What is a Real Team?
In business,
management teams often sit around the conference room table deliberating upon
the current affairs of the business. It is all too common of an occurrence
where some department heads silo themselves from others. At the same time, some
attempt to respect the silo in which a colleague is responsible for building
around them self. On one front, the notion that a silo mentality still exists in
the business world is very disturbing and it certainly is not in keeping with
modern business practices in a world where transparency is the rule. Nevertheless,
we have all seen them; either in our company or in those we do business. On
another front, it places department leaders in a precarious position of partial
isolation and pseudo-integration. By pseudo-integration, I mean that
cross-functional teamwork is, for the most part impressive on the
organizational chart, but in practice, very dysfunctional.
It is easy to
see the personal pride and high self-esteem these individuals have in which the
silos are created to protect. Last I can recall, business does not operate best
in fiefdoms or silos surrounded in a vacuum. Furthermore, no entrepreneurs and
senior executives I know went into business to foster the growth of these little
fiefdoms. When department heads operate in this environment, there is no true
or at least consistent level of accountability.
In order to
keep the business operating efficiently, we really need a new game plan for the
leadership. Each department head is as a business leader with the privileges
provided by their position and accountable to the senior executive. At the same
time, each business leader should be able to constructively consult each other
in ways that instill true teamwork and camaraderie. This includes that everyone
around the table being privileged enough to engage in a two-way dialog with the
senior executive. The notion of leadership and management direction being a
one-way street is truly outdated business school theory that has proven
ineffective for this day. What I posit as the right direction for today is a
covenantal relationship between all leaders among themselves and the senior
executive.
Covenantal Leadership in Operation
When any one
leader stumbles, those around him or her should team-up and lift-up their
fallen colleague both for the benefit of the business and for the benefit of
the individual. We all need lifelines in the choppy waters of life from
time-to-time. A true leader will gladly jump-in to save his comrade unselfishly
and without expectation of thanks. Why? Because it is the right thing to when
another stumbles. You do not watch a person get run over in traffic who trips
in the crosswalk on a busy street and you don’t kick a person who trips at work
and watch them loose their career. Ever consider what it would be like if you
were either one of those people? Have you not had someone help you when you
were down at least once in your life already?
So here is the
point, everyone at the conference room table needs a sense of real belonging in
an environment of absolute and unconditional trust. A place to share ideas, a
place to receive the practical business acumen of others, a place to feel
secure and confident. Away from the conference room this team and each
individual in it, should be able to confidentially receive constructive
criticism and feel a sense of trust to express or receive guidance and support
during some very awkward times. We are all in this business together and a
strong team knows no limits to what they will do to help others succeed in all
areas of their life.
How to Help Those Who Need Help
When someone needs help and does not realize it
We have seen
it many times, that people will struggle on their own without realizing that
there is a better way to do something but not knowing that, they flounder. It
really does not matter whether the specific subject is a technical matter at
work or a personal matter in life, not realizing a better way exists is
innocent ignorance that cannot be faulted, but it can be helped. We owe our colleague
the benefit of our individual personal experience in order to help in life
matters because, well, it matters. We also owe our colleague the same benefit
of sharing our knowledge or sharing our troubleshooting experience to help them
learn a better way or to navigate toward a better way. It is just the right way
thing to do if we are part of the same team.
When someone needs help but will not ask
Some
people let pride get in the way of asking for help. Today we live in a very
self-reliant society, which values individualism over true teamwork. In
addition, although not every organization is like that, and I think most are
not, there still will be one or two people wrapped up in this train of thought
within the organization. Their pride prevents them from asking for help, if for
no other reason than to not bother anyone over their dilemma. Sometimes they
just do not want to look stupid. There are people who still fall into that trap
and they are all around us.
When we see
someone like the two types above, we must offer help, sometimes under the
disguise of noting a new way of doing something that we ourselves researched
and learned recently and we just wanted to share this idea with them too. It is
not untruthful to do that when the real purpose of the approach is to get in
close under the offensive radar in order to do the good work needing to be
done. That is also your segue into the next step. It would not hurt to suggest
that you like to look up solutions to everyday challenges so if they have things
that they struggle with, offer yourself as a resource and you will look into challenges
for them.
How to Respond to Someone Offering Help
Sometimes
people will come up to us offering help. Personally, I believe in learning from
others experience. The only problem is that we often get so experienced ourselves
that we might forget that occasionally we still stumble into uncharted waters.
When someone comes along and offers guidance into or out of those waters, we
should pause a moment and evaluate their consult. It might just be very useful
and keep us from slipping into holes and going under and over our heads. Although
I realize best intentions can be in error, I am also recalling many times where
I was glad for the advice I was voluntarily provided. I might also add, as most
people reading this, I could do more to pay attention to others consul and in
many instances, I wish I had more of it. I might have made fewer mistakes. How
about you?
So, the
answer as to how to respond is to be patient and be more open-minded. Your
advisor may have just become your best number-one friend.
How to Prepare for the Opportunity to Give and Receive Help
Do not go out
on a mission to save the world. The world will find you. Trust me. However,
when your little corner of the world has a person struggling, share in their
struggle and help them out. Just remember, to accept what someone offers you
someday. By receiving help that improves us, we not only become better as a
person but we are also morally obligated to pass it on to others. Whether we
pass on what we just learned is not necessarily the point. What is the point is
that we pass on the action of helping and making someone else’s life better. In
part, passing along the action of helping others is the chain of events that
will make good Samaritans and role models out of us. I hope you enjoyed this
little something from just around the table.
Insightfully yours,
Robert Majdak Sr., Co-Founder
Crystal Majdak, Co-Founder
Management Insights
No comments:
Post a Comment