The Magic And Mystery Of Teams
Discover The Coach Within You
One of the three basic roles of leadership is the coach or
mentor. The best boss is often the best coach. (See:
http://tlc-leadership.com/the_three_faces_of_leadership) In
sports the coach is very conscious of his role but in the
business world most coaching is unconscious or even accidental.
Just as many a dad learned to coach by jumping in with his son's
baseball or hockey team or his daughter's basketball team most
manager / coaches learned the art through a baptism of fire. In
recent years most sports organizations have begun to require
some form of certification for coaches but even though there are
several national and international organizations of business
coaches, there is still no universal standard, even for
professionals. The amateurs, encompassing almost every executive
in the world, for the most part don't even realize what they are
doing.
I have known executives who were great coaches who looked at me
a little oddly when I told them so, but with a little
introspection most come to realize that coaching is really what
they do. Coaching is simply the process of helping someone to
become more of the best he or she can be.
Most executives can improve their coaching skills with just a
little effort and guidance from a professional. I'm often amazed
at the performance increase that happens through focus alone,
and focus with analysis, and constructive feedback from someone
who knows what to look for -- well, have you ever gone to a golf
pro, with a wicked slice that turned out to be simple to cure? I
did, after years of playing out of the adjacent fairway most of
the time!
Like many things in the business coaching is often learned on
the job. I have learned a great deal about coaching from reading
dozens of books on the subject but I also learned a lot from
working for someone who was a great coach and mentor and I still
learn every day from the experience of coaching. You will find
that, if you jump in with both feet, you will discover the coach
within -- and enjoy it!
So simply recognizing that you are a coach and applying a little
of what you know from sports will make a big difference in your
performance -- and in the performance of your people -- but a
little "one on one" with your own coach might be a huge help.
Until you get that opportunity, I sincerely hope that some of
the tips in this articles will get you started in the right
direction.
Coaching A Team
Just as in sports there is a huge difference in the approach to
coaching an individual, such as a golfer or tennis player and
coaching a group or team as in baseball or hockey, so too is
there a difference in the business world. Coaching a true team
in business can be a rather complex business, often its even
difficult to determine when a group really is a team and when it
is not. For the purpose of this discussion I am going to assume
we are talking about a true team and trust the pieces to fall
into place automatically. (Or perhaps with a little coaching?)
(See www.tlc-leadership.com/teams_magic_and_mystery )
For a team to be effective, it should be aware that it is a team
(most of the time) and all members should be committed to team
objectives. Just as a ball player can receive major attention as
a base stealer, an individual may stand out on a manufacturing
team, but efforts must be seen to contribute to team goals and
every one should recognize that every team member is necessary.
(Whenever we can get along without someone, we should!)
At the risk of pointing out the obvious (experience suggests
that the obvious often isn't) every team member should be aware
of the team's goals, objectives, and deadlines as well as of his
or her role and what the team expects from him or her, and what
support resources are available. I am surprised at how often I
find that shop floor people and even supervisors have no idea of
the goals of their team, department or branch and no idea of how
performance is being measured.
The coach must always recognize the contribution of the
superstar but smaller contributions should also receive
recognition and praise and the coach should encourage the
superstar to acknowledge the efforts of those who support him as
well. It isn't necessary to rave about great performance, it can
be quiet and subtle but in many cases it should be public while
keeping in mind the need to avoid embarrassing anyone. A good
standard is to always criticize in private and often praise in
public.
Leadership From The Top Floor To The Shop Floor
Another thing I often find is that managers are totally unaware
of the extent to which they are emulated by their subordinates.
I heard a story about a clerk in a retail store who was called
up in front of the store manager after being rude to a customer.
When asked for an explanation he shrugged and said, "Well ...
that's how my bosses speak to me..." When people are treated
with dignity and respect, they tend to treat others the same
way, and when they are treated as though they are too stupid to
understand basic concepts they do the same with others -- and
often take the attitude home.
I have seen concrete examples of companies where I could spend
an hour on the shop floor and form a very good idea of what the
CEO was like and how he dealt with his senior people.
COACHING A TASK FORCE
A Task Force is a Team That Recommends Things. It differs from
other teams in several ways. First, and perhaps most
importantly, a Task Force usually does not have the power or
final say so in implementing action. Rather the team examines
all possibilities, evaluates the pro's and cons from an unbiased
perspective, and presents a report to a decision maker or
decision making group with recommendations for action or no
action.
A Task Force can be set up to look at one issue only or as an
ongoing project to focus on specific objectives. For example a
Task Force could be set up to determine the future of a specific
branch operation in which it might recommend, closure of the
branch, sale of the branch, re-equiping the branch, changing the
focus of the branch or even of maintaining the status quo. Once
it's recommendations have been made -- perhaps to the board of
directors -- the Task Force is disbanded.
In another case a Task Force Could be set up to examine Health
and Safety issues in a manufacturing facility in which case
pertinent issues and concerns would be examined and evaluated,
recommendations could be made on an on going basis for several
months to establish broad guidelines and set up a policy and
procedure manual and the Task Force could remain in existence on
an ad hoc basis for several additional months and then be
replaced by a Health and Safety Committee (a different kind of
team) to oversee developments.
I worked with a Cost Improvement Process Team (CIP) which was a
Task Force Made up of a dozen non management people with a
mandate to examine all areas of the company's operation with an
aim to cutting costs and improving operational effectiveness. As
is typical of this type of team, none of the members had ever
worked before in a team environment where individual effort was
largely unrecognized and success or failure was measured on
results of the group as a whole. The need for cooperation,
individual input, volunteering for assignments, sharing of
credit and backing up both other members and the group as a
whole, was paramount to success. The team met for 90 minutes
each week and after six months of coaching had achieved a level
of togetherness to make me proud and were well able to carry on
on their own. The changes recommended in policy, procedures and
methods that were accepted and implemented measured savings in
the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Almost any sort of team environment is at odds with the way most
of us have been conditioned to think and to work. Normally we
are only too well aware that our potential for promotion and
even our job security is dependent solely on our own efforts and
ability. The idea of subordinating our efforts and ability to
the overall needs of a group or a team is quite foreign -- even
intimidating -- and it is only with a great deal of
understanding and assurance that this can be effectively brought
about.
Perhaps the highest level of task force is a senior management
team brought together for long term strategic planning. In this
case the "Management Team" is sometimes supplemented with
representatives from key customers, suppliers, accountants and
legal advisors. Often, people at this level are even more
reluctant than others to forget about personal and departmental
objectives in favor of the best interests of the organization as
a whole but if recommendations to a board of directors are to
have any value at all, this must be the case. When the Task
Force is introduced to the process and walked through the
procedure by a coach, objectivity becomes much more readily
attainable.
Introspection - Getting Started
One of the greatest obstacles to progress can often be our
awareness of past failures. If we tried something a couple of
years ago and fell flat on our faces (and especially if we were
ridiculed or derided as a result) we tend to be reluctant to
rock the boat again. When we believe that history will repeat
itself, we become paralyzed by fear.
Mentoring managers through a process that I sometimes refer to
as "directed introspection" in order to expose attitudes and
prejudices can often produce startling results. Knowing where we
are starting from does not in and of itself guarantee that we
will arrive at our desired destination (on time and within
budget) but not knowing weights the odds heavily against us. I
believe that if we want to go somewhere we must first know who
we are and where we are. When we know the starting point,
personally and professionally, in regard to ourselves, our
people and our company we are more likely to have a clear
picture of where we want to go, how to get there and what must
change.
I believe that as many people as possible in an organization
should be involved in the process of creating statements of
Vision, Mission, Purpose, Values, and Goals. When people have
had a hand in the creation, buy in to do what ever is necessary
to get results is almost automatic. When these guiding
principles are understood by everyone from the "Ivory Tower" all
the way to the Shop Floor everyone knows where we are going, why
we are going there and what we have to do to get there. They
also know the down side of not going there and of not
participating in the process. Is not the search for heaven made
more intense by the awareness of hell? In addition, when
everyone understands his or her WIIFM, (What's In It For Me)
getting results is like picking low hanging fruit.
Vision must be followed by a plan
Strategic planning can be an arduous (but exhilarating) process.
Often a three day retreat with an outside facilitator is the
only way to get the concentrated focus, the brainstorming,
necessary to initiate the process. We must examine all aspects
or the organization, physical and human resources, management
skills and needs, culture, attitudes, market place, industry,
supplier relations, customer relations, government regulations,
labour agreements, etc., etc. We have to remember that Rome was
not built in a day. If we are looking for instant gratification
we will surely be disappointed.
When we have suspended our doubts and fears, set aside our
memories of past failure, forgotten our prejudices, examined our
strengths and planned to enhance them, seen in our minds eye the
potential within ourselves and our organization, created a
vision in which we believe, we will become advocates for our
organization and evangelists for the realization of that vision.
Once we are over the initial hurdle we will be driven by the
power of our vision for the future. A clearly articulated vision
coupled to a specific plan of action for its attainment
(including target dates for each step), and a firm commitment to
that action, is an unstoppable combination. YES, it will require
perseverance, dedication and hard work; and YES, it will be
extremely satisfying!
Effecting organizational and personal change is never a cake
walk but learning the basics of how to set goals and create
plans with specific, time sensitive action steps for their
achievement can be learned in only a few hours. When coupled to
powerful statements of Vision, Mission, Purpose, and Values, and
a well-organized coaching, mentoring and measurement process,
the pain is minimal while the results are huge!