Leadership: If you want teamwork - Pay for teamwork!

I'm often asked what is the "secret" to great teamwork. While there are many variables, the single greatest and overriding element I have found to great teamwork is simple: if you want team work...pay for team-work!

My definition of teamwork is simple: to be a positive influence toward the common good. The common good by default crosses departmental boundaries, reaches beyond silo-building into business building. (FYI - this is also my definition for leadership, for what is leadership but to build productive teams for the common good).

It is ridiculous to think that we can generate "teamwork" when different departments are recognized and rewarded for different things. When a sales staff is rewarded for top-line sales volume but a production manager is rewarded for efficienc, quality, and cost control, why should a salesman really care about the impact of increased sales on the production process?

The answer, therefore, is to recognize and pay people from a common good. For example, if both the sales team and the production team were bonused on overall customer satisfaction scores, they are far more likely to work together to ensure that sales does not overreach production quality.

So leaders, what say you?

Leadership: Wind Chaser

This morning while reflecting on the wisdom of King Solomon in his book entitled Ecclesiastes, I was struck by his many mentions "chasing the wind." The context: that much of what we do - without honoring God - is like chasing the wind.

Ever been in a situation that you felt as if you are a "Wind Chaser?" Ever find yourself simply going wherever your current projects, employees, or customers are pushing you? Ever look back on you day or week or even year and wonder what you really achieved?

Lesson learned: without a solid, powerful purpose for your business (that is, a compelling reason to exist) and your role (to envision, engage, and execute), you will find yourself becoming a "Wind Chaser", perpetually busy but unproductive.

Welcome to my Leadership Blog

This is the first of what I hope to be a long educational journey on the ever fascinating topic of leadership.

As we begins our journey together, I give you my word that I will:

1. Respect both your time and you leadership intelligence with wisdom and insights rather than mere rantings.
2. Honor your responses, posting those that are beyond pithy that share an interesting or divergent view on current leadership best practices or theories.
3. Share my latest leadership insights gleaned from working with many of America's best companies and individual champions of excellence.

So to officially begin, here is my operational definition for leadership.

Leadership is being a positive influence toward the common good. Four key thoughts here. First, positive. Think about all the lousy examples of bad leadership you have witnessed or experienced. Real leadership is all about moving in a positive direction, both in the direct management of the company but in all aspects of interactions with clients, suppliers, community partners, and more important, your employees.

Second, influence. Real leadership is not about position or prestige or preferred parking spaces but rather how powerful you are at influencing (positively) those around you. Many of the best leaders I have ever known or worked with were front-line employees with no direct reports.

Third, toward. The word toward implies movement...forward movement. Leaders do not retreat but advance toward their destination into the future.

Finally, common good. Best practice leaders do not merely set goals but rather create teams that focus on the common good - beyond departments, even geographic locations and national boundaries. It's the focus on the common good (employees, community, suppliers, customers, and beyond) upon which they set their outcomes.

So before next time, in the now famous words of Bill O'Reilly, "What say you?"

Dr Jim