Working with the Hand We’re Dealt
In a perfect world, I would get to select all the people I work with. Alas, the world is often far from perfect. We don’t always have the option to cut the deadwood and replace them with rock stars. You’ve seen the sports flicks where the underdog coach comes in and turns a bunch of “losers” into championship athletes. Some of these are true stories – take away the Hollywood touch and replace it with hard work, leadership skills, and grit. Continue reading When I Can’t Choose My Own Team…
It was a unique experience that I wish was common: In the face of diversity and considerable disagreement, there was an overwhelming sense of unity.
You’ve just promoted a rising star. Now you’re wondering how long before someone else comes knocking at your door with, “I’ve been here longer – why haven’t I had a promotion yet?”
The problem is the number of variables that come into play. Building team skills into an Executive Team that has worked together for years (but perhaps not well) is different than pulling together a set of people who barely know each other – if at all – for a short-term project. A large organization with many players to choose from to form their team has different issues than the small organization that doesn’t really have options for who will be on the team. And the variables go much deeper than that since the organization’s culture impacts everything. 
The reason, I believe, lies in an unintentional shift that had occurred in the organization’s culture. That change sucked the energy, passion, and motivation from this highly competent team. They had always been passionate to succeed but now they were just trying to get a job done. 
Stewarding an organization’s culture is a core responsibility of every leader. Weak culture can bury the strongest strategy and vision. But a strong culture will put even a mediocre strategy on steroids.
months on the job showed great potential. So how could he have made such a boneheaded decision that put the organization’s reputation on the line with a major stakeholder!
It’s a good thing for a leader to be liked. People are motivated to do their best for someone they like. But good leaders know that warm & fuzzy feelings can’t be the most important thing. Like a doctor, good leaders even need to be willing to inflict some pain when appropriate.