not fail to make decisions because a decision may be unpopular; never forget that as a leader, you are paid to guide your team to the other shore. As their guide you must reinforce strengths with positive encouragement and dismantle infighting by guiding eyes toward the opposite shore. In other words, remind team members in conflict that “our objective is to achieve the excellence that we are capable of, infighting or festering wounds divert focus and delay our arrival.” Personality types will not always mesh, the ideal is indeed difficult to achieve, and issues must be addressed effectively. At varying levels of group maturity, issues can be difficult to resolve or readily put to rest with discussion and direction. Address issues that must be spoken to, but be cognizant that every perceived slight or issue raised is often mere perception, and not necessarily reality.

     In the earlier stages of my leadership development, I often tried to solve every internal problem and address every perceived slight. As I matured in the role, I realized that occasionally the correct answer is “Don’t sweat the little stuff.” Remind team members that this team, THEIR team, is on a mission to achieve a worthwhile objective. Some issues are “Non-issues” and should be recognized and subsequently managed as such. Additionally, not every perception is reality. Be warned that a potential outcome of this approach may be a belief that leadership does not equally support all team members. Diffuse this early by providing “shoe on the other foot” scenarios. Place the complainant in the role of the accused, then place them in the role of leader/referee. Ask them to offer a solution that is not counterproductive, demoralizing or destructive to team direction and growth. Require them to think critically about the issue and their own complaint. Is it a perceived slight, is it some of the “little stuff”? Teaching the team to “play nice” and move the boat across the water can sometimes drive a leader to want to dive overboard. Stay true to the mission. Focus on your vision and not the obstacles attempting to obscure it from view. Seek new sources of knowledge and guidance and employ what you learn.

Leaders, exercise analytical thought; does the issue require appropriate management attention? Does the response require a hammer or a handshake?

Know the difference and employ appropriate responses. Respond to issues within reasonable time frames after attention has brought issues to light. Make a decision and provide correction in short order without excessive delay.
Delayed issue management only breeds an impression of disinterested, uninvolved leadership or a lack of concern for destructive forces in the organization.

         Meanwhile, back in the boat, we’ve toyed with Tuckman’s theory of formative team development, we’ve examined leadership roles in conflict management and we’ve somehow arrived at a midpoint between both shores. The team is now equidistant from their destination (perhaps a destination never before achieved), and the safety and familiarity of their known point of origin. Do we allow them to return to the comfort of what is known and allow a reverse of direction? Do we forsake hard won (albeit small) victories that have moved us thus far? Do we restart the proverbial engines and row together to new levels of achievement? We are almost there, but we have now begun to realize the significant amount of work that the achievement of our leader’s vision requires, do we abandon the vision? Mid-stream we have begun to falter, unity trembles and the team is at risk of disassembling. Where do we go from here?

BCN
7-30-2013