Another Individual Mistake Sabotages “Teamwork” in U.S.-England Tie at World Cup
June 13, 2010 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Champion Teamwork, Featured
Teamwork never breaks down.Teamwork never fails.
This again was proved in Saturday’s U.S. vs. England World Cup tournament opener.
Despite outstanding teamwork that allowed the stronger team from England to control the ball for 57 percent of the game, they left their opening game with a disappointing 1-1 tie.
The reason? A misplay by England goalkeeper Robert Green on a shot by Clint Dempsey of the U.S. allowed the tying goal late in the first half.
It’s plays like this that continue to reinforce my belief that breakdowns in what many consider “teamwork” rarely are the cause of achieving desired organizational performance results.
Teamwork is a buzzword in corporate america that continues to ask employees to strive for. They strive for ways to breakdown silohs that build up due to competition over resources between divisions and departments.
Yet, these requests, proclamations and teambuilding initiatives continually fail. They fail because the focus is mis-directed.
Teamwork fails in organizations and in athletics not because people do not understand the importance of working together so that “Together Everyone Achieves More.”
Teamwork fails for three reasons:
1) The rewards and benefits of giving of oneself for the betterment of the group/team are not strongly enough aligned for the individual to do so;
2) The rewards and benefits of giving of oneself for the betterment of the group/team actually create greater competition for resources between those who are supposed to be working together to share those resources.
3) One individual on o the team “drops the ball” (or fails to perform the necessary task or assignment) as England Goalkeeper Robert Green did in attempting to protect his goal against the U.S. in their opening World Cup match yesterday;
On athletic teams, when team members fail to perform to expectations and make mistakes that cost their teammates there is usually tremendous despair on the part of the teammate who didn’t perform.
In today’s Wall St. Journal, Robert Green was quoted “It was obviously a horrible mistake, a terrible mistake,” said Mr. Green, bobbing his head incredulously after the game. He blamed neither the controversial new ball, the bounciest ever, nor the slickness of the pitch, and said his teammates left him alone after the mishap. “People don’t say anything. You know you made a mistake. You’ve got to deal with it.”
Yet, in many business situations, few individuals who fail to support their team members in situations when teamwork is required feel as though they’ve let anyone down, because many times they are performing in their own self-interests or truly have a blind spot and do not realize the negative impact of their parochialism.
If you would like to learn more about how to truly improve teamwork in your organization I want to know about it.
I’m presently working on a new White Paper titled, “The Myth of Teamwork - Why Teamwork Breaks Down and What Organizational Leaders Can Do About It.”
Click this link and order the White Paper and you will receive notification as soon as it is ready for you to download, read and begin applying to improve teamwork in your workplace.
Champion Leadership Tip #1 - Leadership Defined
October 24, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Featured
Ten years ago I heard U.S. Army General and first Gulf War Commander Norman Schwartzkopf speak at a leadership conference. He told us that day that defining leadership was similar to the Supreme Court’s definition of obscenity, “I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.” He proceeded to try to define it anyway with, “getting others to do things they ordinarilly wouldn’t do because they want to do it.”
In preparing for a leadership keynote address I was asked to deliver recently at a regional martial arts school I decided I needed a definition that rang true for me.
I sat down this week to craft my own and in reviewing not just my 27 years in business, 20 years in minor league professional baseball management, and now 10 years studying business success and successful leadership I reflected on the role those I respect as the best leaders I’ve experienced in my life played in making me who I am today.
What I realized was they inspired me to go for something that I was not even aware of was something I could enjoy achieving or being a part of. They usually did so by being a role model in how they went after the same or similar thing. Additionally, they took responsibility for their role in inspiring me to go for it and continued to me by coaching and guiding me to perform at the level necessary to achieve success at it.
Based on my experiences as identified above, here’s what I came up with:
“Inspiring others to do something they ordinarilly would not do, and/or coaching them to perform at an even higher level than they ordinarilly would perform, if left on their own.”
What do you think? Does it ring true for you? What would you add or change about it? Or, what is your definition of leadership and what specific references do you have that have directed you to define leadership in the way you do?
I look forward to your comments and contributions.
It Is Time to Forget About Your Company’s “Mission”
October 14, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Featured
One of the most mis-understood and mis-construed concepts in all the business world has to be the concept of “mission.” There are probably as many different takes on “mission” as there are consultants who facilitate strategic plans. Many times the vision and mission are confused. Other times the mission is two-three paragraphs long and no one cares to read it after its created and put on a poster to hang in the hallways, never mind trying to memorize it.
I want to give business leaders a different approach to make the concept more useful and give it greater impact throughout their organization. That is why I am recommending doing away with your company’s “mission.”
Instead of developing a “mission,” business leaders should be focusing on their company’s “purpose.” Your company’s “purpose” is a very simple concept to understand. There should be no confusion.
What is a “purpose”? It is the reason your company’s exists. In eight years of facilitating strategic planning processes this has been the number of concept that has provided the most value to my clients and is something that has been extremely well received and remembered.
This concept was reinforced for me twice last week. The first time was when I was watching the new Ken Burn’s PBS series on “The National Parks.” In reviewing the history of Yellowstone National Park the message over the North Gate was discussed, which states, “For The Benefit and Enjoyment of the People.”
This message over arch of the gate is Yellowstone’s “purpose.” It is simple, easy to recite and remember. It is also a statement both park employees and visitors can understand and associate to in a very positive way.
Other examples include the first purpose I ever created with my co-workers at my former employer, the Hudson Valley Renegades minor league professional baseball team. There is a long story and a lot of inner-office debate behind the creation of this purpose and it took all of my influencing skills as a leader to help our executive team agree to it, but it is something I believe is the true essence and purpose of the organization to this day:
“Making Magical Moments and Memories for Our Community”
Some other recent clients have developed the following Purpose Statements and are all using them in place of “Mission” which I believe to be an obselete concept, it is time to put it out to pasture:
“Constructing Exceptional Buildings and Exceptional Environments for Our Community”
“Transform the mental health system so that each individual with mental illness
has hope for recovery, choices for quality care, and a sense of empowerment and self-determination.”
If you want to get the most out of your employees, connect at a deep level with your customers and build a brand around something that shows your company makes a difference forget about the mission and find its“Purpose.”
At a recent workshop with a half-dozen business leaders this subject was a hot topic we discussed for at least 30-minutes because they all wanted to know “where to start?”
You start with asking and answering these questions:
“What is the one thing that our company must fulfill for our customers that will absolutely ensure our financial success for the long-term?”
“What is it that we do consistently that makes a difference in our customers lives/businesses every day?”
Even with these questions leadership teams have a challenge in answering them by themselves because internal facilitators fail to push the issue deep enough to get to the core essence of the company’s existence. What is created is a statement that lacks power and emotion. If you want to create a statement that has power and emotion like the ones above, it helps to have an outside facilitator take the leadership team through the process.
Procrastination Comes In Many Forms, But Not Really
June 29, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Motivating Yourself & Others
My laugh of the day, many of you will all appreciate this…
I received a call late this afternoon from the mother of a recently graduated Law School Student, who has already passed the bar exam.
She was asking if I would help him with “career coaching.” When I told her that was not my specialty and referred her to another coach, she asked me about my Procrastination Coaching, which I said, “now, that’s a different story.”
She proceeded to explain to me about her son’s habit of procrastination that has kept him from obtaining an internship to gain experience in his chosen profession and is now costing him valuable time in finding a job in a tough and crowded marketplace in a down economy.
Mom had done enough research online about procrastination to know that her son’s issue, a self-proclaimed “perfectionist” is based in fear. His procrastination habit, as with most “perfectionists” was based in fear of being judged and rejection. It’s a common pattern.
After about a 15-minute discussion I told my minimum fee for a minimum 90-day coaching program after which she gulpedcontinued the discussion, which went like this:
ME: I will only agree to a coaching arrangement after I speak with him to determine if he is coachable and someone I could work with to get results.
HER: Oh, do you want his phone number?
ME: Umm, you are asking me to call someone with a habit of procrastination to ask him if he wants me to coach him? Do you see the irony in that request? NO, this is the beginning of his lesson to break through procrastination. If he is serious about being coached he can call me if and when he’s ready to do something about it. I only work with clients who know they need help and want that help to get better.”
I did tell her to let him know that whenever he calls it will be a “judgment free” zone and we will work on the basis of a complete blank slate.
We’ll see if he calls (of course, according to mom, he’s going on vacation with his girlfriend on Wednesday and won’t be back ’til July 10th so he “probably won’t call ’til after he gets back). We’ll see. I’ll keep you posted.
Championship Lessons From the Two Newest Champs
June 19, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Real Life "Champion Organizations"
Two things that make an organization a true Champion is consistency and resiliency. Those traits exemplify the two most recent Champions crowned in North America’s winter long professional sports leagues, the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Lakers and the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penquins.
Consistency is the Lakers’ trait, for sure. The franchise has won 15 NBA Championships in its history and nine in the last 29 years, since 1980, winning five in the 80’s and four since 2000. Their coach, Phil Jackson, now has 10 NBA Championships on his coaching resume after winning six with the Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls in the 90’s before moving to Los Angeles to start a new dynasty with the Lakers.
The Pittsburgh Penguins on the other hand have been the resilient franchise. After winning two Stanley Cup Championships in the early 90’s with Hall of Fame Center Mario Lemieux leading the way, the team struggled in the early part of this decade rebuilding its player personnel and fighting to financially stay alive.
Lemieux saved the franchise for the city of Pittsburgh by putting together and ownership group and becoming its managing partner. He has since negotiated with the city for a new arena to replace the antiquated Civic Arena. Lemieux’s hockey personnel have rebuilt the team by taking advantage of top draft picks and adeptly identifying role players that make the sum greater than their individual parts.
Which is a great lesson for all of us looking to build Champion Organizations, when you focus on team members strengths and put them in positions to leverage their what they do best, a team without a lot of superstar performers can achieve great things (in the case of the Penguins the mixed three superstar performers Centers Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Makin and goaltender Marc-Andre Fluery with a superb supporting cast).
The Lakers took the much the same approach by leaning on superstar Kobe Bryant but looking to teammates to step up and lead the way when called upon.
Now, there’s a recipe for Championship success. Where are the opportunities in your organization to do similar work?
When Is Not Procrastinating, Procrastinating?
June 12, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Motivating Yourself & Others
I get one of two responses when the subject of my End Procrastination NOW! program comes up when I’m speaking with individuals.
One is an uncomfortable chuckle, followed a verbal “I’ll get back to you later about that.” These I’ve become used to and have stopped getting upset about the lack of seriousness some people apply to a habit that may be sabotaging their level of personal and professional success.
The second is an even more dangerous reply. This is a reply that hides that fact that procrastination is even an issue for the individual. It is a true blind spot, an issue of denial or just plain ignorance, I’m not sure which, and it’s probably different for everyone.
This response is simple and basic, “oh, I don’t procrastinate.” I am always intrigued by that comment.
I was reminded of the seriousness of this type of thinking the other night at an event where I gave away as a door prize a copy of my “End Procrastination NOW!” home study workshop CD.
The woman who won the prize came up to thank me afterward and told me that procrastination is not a problem for her. Almost simultaneously, from over my should I heard someone (it turned out to be her job search mentor) say, “when are you going to get me your resume?”
Intrigued, I asked a question and the ensuing conversation went like this:
Me: “What’s the issue with getting your resume to Andy?”
She: “Oh, I haven’t started it yet because I really don’t even know where to begin.”
Me: “So you are procastinating on get started on it.”
She: “No, I just don’t know where and how to begin.”
Me: “Right, so you are avoiding starting it for fear of doing it wrong, which is procrastination.”
She: “Well, no I’m still just trying to figure where to start.”
Me: “Ok, then, enjoy the CD and let me know if you have any questions after you listen to it.”
This woman is not alone. One of my former consulting clients whom I helped transition from a successful Manhattan dental practice into a slower paced, suburban dental practice here in the Hudson Valley proclaimed at the beginning of our work together that he didn’t procrastinate.
His explanation was that he mustn’t procrastinate because he’s always busy, always moving and working on projects moving his practice forward. I allowed him to live in his fantasy until I learned his $600,000 dental practice had $140,000 in accounts receivable that were more than 60-days.
Turns out he was keeping himself busy to avoid dealing with the more difficult issue of collections.
These are just two examples, I could go on, but I think you get the drift.
Here’s a link to a worksheet that may be helpful if you may have a tendency for avoiding uncomfortable items, tasks, etc. and end up tolerating things that cause you even more angst and discomfort at the end of your day.
To learn more about how to End Procrastination NOW! you may want to go here.
Do Gen Y Workers Fit With a Championship Corporate Culture?
June 5, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under The Traits of Champion Orgs
I just read a great article by Sarah Newton, who is an expert in Gen Y issues (You can find her at www.GenYGuide.com ). This article, which is worth the few minutes to read is titled “Has your company got a culture that is Young Worker Friendly?.”
This struck a particular chord with me for two reasons. One is that I used to work in an industry that relied heavily on high school and college students in the summer months, minor league baseball. This generation was responsible for, well, pretty much everything that impacted the bottom line performance of our business. They were probably 80% or more of our concessions operation, they were a significant portion of our merchandising sales during ballgames, they helped to park cars, and they provided the manpower to run our in-between innings contests that kept fans entertained as the teams changed sides.
Yet, despite the importance these team members played in our operation, we through them into the fire of the season with limited orientation, limited training and limited discussion on what the expected behaviors were for a team member. Then, we exacerbated the issue by not dealing with issues as they came up and we enabled behaviors, and it became a slippery slope. It was “only” a summer job we rationalized for these kids and we just accepted this as the way it had to be and plowed through the two-and-a-half months ’til they left us to go back to school.
I lived this insanity for 20 years in the business. It wasn’t until I got out and started working with other organizations that fell into the same trap that I woke up. An even deeper challenge is that companies do this not just with GenY workers but most all of their employees.
Few companies I’ve found, especially small to medium sized businesses, recruit, interview, hire, orient, train, set performance expectations, and manage to those expectations effectively. And, they wonder why performance is lacking in their company.
The ironic thing is that most business leaders in these situations spend more time putting out fires and confronting issues caused by the lack of systems for managing performance that if they just invested time on the front end doing the things they should be doing, it would be no less than an even trade-off in time, energy and financial resources, and I believe it would pay handsome dividends at the end of the year in lower employee turnover, higher productivity and lower raises/bonuses because people will not demand as much compensation when they are working in an enjoyable work environment.
Anyway, enough of my rant. Much thanks to Sarah Newton for getting me started this morning.
P.F. -FYI, for those of you out there uncertain about the value of Social Media and things like Twitter. I found Sarah through Twitter as I search “Company Culture” tweets and her tweet came through to me and I responded.
Photos of Skip Speaking at Northern California Career & Leadership & Career Summit
June 3, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Speaking About Champions
Skip Takes a Batting Stance In His Opening Story
The first photos have been released from the 2009 Northern California Career & Leadership Summit where I gave one of three keynote addresses this past Saturday, May 30th. To read more about the event and my experience speaking there, click here.
Click on a photo to enlarge it:
Here's One Great 21st Century Idea to Help Create a Champion Culture At Your Company
June 1, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Champion Communication, Champion Leadership, The Traits of Champion Orgs
Here’s a great blog post from an employer law firm that discusses a new way to provide employee feedback. It will totally transform how annual performance reviews and individual performance feedback is provided, using Twitter. It’s Brilliant and could be the wave of the future if forward thinking companies find a way to make it work, a must read:
Using Twitter to Manage Performance
What do you think?
Inspiring Others to Breakthrough Their Comfort Zone
June 1, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Speaking About Champions
In an audience of 1,500 its tough sometimes to tell whether you are connecting with anyone except the faces in the front few rows, and maybe those who step up to ask a question or respond to a request for sharing from the stage.
Some people will come up and engage you after the talk, some will stop by your booth and buy your products, some keep to themselves quietly reflecting on what they heard and evaluating for application in their own lives, some fail to see value in the talk, and others are just inspired and may or may not share it beyond themselves.
I’m grateful that one participant chose to do two things in one blog post. The first is that he shared with me the impact my talk had on him and also did something for himself. He applied a little of the humility I suggested and stretched his comfort zone a little.
Congratulations, Mark! I’m both proud of you and very grateful for the feedback you shared with your readers. For those of you who would like to read about how I, and two other fabulous speakers, inspired Mark, please read his blog at Mark Curtis Media.