CLOSE

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

A Good Team vs a Great Team

You should lead from the Heart or not at all

I witnessed two types of leadership. The first had great strategy, skill, and a good boss who was resolute in completing the task. He was one of those faithful dudes who would ensure the job was “on time and on budget.”

The other leader was not really a taskmaster, at least not in her approach to finishing the project. She also was committed to completing the goal, but her conversations where focused on her teams needs rather than the task as a whole. Here’s what’s funny, the way she appreciated (maybe even loved?) her team members was obvious.

I asked her about her team and she replied, “I’d do anything for them: I love these people.”

So it was love after all!

You wouldn’t believe the difference in the way the team members responded towards their respective bosses. The first group was all business with little interaction. The employees where told what to do and they did (when their leader’s eye was on them). But the second group (with the lady boss) talked to each other more. They sought help from each other, and they appeared to enjoy their work. They certainly asked more questions asking for clarity and help!

Oh yeah… the first group has some current openings. They are looking for new people to join the team because they have had some turnover. The second group has no current openings, but it does have a list of people who want to transfer-in when position becomes available.

I asked the leader of the second team, “What’s your secret weapon? Your team obviously loves working here. How do you do it?

Her answer shocked me.

“Courage.”

“You have to have courage; you have to love each other enough to say something. You owe it to your team to consistently clarify expectations. Once our team understood that they were both appreciated and held accountable, we became good. When they started genuinely appreciating each other and holding each other accountable—we became great. We celebrate a ton around here. We truly want everyone to be successful. We each do our parts to make winning a reality.”

BOTTOM LINE: So there it is. This week, will you have enough courage to both champion and challenge the people around you? If so, get after it! If not, why not?

Give it a shot and let me know how it goes!

Dr. Rob

 

Get awesome articles like this once a week!