Imagine assembling a team of all-star professionals boasting great pedigrees of success to tackle a big, exciting expedition, and seeing them fall flat with sub-par performance. The disappointment is palpable, and if you’re the manager who assembled this team, the frustration is…frustrating.
Earlier in my career, I was this manager and all-star team architect, and I still get a sharp pain in the pit of my stomach when I think about this experience and the leadership lessons learned the hard way.
While the business survived this giant managerial and leadership lesson of mine without missing targets, it wasn’t pretty. In particular, the sense of opportunity-not-realized (mountains not climbed and markets not conquered) offers the sharp, cutting edge for this painful story.
Here are five leadership lessons learned the hard way.
The Mission is the Magnet, But it Needs Purpose
There was no doubt the mission served as a powerful recruiting tool. A number of these individuals left big-time positions to join this expedition. What I failed to do, however, was integrate the exciting mission with a deeper reason-for-being. People wanted to climb this mountain, to a great part to say that they had done it. The lure was strong, but the deeper personal connection never materialized. As a result, a real team never materialized. What was lacking was a bigger purpose for why “we” were doing it.
In business, numbers and targets are a game. It’s purpose that inspires extraordinary performance.
Beware: Happy Talk and Real Commitment Sound Similar
This larger organization talked a good game for investment, but when push came to shove, it had little interest in actually funding this Everest expedition. We assembled a group of world-class climbers and ultimately left them stranded at basecamp where they had to forage for their opportunities.
An all-star team without a hill to climb is a horrible thing to waste/manage/see. Note to self: secure funding for the mission first, and then recruit.
It’s Hard (Impossible) to Catch Lightning in a Bottle Twice
Several of the team members shared some background successes from a prior firm. Unfortunately, the success in one environment did not translate in this different environment. Everyone entering intellectually understood we were not attempting to recreate past glories. Emotionally, I think they were hoping it would happen.
It is tempting to draw talent from your prior experiences. Recognize that when the context changes, so might the results.
Resistance Was Not Futile
In this instance, resistance proved useful. Many in the organization rankled at the idea of a new mission divorced from their heritage. It became open season for passive-aggressive behavior, and efforts to innovate ground to a halt. Diplomatic efforts generated periods of calm and flourishes of activity, but the resistance remained active just below the surface. Those at the top fed the resistance by their hesitancy to stomp it out early in the endeavor.
Left unchecked, the culture of the status quo suffocates the idea of change every time.
Real Leadership Stayed Home and the Results Showed
This is the hardest one of these lessons to face. I was experienced enough to foresee and openly discuss each of the potential challenges above before they came to fruition. I fooled myself into believing that moral suasion and half-measures would be sufficient to mitigate the risks. I was wrong.
Leadership must climb the mountain from the front of the line, identifying and removing obstacles, tacking to minimize risks and importantly, imbuing the endeavor with a deep, shared sense of purpose.
When real leadership stays home, the results are predictable.
The Bottom-Line for Now:
The team members above survived just fine. But like Shackleton’s famous and ill-fated expedition, getting everyone home alive was good, but short of the ultimate goal. Cleaning up the mess is an admirable leadership behavior—not letting the mess emerge to become the stopping point is a better one.
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