Leadership
“How smart you are is defined by how clearly you can see the intellect of others.”
social inclusion in humans is linked to meaning. When we feel a part of a group or a subculture, it gives meaning to our lives.
“Everyone has a responsibility to tell me if you disagree with my decisions or think I’m missing anything.”
Be generous with praise, but don't overdo it or you risk it becoming valueless. Scarcity results in perceived value
- ex. Consider how John Lennon didn't praise much of what Paul McCartney did after the Beatles. When Paul wrote and released Band on the Run, John publicly stated that it was a great song. Because John had been so aloof of Paul's post-Beatles career up until that point, his praise had far more weight to it.
Is it possible that your smartest people may be impeding the smarts of your organization? And is it possible you are waiting too long to remove the blockers?
The evidence suggests that social bonds don’t drive groupthink; the culprits are overconfidence and reputational concerns.
to institute major changes, you must establish a sense of urgency.
Find a way to appeal to people’s sense of competition and desire to be better If you are dissatisfied with production, find a way to pit two cohorts against each other in friendly and playful competition Ex. men vs. women, night shift vs day shift No one wants to be a “loser” Competition cannot be based around money, but rather in a desire to excel
You can keep people engaged by keeping score
- Think how the vibe and intensity changes in a game of basketball once people start keeping score. People need to see progress in real time.
- Ideally, these "scores" should be lead measures
Being results driven
Focus on vital, measurable indicators of output. The operations of an organization are like a “black box” in that you can’t see everything that’s happening on a daily basis. Indicators let you “cut holes” in the black box to get a view on what the output of the organization might be in future. Train your team to select a small number of objective, quantifiable measures of output, with leading and trending indicators, that can be reviewed daily and help transform a business for the better. Avoid measures of activity, subjective measures and unquantifiable measures. Your job is to identify, closely monitor and effectively manage the “vital few” indicators of performance over the “compelling many”.
Never join a team and start making changes right away. The right to make changes comes with understanding, and understanding comes through time. Be patient. Observe how they operate. Get the outsider's perspective on what is right now, and then begin to make changes. (almost) universal buy-in comes when people feel their leader can relate to them and understands their true concerns.
Children