Source: BiblioArchives, Creative Commons
A top NFL quarterback said today (commenting on their perfect season so far)…
“Winning shelters a lot of things we’re doing wrong.”
That one really hit home for me. I see this so often in the corporate world. When things are going even reasonably well there just doesn’t seem to be the will power to handle the tough issues. All too often leaders simply agree to disagree which drives deep wedges down through the organization (for more on that thought – see Consensus: The Split at the Top).
That doesn’t seem so hard, just stop agreeing to disagree and solve you’re differences. But it sure is when things are going well. Everyone feels entitled. Their division or team is working well and hitting the numbers. What they’re really saying is that… “Until I’m failing (or at least struggling) you can’t make me change the way I’m being successful just because it’s not working for someone else.”
Here’s where the game of football makes it easier to see. In football you know whether you’re winning or losing after each series of plays. It becomes more obvious after each quarter. And in 60 minutes you get your final score card. It’s obvious and it’s quick. Not so much in the corporate world. You may go years before you actually get that concrete score that says you’re winning or losing. Or at least that’s the way it used to be. Not anymore. I’ve seen some of my corporate clients suffer great change in fortunes in a matter of few years and in some cases a matter of a few quarters.
- Mergers and acquisitions that turn sour very quickly.
- Putting off investing in new products or markets for too long.
- Not building a culture of innovation or unwilling to cannibalize their own product or market because of the success of the existing product.
I don’t need to invent the list, you can read about it almost every day in business topics on the internet, magazines, newspapers or books.
What I do see consistently through it all is a lack of willingness to put in the time, energy and pain to actually build a team.
A team that trusts each other.
A team that listens and learns from each other.
A team that is willing to take chances and go out on a limb with each other.
A team that is willing to challenge each other in a trusting way.
This stuff is hard work. It doesn’t happen easily or naturally. Those leaders who are unwilling to tackle this issue, especially when things are going well, will surly see the painful consequences.
“This team is tremendously tough, we rely on each other. We’re a ‘Band of Brothers’ when we go on the road, and we know that if you give us one inch we are going to take it. We’re a ‘Band of Brothers,’ and I trust these boys to a ‘T,’ and we prove it every time we get out on the field.”
Sorry, another football quote. This one by James Ross a linebacker for the Michigan Wolverines. Many of these guys have played together for two or three years. But under their new head coach, they’ve become a team.
Building teams makes a difference. Building a team helps you survive when things aren’t going so well. Building a team doesn’t allow you to agree to disagree when things are going well.
Success camouflages a lot of bad things. – Team Genius