The Team Leadership Report

With so much of our day spent dealing with the problems that arise from leading others, it is easy to think you don’t have time for a hobby. It’s a fallacy many leaders fall into. Failing to have a hobby is also one of the reasons many leaders stumble and face burnout. In Adam Grant’s book Power Moves, we learn that David Solomon, the CEO of Goldman Sachs isn’t the straight-laced CEO you might think of when you think of Goldman Sachs. Outside of work, he spends his free time on his hobby--DJing at clubs and events. He goes by the name of DJ D-Sol and rocks clubs all around the world. He found an outlet for the stress of his job. Using his hobby of DJing, he is able to relax and decompress to avoid burnout. Carey Nieuwhof, the former lawyer and founding pastor of Connexus Church, enjoys spending time cycling the roads of Canada. He’s learned through the process of burnout that he has to do something for himself or he will burnout again. Burnout comes from prolonged periods of extr

Like it or not, “presence” is an important competency for any leader. You know it when you see it--a leader with presence exudes self-confidence, is self-assured, can be passionate about their beliefs, commands attention, communicates well, and makes people around them feel better and more self-assured. Regardless of where you stand on the presidential candidates, it’s clear that Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan had it, while Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter did not. Presidential presence or lack of is often exposed in the harsh glare of televised debates, and as Richard Nixon found out in the 1960 presidential elections, it can make or break a candidate. One of the reasons Reagan had such a strong stage presence was that he was trained as an actor. Leading executive development programs have long been incorporating acting lessons into their programs and/or follow-up coaching. Don’t get me wrong--leadership isn’t about being phony or misrepresenting yourself. Authenticity is even mo

It’s challenging to prepare for a game in which you are not the favorite. On one hand, it can provide a huge motivational boost for your team, while on the other hand, it can lead to a feeling of insecurity and a lack of confidence. Many teams are beaten before they step on the playing field because of preconceived notions or because of what happened in a previous game. Here are some words of advice from our book A Season In Words to help prepare your team when they are the underdog. The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. Skating on thin ice is better than skating on no ice at all. A small man can be just as exhausted as a great man. Doubt whom you will but never yourself. Success is doing what it takes in spite of one’s fears. Of positive and negative thoughts—it doesn’t cost one cent more to think positively. Overcome resistance with persistence. If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. Champions know it’s not having th

By now, you know the story about Christian Laettner picking on Bobby Hurley after the freshman point guard arrived at Duke. It has been told numerous times from various angles over the years, refreshed recently on ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentary, I Hate Christian Laettner. Laettner teased Hurley for numerous reasons. More than anything, Laettner resented Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s decision to anoint Hurley as a leader without being initiated into the program. Laettner viewed the move as an injustice and after he was forced to put up with Danny Ferry the previous year. Over the past quarter-century, Laettner has realized that Coach K didn’t compromise his ideals when it came to Hurley. Krzyzewski was evolving into the greatest coach in the past 40 years. Laettner came away with even more respect for Krzyzewski because he was willing to change with the times. “I saw an interview that he did the other day where he said that he, himself, is still learning and still adjusting and

I have a friend who often uses the phrase: “Why don’t employees do what they are supposed to do?” to market his services. I have often told him that he should add “Why don’t bosses explain what they really want?” to the mix. When it comes to getting things done with people, ambiguity breeds mediocrity. Employees and managers alike become frustrated when expectations are not met. The problem often arises because of a breakdown in communication. The more ambiguous goals and expectations are, the greater the chance for an average or worse outcome. However, effective communication is a two-way street. In some cases, employees do not clearly understand goals and expectations and don’t take the time to clarify the situation with their boss. In other instances, employees are consciously or subconsciously comfortable with the ambiguity. They avoid clarity and are content to do what they think is necessary because when ambiguity exits, accountability is reduced or eliminated. On the

Here a few leadership styles that can occur in an organization: Single Leadership: One leader figure (coach and/or captain) and many followers results in control and predictability.  Also creates average results and a high risk of monotony and burnout. Followership:  Everyone is a follower including the person labeled as the leader. That person is simply following procedures/guidelines. This results in a lack of initiatives, no or few new ideas, limited forward movement and lack of buy-in/shared ownership.  Also creates low energy, apathy, burnout, and average results. Multiple Leadership: Many leaders attempting to lead all the time (coaches and/or captains) results in a power struggle, perpetual chaos, work never gets done efficiently. Also creates poor performance, conflict, and bad results. Shared leadership: See last week's post.  Leading and following simultaneously in a true shared responsibility model, leveraging the depth of experience, expertise, and opposit

In his best-selling book Linchpin, Seth Godin shares the example of the fast and complex Japanese transit system. It operates on schedule and on budget, not by top-down directive, but by a large pool of empowered employees making the best decisions as the challenges present themselves. “Letting people in the organization use their judgment turns out to be faster and cheaper—but only if you hire the right people and reward them for having the right attitude.” It’s not rocket science--it is basically a way to include ALL your players and personnel in the leadership development and implementation processes.  Why limit it to just a few hand-picked players, who will undoubtedly be looked upon as favorites?  Why leave it to chance? If you wait until players are upperclassmen, they will graduate before they can learn their leadership craft through both successes and mistakes, and unfortunately, your program will miss out on the full impact they could have. We need to start to expose, t

Change the context and in turn you can change attitudes and actions.  According to Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, authors of Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness , people “can be greatly influenced by small changes in the context.” In other words, small nudges can lead to big changes The idea of “nudge” is that there is “no such thing as a ‘neutral’ design.”  Thaler and Sunstein elaborate on how “choice architects” organize and thus influence the context in which people make decisions. Context does influence behavior. A little push in the “right” direction can have a huge systemic impact. For example, the invisible hand of an honor code nudges people to do the right thing. As important as it is to practice fundamentals you should also practice "nudgery" by implementing a system of standards that encourages people to do the right thing.     Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Too many players today are using their team/program the same way they use a rental car. They see their team's primary purpose being to get them from where they are to where they think they want to go. In high school, it's to get to the college level. At the college level, it's to get to the professional level. And even at the professional level, it's often to get to the superstar level where a contract is guaranteed and more endorsements are available. The problem with this mindset is that no one ever washes a rental car. This attitude is more prevalent today than it has ever been because players have played on more teams than they ever have.  Many players today have the trade-in mentality--when things begin to ratttle they look for a new team instead of trying to fix the problem or at least get to the root cause of the situation. They have not made an investment into it. They don't take care of it the same way they would if they were making payments on it. A

In 1964 Kitty Genovese was attacked in the middle of the street near her building in New York and again in her building. The attack was witnessed by many, though no one tried to stop the attack.  She yelled for help. Yet no one called the police. Such acts of apathy have been coined by social scientists as the “Bystander Effect.”  When people see something they know is wrong yet they also see that no one is doing anything, then doing nothing becomes the norm. When witnesses in the building were questioned by police after the incident about why they remained silent and did not take action, one man spoke for all the witnesses.  According to a New York Times article at the time, he answered, “I didn’t want to be involved.”  And neither did the others who witnessed this crime. Okay, so someone on your team violates a team rule and you don’t know about the incident.  However, team member’s know about it and they don’t tell you nor do they confront the teammate.  The norm has quickl

In Gita Mehta’s novel, A River Sutra , the daughter of a master musician tells of her experience learning from her father: My first music lesson extended several months. In all that time I was not permitted to touch an instrument. . . . Instead my father made me sit next to him in the evenings as the birds were alighting on the trees.  “Listen,” he said in a voice so hushed it was as if he was praying.  “Listen to the birds singing.  Do you hear the half-notes and micro tones pouring from their throats? . . . Hear?  How that song ended on a single note when the bird settled into the tree?  The greatest ragas must end like that, leaving just one note’s vibration in the air. . . .Still an entire year passed before my father finally allowed me to take the veena across my knees. . . .  Morning after morning, month after month he made me play the [scales] over and over again, one hand moving up and down the frets, the other plucking at the veena’s strings, until my fingers bled. .

A sense of history relates to purpose. Leaders in the moment are thinking about how to make decisions and take actions for future generations. Benefits come earlier, but good leaders know that they are building a foundation. They know that they need to get it right. Some historical leaders may have had personal flaws. Some flaws may be bigger than others. We are imperfect. Although still not right, personal flaws are usually contained within self or a few individuals. Flaws are  not failings--failings involve crimes or abuse. Integrity is paramount, and personal failings negatively impact what any leader may have done. With a sense of history, the important element is leading forward. History provides lessons to leverage and, sometimes, avoid repeating. However, good leaders with a sense of history don’t get stuck in the past. Having a sense of history translates into making an impact on the present with momentum to affect future generations in an affirmative manner. Disconten

Adding on to an earlier entry here are more body language acts leaders should avoid.  Resting Hands Behind the Head or on the Hips – This is usually interpreted as a sign of superiority or big-headedness.  Only use these gestures when you’re in the presence of close friends. Not Directly Facing the Person You’re Speaking To – This indicates a certain level of discomfort or a lack of interest.  When we’re happily engaged in a conversation we face the person we’re speaking to with our feet and torso facing directly forward. When we’re unsure of the other person, or not completely committed to the conversation, we tend to angle our feet and torso to the side.  Face directly forward during a conversation to give off the impression that you’re truly interested in what the other person is saying. Crossing Your Arms – This is a sign of defensive resistance.  Some people may also interpret it as a sign of egotism.  Always try to keep your arms open and at your sides. Displaying a

Baseball legend Tony La Russa announced his retirement as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 just three days after the Cardinals won the World Series, La Russa’s retirement followed an impressive, 16-year career with the Cardinals and 33-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was also the third winningest manager in MLB history—behind only Connie Mack and John McGraw. You don’t have to be a Cardinals fan (or even a baseball fan) to appreciate the success and longevity of La Russa’s career. He had what all leaders strive to and rarely attain—the perfect balance of “hard” and “soft” skills. Amid today’s fast-paced nature of business, it’s more common for leaders to focus on their “hard” skills—the level of education they’ve earned, the number of victories they’ve secured—than their “soft” skills, or people skills. It’s a trend that’s been emphasized repeatedly in media headlines—employees are experiencing less job satisfaction and engagement as their employers focu