Teams – The Objective Co

Yesterday I wrote about the behaviour behind streaks. Today, a similar topic on momentum and positive fly wheels. I’ve been working over the past 9 months on a new initiative. One which requires alignment of many many … did I say many … stakeholders. Over this time, it’s been a roller coaster of highs ( we’re getting somewhere! ) and lows ( we’re just talking in circles without direction ). In the last two weeks alone, there have been multiple cycles and loops.

This week though, something has changed. The energy has shifted and the air smells different. The initiative has carved out a foothold. The right instigations, right time, right place, right context – everyone has gotten on the train.

That’s the power of momentum when building something. You need the small wins to fuel the big wins (we’re not there yet) grounded in the grind. There is so much in the foundational set up for success. We need to align people, align problems, align intentions … and all of that alignment takes time.

I didn’t truly understand the time it takes until literally this moment. But once the ball gets rolling it gathers momentum and continues down it’s path. This is the double edged momentum sword. If it’s not going down the right hill, the sheer energy it takes to bring it back can be crippling. Once you get it going on the right path – that’s when the magic happens. So what is your the rolling rock you will use build the next game changing product or service.

Often when we talk about teams, we refer to working teams on projects. Groups of people tackling code, or a program or delivery of customer experience. While teaming is important at the execution level, it’s even more important amongst leaders. This may seem obvious but it is not common reality – especially in large organizations where you don’t get to pick your leadership peers.

In the past 9 months of being in one of the worlds largest corporations, I’ve seen and experienced this directly. It’s rarely a product of intent (unless individuals are highly political and self-serving). Rather, unless there is a deliberate focus on creating a sense of one team – something that happens naturally in a start up where the goal / mission of the organization is more acute. Structures in large organizations cause silos due to defined mandates. Within silos, leaders have responsibilities for their own success, not necessarily success of the portfolio or area.

How do we organize and lead to deliver on bigger mandates? Well – I’ve been experimenting with a few things in the past months:

Try to get everyone in a room as much as practical
Force conversations out into the open that were previously 1:1 outside rooms
Create a trusted forum without fear of speaking up
Have no ego (this is a running theme)
Have no fear of losing your job
Document and action
…

As a leader, what are your strategies and tactics for teaming with your peers?

Tag: Teams

Building and momentum

Leaders as a team