Leadership Team Behavior
I had my four wisdom teeth romoved this morning. As my dentist told me, I should have done this 30 years ago. Oh well... Anyway, not much else to do except sleep or read, so I've been catching up on some reading. I came across a diagram in an article (Business Week: May 25, 2009 ) by Jim Collins about his new book, "How the Mighty Fall." In this diagram, Collins contrasts the behavior of leadership teams on the way up with the behavior of teams on the way down. It's fascinating! I don't know about you, but I think it resonates truth, at least in my experience. I'm going to give it some serious thought...
Teams on the way down: People shield those in power from unpleasant facts, fearful of penalties and criticism for shining light on the rough realities
Teams on the way up: People bring forth grim facts—"Come here and look, man, this is ugly"—to be discussed; leaders never criticize those who bring forth harsh realities
Teams on the way down: People assert strong opinions without providing data, evidence, or a solid argument
Teams on the way up: People bring data, evidence, logic, and solid arguments to the discussion
Teams on the way down: The team leader has a very low questions-to-statements ratio, avoiding critical input and/or allowing sloppy reasoning and unsupported opinions
Teams on the way up: The team leader employs a Socratic style, using a high questions-to-statements ratio, challenging people, and pushing for penetrating insights
Teams on the way down: Team members acquiesce to a decision but don't unify to make the decision successful—or worse, undermine it after the fact
Teams on the way up: Team members unify behind a decision once made, then work to make the decision succeed, even if they vigorously disagreed with it
Teams on the way down: Team members seek as much credit as possible for themselves, yet do not enjoy the confidence and admiration of their peers
Teams on the way up: Each team member credits other people for success, yet enjoys the confidence and admiration of his or her peers
Teams on the way down: Team members argue to look smart or to further their own interests rather than argue to find the best answers to support the overall cause
Teams on the way up: Team members argue and debate, not to improve their personal position but to find the best answers to support the overall cause
Teams on the way down: The team conducts "autopsies with blame," seeking culprits rather than wisdom
Teams on the way up: The team conducts "autopsies without blame," mining wisdom from painful experiences
Teams on the way down: Team members often fail to deliver exceptional results and blame other people or outside factors for setbacks, mistakes, and failures
Teams on the way up: Each team member delivers exceptional results, yet in the event of a setback each accepts full responsibility and learns from mistakes
...where's my ice pack?
