A team of average players with great leadership will defeat a team of great players with lousy leadership.
When Good People persistently produce poor results they have ineffective leaders.
4 reasons Good People produce poor results:
- “Good” is context specific. Good organizational fit enables Good People to perform.
- Bad organizational culture sucks the life out of good people.
- Ineffective systems and processes hamper results.
- Good People can’t overcome lousy leadership. Exceptions are rare.
5 questions that help Good People succeed:
#1. What will be different if we make progress?
Foggy wins frustrate Good People.
Energy Leeches laugh when you waste Good People’s talent and energy.
#2. What behaviors will likely produce progress?
Prioritize how you treat each other. The most important thing about you is the way you treat each other while you do the work.
- How and when will we execute behaviors that help us win?
- How will we honor people who execute winning behaviors well?
#3. What behaviors will likely hinder success?
Give teeth to question #3 by asking, “What will we do when we see behaviors that hinder progress?” Don’t settle for something vague like, “We’ll point out behaviors that hinder progress.”
- Give each other permission to practice candor.
- Role play candor. “Hey Barney, we agreed to keep our office doors open in the afternoon. Can you get back on track tomorrow?”
- Don’t ask, “What happened,” unless you want an excuse.
- Ask, “What will you do differently next time?”
#4. What will we NOT have done if progress stalls?
Wilma answers, “If progress stalls, we won’t have tracked results.” Establish a system to prevent potential slippage.
- What results do you want to track?
- How and when will you track results?
- What will you do when results go up or down?
#5. What relevant lessons have we learned from past success and failure?
What prevents Good People from making progress?
What might leaders do to help Good People Succeed?
