What is needed to focus on results? Focus.
Now I know how hard it is to stay focused on collective results. I am only human. I have my own priorities, career, needs and motivations that drive me. Your team members will have their own plans and priorities too. They will be driven by their own career aspirations, compensation, or relationships. If you aren't focused on the team results, you are focusing on something else, and that is usually your own self-interest. Perhaps you spend more time focusing on your direct reports rather than your peers. Maybe you are prioritising work for a certain project because it interests you, rather than the team priority. So many distractions at play.
Lencioni tells a story to illustrate this perfectly.
A case study
After Michael Jordon retired, the Chicago Bulls appointed Scottie Pippen as the leader of the team. The team remained one of the best in the league. During a tense playoff, the coach called time out and asked for a set play and asked another player, other than Pippen, to take the final shot.
Pippen, angry that he hadn't been selected, refused to go on the pitch. Fans, players and the announcers were shocked at his behaviour. He essentially told the world, I am more important than the team. The bulls played on, won the shot and the game. Afterwards, Pippen apologised, admitting he was wrong.
On the other hand, Abby Wambach shared her approach to teamwork. As goal scoring record holder, she could easily have succumbed to showboating. She is known for pointing at other team mates after scoring a goal. Her celebration was to point to those that made the play possible. She can't score a goal without the collective effort of the team.
Abby described the scene when all the teammates from all over the soccer field rush toward the goal scorer to celebrate. At that moment, the team is not only celebrating the scorer, but “every player, every coach, every practice, every sprint, every doubt, and every failure that this one single goal represents,” Abby said. “You will not always be the goal scorer,” she added. “And when you are not—you better be rushing toward her.”
Teams have difficulty staying focused on results because of self-interest and self-preservation. Let's look at the distractions in more detail.
Ego
Ego kills teams and relationships. We all have it and as much as we want the team to win, many people desire individual wins more. Everyone wants to be the striker, the golden child or star in their own way. If you have ever been to a meeting where one members function is failing and you secretly think, "Well at least my area is thriving", that's ego getting in the way. Every time you see sarcasm, power over, interrupting, or belittling at play, that's ego. A strong team values collective success as much as individual success. You are only as strong as the weakest link, so when a group of people come together to support that link, you all become stronger.
As Abby writes in her book, Wolfpack,
"We are all “benched” at times in work and life. You can be disappointed when you’re asked not to do what you do best, but don’t be blinded by frustration and miss your opportunity to lead from the bench. “If you’re not a leader on the bench, then you’re not a leader on the field, you’re either a leader everywhere or nowhere.”
Do you lead from the bench? Do you support and encourage others as they strive to reach their highest potential?
Career and money
You might be working for your higher purpose. For the majority of people, work is also focused on career and financial needs. We all have to support ourselves and our families. Recognising that is critical for a strong team. Be open about your aspirations and intentions, so there is no room for second guessing and politics. This is back to the vulnerability based trust again. You have to override the belief that it is a dog eat dog world and that everyone is in competition with each other. There is no room for competition and scarcity mindsets on teams. Remember when everyone succeeds, you succeed.
So, let's say you were being swayed to leave the team for a position with another function or company. In a trust based team you could share this information, explain what is enticing about the offer and enable the team to either help you achieve what you want, or do what they can to entice you to stay. Either way, the team and you both win. Anything that stands in the way of team performance must be aired and shared. One to ones, career conversations and strategy sessions can really help people understand what page each other is on.
This is so different to the way in which most teams operate, breaking the cycle of behaviour can only happen with trust.
Departmental head
When you come to a meeting with your functional or departmental hat on, you are automatically putting your own needs and interests before the team. Even when I am with a leadership team, I ask them to tell me about their team, and more often than not, they refer to the team that reports into them. It makes sense. Their identity is linked to their job title. The peer to peer team is just a default role, not their primary role. This is the first mindset shift that needs to occur. Your number one team is the senior or peer team you are on. Your secondary team is the function that you lead. That doesn't marginalise the people for whom you lead, and feel responsible for. Those same people want the leadership teams to be aligned, so they aren't caught up in company politics.
It is so easy to focus your time on departmental problems, activities and solutions, that the team/business goals are overlooked. This might show up as competing for resources, empire building, blocking internal transfers or fighting for the leaders attention. In strong teams, the business case is shared, and then all members put their team hat on and logically analyse the cases with the team goals in mind. Members willingly make sacrifices for the overall result.
Example. There is always limited budget. Two business cases are presented for investment. One member wants to invest in a new customer service system, another for product development investment. In unhealthy teams, members consult, gain alliances and supporters and create divisions to ensure they "win". Functions then form alliances and politics becomes rife within the organisation. In healthy teams, the ideas are put on the table and each member assesses what the best use of resources is to achieve the result. Members get curious, challenge, debate and often co-create solutions to get the best possible solution.
The best way to measure your performance against results is to assess how often you achieve results. And when you do achieve them, does everyone feel a collective sense of satisfaction and even share the rewards?
Team Activity
Individually go through the below options and select all the options you think apply to the statement. At the end put the results together and see which statements your team agree most with. In our team there is...
- More emphasis on personal goals than team goals
- Members compete with each other for resources, attention or compensation
- Lack of shared rewards and celebration
- Emphasis on career status or progression over team success
- Vague or shifting goals rather than focus on priorities
- Insufficient/ineffective processes and structure
- Lack of drive and urgency or follow through
Reflection
What does the activity you have just completed really tell you about the team?
Why do you think this is the case?
Are your team able to prioritise goals? If not, what can you do to help this happen?
What is distracting the team from focusing on results?
and remember...
- The best measure of a team is its ability to achieve consistent results that it sets out to achieve
- Team members prioritise the number one team over individual or departmental needs
- Members believe that when the team wins, everyone wins.
- Members are clear about the goals, and emotionally and mentally commit and support them
- Members must be willing to make sacrifices for the greater good
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