Death of My Way
Leaders emerging from successful teams all echo this sentiment - “It wasn’t quite what I had hoped for, but it turned out better than expected.” Working in a team will defy what you expected, and it will move beyond what you had hoped.
As the team takes on a life and a personality of its own, leaders and members must place their desire for “my way” on pause, allowing the uniqueness of what the team brings to flow. Working in a team will even defy the more inclusive mindset of “our way.” Teamwork should, and indeed must, give rise to the “team’s way.”
By insisting on “my way,” the leader turns the team into nothing more than a group of labourers. This mindset robs team members of ownership, and ultimately separates them from the vision.
Barking instructions at people that scurry off to do your bidding doesn’t make you a leader. The people that obey your commands without question are not your team. This forced labour may bring satisfaction to one, but not to the whole. If autocratic leadership benefitted everyone, slavery would still flourish today. Working in a team brings a collective satisfaction to everyone involved as a reward for the collaborative effort.
Someone must guide and focus the team’s efforts to maximize results. When leaders chop and change the vision, team members become despondent and less willing to collaborate, sensing that their efforts are wasted. No one wants to put effort into something that produces nothing.
The vision should be set in stone until achieved. Imagine if soccer goalposts were on wheels, and the goalkeeper could drive them around on the pitch during the game. It would impossible for anyone to score a single goal. Planting the goalposts into the ground ensures a fixed destination where the team tries to score. Likewise, a vision planted as a definite end-point helps focus efforts and ensures the team succeeds.
One person within the team ensures the vision remains in place until achieved, and is usually the same person that gave rise to the vision. The role of this “vision-defender” is to ensure the vision remains fixed in place. By anchoring the vision, the leader gives the team certainty that all their efforts are worthwhile. When fixed in place, team members will instinctively know where the vision is, even when the haze of effort clouds the path.
When anchoring the vision, the leader acts like the True North, steadfast and certain, allowing the compass needle to point to him or her. The compass represents the team members, and the needle represents the team member’s tasks. All tasks should point to True North, moving the team closer to achievement of the vision with each step taken, which the leader measures for its effectiveness at attaining the fixed vision.
There is no doubt that the single most important skill to define a leader, with the power to make or break his or her reputation, is the ability to work with a team. This important skill quickly separates true leaders from “leader-wannabe’s” wanting to gloat in their own self-importance. Self-indulgent leaders may fool fans, but will never fool the team.
Teamwork is a skill that evolves and grows with practise and patience. Although a lot of good information is freely available on the internet on how to lead a team, it is merely advice. Each team is unique, with its own nuances and flavour. You will have to adapt what you learn in this book, personalizing it to suit your team, to lead them to the final destination effectively.
As the team takes on a life and a personality of its own, leaders and members must place their desire for “my way” on pause, allowing the uniqueness of what the team brings to flow. Working in a team will even defy the more inclusive mindset of “our way.” Teamwork should, and indeed must, give rise to the “team’s way.”
By insisting on “my way,” the leader turns the team into nothing more than a group of labourers. This mindset robs team members of ownership, and ultimately separates them from the vision.
Barking instructions at people that scurry off to do your bidding doesn’t make you a leader. The people that obey your commands without question are not your team. This forced labour may bring satisfaction to one, but not to the whole. If autocratic leadership benefitted everyone, slavery would still flourish today. Working in a team brings a collective satisfaction to everyone involved as a reward for the collaborative effort.
Someone must guide and focus the team’s efforts to maximize results. When leaders chop and change the vision, team members become despondent and less willing to collaborate, sensing that their efforts are wasted. No one wants to put effort into something that produces nothing.
The vision should be set in stone until achieved. Imagine if soccer goalposts were on wheels, and the goalkeeper could drive them around on the pitch during the game. It would impossible for anyone to score a single goal. Planting the goalposts into the ground ensures a fixed destination where the team tries to score. Likewise, a vision planted as a definite end-point helps focus efforts and ensures the team succeeds.
One person within the team ensures the vision remains in place until achieved, and is usually the same person that gave rise to the vision. The role of this “vision-defender” is to ensure the vision remains fixed in place. By anchoring the vision, the leader gives the team certainty that all their efforts are worthwhile. When fixed in place, team members will instinctively know where the vision is, even when the haze of effort clouds the path.
When anchoring the vision, the leader acts like the True North, steadfast and certain, allowing the compass needle to point to him or her. The compass represents the team members, and the needle represents the team member’s tasks. All tasks should point to True North, moving the team closer to achievement of the vision with each step taken, which the leader measures for its effectiveness at attaining the fixed vision.
There is no doubt that the single most important skill to define a leader, with the power to make or break his or her reputation, is the ability to work with a team. This important skill quickly separates true leaders from “leader-wannabe’s” wanting to gloat in their own self-importance. Self-indulgent leaders may fool fans, but will never fool the team.
Teamwork is a skill that evolves and grows with practise and patience. Although a lot of good information is freely available on the internet on how to lead a team, it is merely advice. Each team is unique, with its own nuances and flavour. You will have to adapt what you learn in this book, personalizing it to suit your team, to lead them to the final destination effectively.
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