Leadership

5 time NBA All-Star Isiah Thomas walked into his old high school gym to speak to a group of star struck youngsters who have dreams of making it to the big time.

As the applause fades, Isiah begins his speech “In every neighbourhood there is a guy who can really play…he can shoot the lights out.” Isiah continues “Every time…it’s swish…swish…swish” whilst mimicking a jump shot.

He continues “Then the kid comes here to St Joseph and the he gets cut.”

“People ask ‘Tom, was really good. How come he got cut?’

The kids listen with complete attention, hanging on Isaiah’s every word.

Isiah then makes his key point “You See, Tom didn’t learn the fundamentals of basketball…Team basketball…which is what you are all here to learn.”

Why is this relevant to you?

I meet talented, bright and passionate people a lot in my business – they are the ‘players who can really play’ as Isaiah said.

However many of them struggle to stay afloat or worse the give up on their dreams.

I believe most people fail not because they aren’t good “players” but because they didn’t learn the “team” fundamentals.

Success is a team sport.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you’ll know that this isn’t a new concept for me.

I wax lyrical about the importance surrounding yourself with good people but at the sometime I think that statement can be a little misleading.

Most people translate “good people” as more people like them.

That’s a potential problem.

You see if you only bring into play more people who are like you then you will only succeed in strengthening what you are good at and are in danger of neglecting areas of weaknesses which will leave you exposed.

Let me give you an example.

I’ve very creative. I come up with more ideas in a few minutes that most people will come up with in a day – it’s just the way my brain works. However, the downside is that I can become bored, distracted and unfocused.

If simply surrounded myself with more people like me, we would come up with an avalacnhe of creative ideas but very little will get done. Sure, it would be a lot of fun but very unproductive.

I’ve had to become more self aware and spend time with people who have different strengths and bring different ways of working/thinking to the table.

How do I select a more rounded group?

Here’s a quick, simple generalisation of the 4 groups people fall into. I’m using a tool called Tetramap™ which I use when working with teams.

Take a look at the descriptions and see which ones you most resonate with, you’ll probably find there are a couple which are most like you.

Earth

These individuals are bold, driven and confident. They are goal oriented and winning is the key focus for them “eyes on the prize’ would be their mantra.

They are good at keeping control, holding people to account against against targets and are quick are making decisions.

Fire

These individuals are positive in their outlook and are often incredibly motivating. They are creative, visionary and inspire others to see possibilities. They like to keep the energy high, have lots of fun and usually have huge social networks.

Air

These people bring order and clarity. They like to think things through, considering all the facts and logic before any decisions are made. They a great at planning, listening and finding logical solutions as well as ensuring accuracy and quality.

Water

They are caring, loyal and emotionally aware. They bring harmony, calmness and a sense of togetherness to a team. They will consider the wider impact of actions on others and be more in touch with how people will feel as a result.

Once you know which is most like you take a look around to your peer group and see if you have enough of the other types in your circle.

If you don’t, it’s time to plug the gaps. For example if you resonate mostly with Water and Fire, then to balance your group out you need to bring in some Earth and Air people.

If you need more help or information on this please feel free to get in touch.

You often hear the phrase “People are your greatest asset” – I completely disagree.

I’ll be frank and honest with you. In my experience most organisations are full of well intentioned people who are happy to play it safe and collect a pay cheque whilst delivering average or at best above average performance.

Harsh? Perhaps a little but it’s the truth.

Disenfranchised, frustrated and apathetic people will never deliver the kind of results you dream of, they simply won’t be motivated to go beyond the call of duty or think outside the lines. They are far more concerned with how they perform against metrics and in appraisals – “Have I don enough to get pay rise?”

Great brands like apple, Google, Zappos, Virgin – and for a while where I spent much of my career Egg – aren’t great by accident, they are great by design.

They are full of inspired, motivated and engaged people – which is the true asset in any business.

These people are the ones who live and breathe the brand, they deliver exceptional customer experience and they spark creativity, innovation and perform at the highest level.

That’s all well and good but how do you get more of your people to perform like this?

It comes down to how you lead people – note I said lead and not manage.

Leadership means many things to many people but what I believe is the key to great leadership is the ability of the leader to connect the inside with the outside – to create the “hairs on the back of your neck stand up” moment

Much is said about having a company vision. A lot of companies have them…they are usually hung on the wall in reception or in the inside cover of an induction manual never to be seen again.

How often do you revisit your company vision or mission statement?

How often do you measure if people are working in line with it?

How often have your asked you team if they can repeat it to you? Or if they even care?

How often do you stop to check if your actions, behaviour and communication are consistent with what your company vision or mission statement demands?

You often see the Gandhi quote “Be the change you want to see in the world” flashed up on the screen at leadership training programmes. I often wonder if people really get it.

You as the leader have to embody everything you wish to see in others. You are the reference point for what is expected…what is possible….if you don’t live and breathe what your company stands for then how can you expect others to?

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