Posts from — May 2008

I’ve been thinking about teams. Reflecting on wonderful team experiences and some not so wonderful experiences. The difference? It wasn’t leadership–I’ve seen a number of well led teams fail. And it wasn’t talent–there are immensley talented people that can’t contribute to a team.

What I’ve learned is that truly Extraordinary Teams all have two things in common; Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs to borrow from Jim Collins) and Deep Trust.

Yes, talent and leadership are important but every successful team I’ve been on or worked with has had an almost impossible goal and an extraordinary level of trust between teammates.

How to get support for your ideas more easily than ever before.

Many years ago a retiring executive gave me an old pamphlet he had carried throughout his career. It was entitled, “Take Time Out for Mental Digestion.”

He told me that this little pamphlet had been one of the most helpful things he had ever read in his business life. At the time I spoke to him he was the president of a corporation with more than 10,000 employees.

If you’re speeding along down the road on your bike and unexpectedly hit a patch of loose gravel, the temptation is to immediately hit the brakes. But if you do, more likely than not you will just as quickly hit the ground.

A much safer approach is to coast, to ride it out as you gradually slow down, keep your concentration and maintain your balance, and not even think about falling.

We’re faced with similar challenges in our everyday lives. At the first sign quarterly profits might not hit the expectations of analysts and shareholders, the CEO might be tempted to slam on the brakes by slashing “discretionary” expenditures like advertising or staff training.