by Jerry Kauffman, EOS Partner
Don’t answer too fast.
Very early in my relationship with the Leadership Team of an entrepreneurial company, I ask them this seemingly simple, innocuous question. Seems like an obvious question, right? It’s NOT. I immediately follow with “Don’t answer now, we’ll learn together what that really means as we proceed on the journey.”
As we proceed down the path to implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), I learn which leaders are really up to the task and which are not. We learn the simple, practical EOS tools, implement them, and see benefit flow. These are all good things that really help the business.
However, most teams soon encounter a moment of truth about some hard things they need to do to truly become their best when we dive into Team Health and when they face tough People Issues.
It Starts with a Foundation of Trust
Patrick Lencioni’s seminal work, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and one of my all-time favorite books, makes it crystal clear that the foundation of a healthy team is Vulnerability-based Trust. When there is this kind of Trust, the team embraces Conflict that is healthy and productive; everyone is heard, varied perspectives are welcomed, and genuine listening happens. A team that prizes productive conflict can commit fully to the decisions that are made. Nobody pouts on the sidelines, even if they didn’t get their way. Everyone leans into executing on the decision that was made.
Fully committed teams have intense Accountability – in TWO directions. Fred is willing to step into uncomfortable spaces to hold teammate Jane accountable to keep her commitments. And Fred truly welcomes it when Jane holds him accountable to keep his commitments.
Highly committed teams are focused on getting results. Nobody is distracted by CYA, politics, and egotistic posturing (can you say DRAMA?), so there is intense, unwavering attention to results. Lack of trust means fear of conflict, which yields lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results.
Sadly, some teams fail at this moment of truth when team members just aren’t willing to lean (or dive) into the uncomfortable, but powerful, spaces that allow team health to grow.
When things start to get prickly, they decide to do things like “live and let live,” be “nice,” avoid eye contact, glance at their watch or phone, and sometimes run like hell. They feel the uncomfortable, tell-tale signs that signal a chance to be great (blood pressure up a little, prickling on the back of the neck, nervous glances, reddening cheeks, awkward silence, clenched jaw) and instead of leaning in, they back away and thereby say “Nope, we’re not willing to become our best as a Leadership Team.”
Are YOU Ready?
Look in the mirror and be brutally honest with yourself in considering these questions:
- When was the last time I was courageous enough to ask the awkward question about the long-tenured employee who just really wasn’t willing to make a decision to help a customer because it was inconvenient for them?
- How often do you say “it’s just not worth it” when your direct report “Fred” misses the Core Value of “Help First” and refuses to train a junior employee, just letting her struggle?
- Are you excusing “Jane’s” penchant for intimidating other employees yet again just because you don’t feel like dealing with her attitude? Instead you say “That’s just Jane being Jane” and ignore the damage to those employees and the team.
- Do you look the other way when “Fred” refuses to use PPE because he thinks he looks dorky in it and let every other employee realize safety isn’t REALLY first priority?
- Do you excuse a track record of failure to complete priority projects because “we’re too busy”?
- Do you sit quietly during a team meeting and the immediately jump into a “post meeting meeting” with another team member to complain about the issue and say what should have been said inside the meeting with the whole team?
Leadership Team: Right Person, Right Seat
Time and time again I see and hear leaders expressing evidence of the power of dealing (or not) with RPRS (Right Person Right Seat) issues.
“We’ve been talking about Fred since day one, why have we lived with it so long?”
“We now have the right people on this Leadership Team. We are going to accomplish SO much!”
“Having Jane in this role has given me so much more time and energy to work on the stuff that is really critical to the company. So much of my energy used to be spent IN the business that I can now spend ON it.”
Please don’t underestimate the value to your organization of making the moves necessary to get the Right People (have your Core Values) in the Right Seat (Get it, Want it, have Capacity) in every single seat. Please don’t underestimate the pain and energy drain of not making those moves.
My passionate plea is to have the courage to really go there and be your best as a Leader and as a Leadership Team. Now you see why I said “Don’t answer too fast” – it’s a big decision, likely the biggest one you’ll make this year.
