Teamwork Principles – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Are You Really a Team Player?

Posted May 18, 2017
by dougdickerson

A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other. – Simon Sinek

For many of us, the idea of being part of a team is something we’ve identified with from an early age. Many of us were introduced to the concept of being on a team from our Little League days, or choosing teams with our neighborhood friends for an afternoon of backyard football, or whom we wanted to play with at recess.

While our current understanding of teams and teamwork may not mirror those early days, it’s not a concept that is lost on us now. We all want to be on the winning team and we all want teammates that will give us that competitive advantage. And we can still play favorites.

As leaders, how we model teamwork is important. Unlike the backyard football game, the stakes are higher and more is riding on the outcome. What kind of a team player are you? Here are a few questions to ponder. After some honest reflection, decide for yourself if you are really a team player or an imposter.

Does my attitude benefit my team or undermine it?

Teams that succeed do so with players who have a positive attitude. There’s just really no other way around it. Is your attitude one that lifts your team or tears it down? Is your attitude a reliable one that others can look to and emulate and from it gain the confidence and courage they need in a moment of doubt or uncertainty? Or on the other hand, do you entertain those with a bad attitude by lending them a sympathetic ear? Remember, what you tolerate you promote, and this is especially true as it relates to attitudes.

Am I looking out for my own interest, or what is best for the team?

This is an age-old problem for many teams. If you are only looking out for your own interests and your own agenda, and not that of the team, can you really say that you are a team player? Babe Ruth was right when he said, “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” If you are promoting your own interests over the team, it’s likely you really aren’t a team player.

Do I celebrate the successes and accomplishments of my teammates?

One of the hallmarks of a successful team is realized when fellow team members can celebrate the achievements and successes of one of its peers. At the end of the day they understand that when he or she wins, the team wins. If you are blinded by petty jealousy or insecurities you are really not a team player.

Am I open to new ideas and change or am I a hindrance to it?

Teams that succeed are growth-minded and are always looking for ways to improve. They realize that they can’t rest on yesterday’s win, and they must be open to new ideas. If you are always resisting change and your mantra is “we’ve never done it this way before,” then chances are you are really not a team player you’re simply standing in the way of those trying to move forward.

Am I intentional and consistent about adding value to my team?

A team player is not one out to protect his or her own agenda or playing politics, and not saying one thing in public while undermining and scheming behind the scenes in private. Are you looking for ways to add value and lift others? Are you willing to put others ahead of yourself for the good of the team? If so, chances are, you are a team player.

Are you really a team player?

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Winning Attitudes to Move Your Team Forward

attitude

Leaders must encourage their organizations to dance to forms of music yet to be heard. – Warren Bennis

Nothing will make or break the momentum of your organization faster than the collective sum of the attitudes within it. Pause for a moment and inventory the attitudes of those around you (beginning with yourself) and ask if the prevailing attitudes are positive or negative.

Each person within your organization has a lens through which they see themselves, their work, and its leadership. And that lens says much about the ability of the team to move forward.

It reminds of the story of noted English architect Sir Christopher Wren was supervising the construction of a magnificent cathedral in London. A journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers, so he chose three and asked them this question, “What are you doing?” The first replied, “I’m cutting stone for 10 shillings a day.” The next answered, “I’m putting in 10 hours a day on this job.” But the third said, “I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren construct one of London’s greatest cathedrals.” Each worker had a lens-everyone does.

Building a strong team and culture within your organization hinges upon many factors but none so powerful than attitude. Our actions tend to reflect our attitudes. Our words do the same. So the conversations that take place in the hallway, the whispers in the break room, the secret emotions that no one is aware of all come together each day to form either a powerful bond of momentum or something far more sinister.

If you could select the attitudes of the people in your organization, ones that would propel you to be your best, achieve more, and be stronger as a team, what would they look like? Here are four that I believe would be worthy of consideration. It’s as we embrace a “we” mentality and attitude we can move our teams forward.

We go the extra mile

With this attitude your success is multiplied. With this attitude you will see your colleagues not as adversaries but as valued teammates with talents, gifts, and abilities that may look different than yours, but used for the same goals.

With this attitude you will go the extra mile in doing whatever you can to ensure your mutually shared success. We go the extra mile for each other and with each other for the good of the team not just our individual agendas.

We have each other’s backs

With this attitude your commitment is compounded. Your culture is your people. How that is framed and played out will vary from company to company, but your people make up and determine its culture. When your people possess and take to heart this attitude it will transform your culture.

Think how different your organization would be if the people in it had each other’s backs instead of stabbing it? How different would your culture be if your people stopped talking behind one another’s backs and started talking to each other? Teams that move forward are healthy ones that treat each other with respect.

We hold each other accountable

With this attitude integrity is solidified. The only way going the extra mile with each other and having each other’s backs works is with accountability. For too long in many organizations a culture of back stabbing, back biting, rivalries, and pettiness has been tolerated with too few held to account. The by-product is low morale, high turnover, bullying, and a toxic culture.

The attitudes that work and will move your organization forward are ones by which you hold each other to a higher standard and you hold each other accountable. When team members are accountable to one another the team moves forward with trust.

We value our people

With this attitude relationships take priority. It’s a simple rule of leadership- people are your priority and relationships matter. The health of your organization is determined by the breadth and depth of your relationships. If you want strong and healthy attitudes build strong and healthy relationships. If you want to stop the back stabbing on your team try back patting instead. Rather than words that tear people down, use words that build them up. It’s not complicated.

When your organization understands the basic rule of creating momentum and moving forward it will be intentional about placing value on relationships.

Righting the ship with healthy attitudes can be a slow and painful process within your organization. In the end there may be those who for whatever reason won’t take the journey with you. Let them go. But never give up in embracing the healthy attitudes that can be yours. Too much is at stake to turn back now.

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On The Brink and Out the Door: How Employers Can Build a Culture that Matters

Posted January 29, 2016
by admin

culture

People don’t quit companies, they quit lousy bosses. – Jimmy Collins

I was in the car not long ago listening to an episode of the Dave Ramsey Show (http://bit.ly/NfZIDm) when a caller was describing to Dave how her husband was ready to quit his six-figure income because of a toxic work environment that had pushed him to the brink.

I couldn’t help but wonder how a person in such a financially secure position could walk away from it due to deplorable working conditions. Unfortunately, it’s a wide spread problem for far too many people.

A Benefits Pro article (http://bit.ly/1ZZ4oeU) reveals some of the top reasons why many in the workplace are ready to bolt. Among the top reasons are: Low pay, awful commute, unreasonable workload, annoying co-workers, poor work/life balance, lack of opportunity for advancement, the boss, and layoff/firing fear, to name a few.

If you were to give yourself an honest assessment of your present circumstance would you find yourself in the position like the lady talking to Ramsey or perhaps a person described in the article above who for whatever the reason were ready to quit?

Perhaps you are an employer who is trying to make sense of poor morale and attitudes that reflect a disengagement that troubles you. Here are some steps you can take to begin to close the gap and build a culture that matters.

Look in the mirror

Building the kind of company workers would never dream of leaving begins by being the kind of leader everyone wants to follow. If workers are ready to walk out the door making six figures it likely has less to do with the company and more to do with the leader. Never stop growing and learning as a leader and before you try to grow others, grow yourself.

Get connected

It was John Maxwell who said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Unless you get this right, your organization will be a revolving door of talent who can and will go elsewhere. Building your company begins by building relationships. When your people mean more to you than your profits you will never have to worry about people walking out the door.

Build bridges

Building a culture of trust and openness begins when you connect your people to one another. While job descriptions and responsibilities may vary it is important that each person see the value of his or her role. Job titles and duties may vary but everyone brings talent and skills needed for success. Building a culture that matters begins when you bring people together, not when you keep them apart.

Embrace change

Building a culture that matters can only happen in an environment where change is allowed. The way things were done twenty years ago may have served you well at the time but how is it working now? Employee engagement is essential to your success and creative options exist today on levels that were not present a decade or two ago. Many an organization have lost their competitive edge simply because they were not ahead the curve as it relates to change. Don’t let your inability to change be the reason your best and brightest flee.

Be willing to prune

The truth is, some people are never happy unless they are unhappy. They are chronic complainers and whiners. They have bad attitudes and are the laggards on every decision to move forward. For them the glass is always half empty and they are always finding fault along with sowing seeds of strife. The old saying goes, “What you tolerate, you promote.” In order to build a culture that matters in which everyone can thrive and reach their potential you must accept the reality that not everyone can or should take the journey with you. Let them go.

Give ownership

When your people are empowered they will seldom disappoint. It’s an age old principle that has been proven time and time again. When people have ownership and the power to make decisions at the closest level to the problem they will succeed. Sometimes the best thing you can do as a leader is to get out of the way. When there is a shared ownership of the mission and vision then everyone has a stake in the outcome. The key for you as a leader is to welcome your people into the process, not shut them out.

These are but a few practical steps that if implemented can start a process of closing your revolving door and building the kind of culture that you and your people can take pride in. Are you ready to get started?

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Five Traits of Extra Mile Leaders

Posted November 20, 2015
by admin

mile

There are no shortcuts on the extra mile – Zig Ziglar

Bob Kuechenberg, the former Miami Dolphins great, once explained what motivated him to go to college. “My father and uncle were human cannonballs in carnivals. My father told me, “go to college or be a cannonball.” Then one day my uncle came out of the cannon, missed the net and hit the Ferris wheel, I decided to go to college.”

The way you tap into your motivation as a leader may not be as drastic for you as it was for Bob Kuechenberg, but tapping into it is necessary nonetheless. Going the extra mile as a leader is what will set you apart from the rest of the pack and will take you farther than you could have without it.

So what traits do “extra mile” leaders possess? Here is a sampling of a few that I believe are essential. It’s not an exhaustive list but is a good place to start.

Extra mile leaders are proactive

Extra mile leaders take the initiative in getting things done. They prefer to tackle issues head-on rather than assume a reactionary posture. Extra mile leaders are out front on understanding the culture of their organization and the needs of the people they serve. They don’t wait to be told or asked, they see what needs to be done and they do it.

Extra mile leaders possesses a contagious enthusiasm

What sets extra mile leaders apart from mediocre leaders-every time, is a passion and enthusiasm for what they do. Their attitudes are positive and their temperament is even-handed. An extra mile leader in your organization with enthusiasm and passion will be the benchmark for the rest of your team. Without extra mile leaders your work will be hard but with them your team can see extra-ordinary results. Extra mile leaders bring out the best in those they serve.

Extra mile leaders put the team first

Extra mile leaders by and large are selfless in that their motivation and their proactive ways are done with the intent of benefitting the team. Yes, there can be exceptions when what motivates an individual is selfish in nature. But by and large, extra mile leaders have a broad understanding of the mission and vision of the organization and their extra mile sacrifices are for the benefit of the group. Of course, it pays dividends in the long run as all hard work and effort does, but it’s not the prime motivation. Extra mile leaders put their colleagues first.

Extra mile leaders have an attitude of excellence

Extra mile leaders are not satisfied with the status quo nor do they settle for what is merely acceptable. Extra mile leaders have a compelling desire to be the best personally and professionally. At times it can be misinterpreted by those without the extra mile mentality as self-serving, grand-standing, or posturing, etc. but at their core, the extra mile leader cares deeply and truly wants to advance the team in the right direction.

Extra mile leaders have found their purpose

Extra mile leaders have not only tapped into their passion but have taken it a step further in discovering their purpose. Extra mile leaders intuitively understand that it’s not about what they “do” that defines them or motivates them to go the extra mile. Extra mile leaders are those who have embraced the blessing and gift of their Creator and have committed themselves to living their life in such a way that honors it.

Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said, “There is nothing with which every man is so afraid as getting to know how enormously much he is capable of doing and becoming.”

What you are capable of becoming as an extra mile leader is realized when you worry less about what you do and care more for the life you have to live and the ways in which you can serve others. When you do, the results will speak for itself.

Are you an extra mile leader?

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Five Keys to Engaging Your Team

Posted October 9, 2015
by admin

Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better. – Bill Bradley

A recent Gallup story (http://bit.ly/1uUCjpX) revealed that less than one third (31.5%) of U.S. workers were engaged in their jobs in 2014. While that was an improvement over 2013 figures, a majority of employees, 51%, were still “not engaged” and 17.5% were “actively disengaged” in 2014 – according to the story.

It goes without saying that employee engagement is critical to the success of any organization. But with numbers like these it makes the leadership challenge more pronounced. How you position yourself as a leader is essential. Your engagement can’t be underestimated.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” The secret to your success is your people. They secret to their success is you–getting out of their way. Walking the tightrope of leadership is definitely a challenge but not impossible if are ready to get in the trenches and engage your people. They need a compelling reason to be engaged. Here’s where to start.

Your team needs a compelling leader

Before your team can buy in to your vision they first must buy in to you. If you do not inspire them to dream beyond their own limitations and work for a greater cause and purpose then don’t expect them to be engaged in something that makes no sense to them. If your people aren’t connected to you they won’t be connected to your vision.

Your team needs a compelling vision

Your team members must have a compelling vision if you want them to be engaged. When your people know the purpose behind what they are doing they will do it with passion. The formula breaks down like this: T (tasks) +P (passion) = E (engagement). T (tasks) – P (passion) = W (work). Passionless work leads to disengaged teams. Your team needs a clear vision of where they are going and why.

Your team needs a compelling example

Your team members need a leader who not only points the way but walks the road with his or her people. They need a leader who sees what they see, hears what they hear, feels what they feel, and shows by example that they have skin in the game. Bridging the gap with disconnected team members and you as a leader begins by setting the example. If you are not engaged then why should they be?

Your team needs a compelling trust

Your team needs to know that you trust them and that you have their backs. Nothing will lead to disengagement faster than a leader who does not empower and trust his people. It is your responsibility as a leader to set the bar high and hold people accountable. When your level of trust exceeds your level of expectation then your people will outperform your dreams. Empower your people with trust and engagement will rise with it.

Your team needs a compelling culture

It’s not a secret that the key to any thriving organization is one that is built on strong community. Strong relationships are the key to your success. When your team is centralized around strong leadership that sets the example, when your purpose is clear, and trust abounds, you have a culture that is ripe for success.

An engaged team needs compelling reasons for the journey. Begin with the ones I’ve outlined and build upon them. Your success depends upon it.

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3 Rules Leaders Should Not Implement

Posted August 2, 2014
by admin

Most of us have jobs that are too small for our spirits. – Studs Terkel

The late Erma Bombeck once put out a list of widely read “Rules” that was quite popular at the time. Some of them you might recall. Here are a few of my favorites: never have more children than you have car windows; seize the moment, remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart; never go to a class reunion pregnant, they will think that’s all you have been doing since you graduated.

While that list is rather light-hearted and humorous some rules can be stifling as it relates to the operation of your organization. Let’s be clear at the onset; policies and procedures are necessary and this is not about chunking your manuals out the window. Systems operate best when they follow a prescribed course of procedure.

In his book, “It’s Not About the Coffee,” Howard Behar (past President, Starbucks International) pens a fascinating chapter about independent thinking. Behar writes, “We want people to take charge instead of blindly following a rigid set of rules from a book…unfortunately, in many cases the rule book goes too far- it tries to tell people how to be instead of explaining what we’re trying to do. Rules don’t empower, they dispower people. We need recipes, not rules.”

Operating policies and procedures need to be known and adhered to and should be subservient to the person performing them and not the other way around. Yet when rules go too far it can have unintended consequences that can do more harm than good. From the chapter I surmised three rules that leaders don’t need to implement if they want their people and organizations to be successful.

Rules that restrict creative thinking

Unleashing the best and brightest people in your organization begins when you free them from burdensome rules and regulations that hold them back. “Ideally, management should never tell someone how to do something or what to feel. If people’s every last action is dictated to them, they are robbed of their dignity, and the company is robbed of its soul,” writes Behar.

When you give your people the liberty to think, feel, grow and experiment they will surprise you with their ingenuity. When you have more recipes being developed than rules being followed then the possibilities for success are multiplied. Your organization can be incubator for growth and unlimited potential or it can be place where ideas go to die. Which do you want?

Rules that control behavior

Ideally, your rule book should operate more like a play book. It should contain plays you can call and be filled with options for any scenario that puts you in a position you to score. Behar’s analysis is a timely challenge for managers and executives. He writes, “Instead of writing manuals that lock people into dehumanizing behavior, we should focus on outcomes we want and the reasons behind them…creating tool books instead of rule books grows people’s spirits.” Consider the difference; if your leadership style is to simply be the “keeper of the rulebook” then it will be difficult for your people to grow and reach their full potential and your leadership will be diminished.

When you place your focus on where you are going and why (your vision and purpose) and the growth and development of the people who will take you there, then the rule book must become your play book. When you grow your people’s spirits you won’t have time to worry much about their behavior.

Rules that hinder personal growth

“There’s no better feeling than being encouraged to fully use your abilities,” writes Behar. “You will find your work far more satisfying, and you’ll encourage that same satisfaction in others. Everybody wins. The more we know ourselves and our goals, the fewer rules are needed.” This point is simple yet profound. Your people need more encouragement not more rules.

Fostering a culture of personal growth and development comes when a leader makes it a priority by removing unnecessary rules, by empowering his people, and caring enough to get out of their way. When leaders place more value in rules than relationships then victories are harder to come by and are fewer in number.

The challenge for you as a leader as it relates to rules is to find the right balance between what’s needed and what’s not, if they help your organization or if they hurt it, and ultimately, do your people need the rule to succeed? Your task as a leader is to know the difference.

What do you say?

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The Power of Teamwork

Posted June 19, 2014
by admin

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