Transcript Building an Exceptional Team - The University of Baltimore

Building an Exceptional Team
Anthony Butler, Assistant Director of Leadership
Rosenberg Center for Student Involvement
What does a
great team
look like?
Where do you start to build a great
team?
• How do you find great people?
• How do you recognize great people when
you see them?
What inhibits execution?
• National survey of 4,000 senior executives
4.
3.
2.
1.
Inability to work together as a TEAM (21%)
Company culture (23%)
Economic climate (29%)
Holding on to the past / unwillingness to
change (35%)
Creating a Culture of Teamwork
• The five values of a strong corporate
culture:
– Integrity: be a living example of your
leadership values
– Accountability: do what you say you will dobuild trust through personal responsibility
– Diligence: work hard, set a good pace,
complete projects on or before deadlines
How to Build, Lead and Sustain a High
Performance Team, John Spence
Creating a Culture of Teamwork
• The five values of a strong corporate
culture:
– Perseverance: overcome obstacles while
maintaining a positive and enthusiastic
attitude
– Discipline: do all of these things, every single
day
How to Build, Lead and Sustain a High
Performance Team, John Spence
The Seven Lessons
• The following is from a joint study of 1,500
outstanding organization conducted by the
Tom Peters Group, TPG/Learning Systems
and the Executive Development Center at
the Leavey School of Business and
Administration.
The Seven Lessons
1. Leaders Don’t Wait
They are proactive, they want to produce
victories. Waiting for permission is not a
characteristic of leaders. A sense of urgency
combined with disciplined execution is.
How to Build, Lead and Sustain a High
Performance Team, John Spence
The Seven Lessons
2. Character Counts
We call it the first law: if you don’t believe
the messenger – you will not believe the
message! People expect leaders to stand for
something and to have the courage of their
convictions.
How to Build, Lead and Sustain a High
Performance Team, John Spence
The Seven Lessons
3. Leaders have their heads in the clouds
and their feet on the ground
Not only do we demand that leaders be
credible; we also demand that they have a
clear and compelling vision of the future.
How to Build, Lead and Sustain a High
Performance Team, John Spence
The Seven Lessons
4. Shared values make a difference
Followers have needs and interests, dreams
and beliefs of their own. Leaders must be
able to gain consensus on a common cause
and common set of principles.
How to Build, Lead and Sustain a High
Performance Team, John Spence
The Seven Lessons
5. You can’t do it alone
Leadership is not a solo act. Winning
strategies are always based on a “we,” not
“I” philosophy.
How to Build, Lead and Sustain a High
Performance Team, John Spence
The Seven Lessons
6. The legacy you leave behind is the life
you lead
Leaders take every opportunity to show
others by their own example that they are
deeply committed to the aspirations that
they espouse. Leading by example is how
leaders make vision and values tangible. It
is how they provide evidence that they are
personally committed.
How to Build, Lead and Sustain a High
Performance Team, John Spence
The Seven Lessons
7. Leadership is everyone’s business.
There is a myth that assumes that when you
are on top you are automatically a leader.
This is simply not true. Leadership is
earned, not bestowed. It is not a title. It is
a responsibility.
How to Build, Lead and Sustain a High
Performance Team, John Spence
It’s Your Ship:
Building a team on USS Benfold
• Create a Climate of
Trust:
• Never pit dog against
dog
• Even the worst screwup
may be redeemable
• Welcome the bad news
messenger
• Protect your people from
lunatic bosses
It’s Your Ship:
Building a team on USS Benfold
• Create a Climate of
Trust:
“Trust is like a bank
account. You’ve got to
keep making deposits if
you want it to grow. On
occasion, things will go
wrong and you will have
to make a withdrawal.
Meanwhile, it is sitting in
the bank earning interest.”
It’s Your Ship:
Building a team on USS Benfold
• Look for results, not
salutes
• Help knock down the
barriers
• Let your crew feel free to
speak up
• Free your crew of topdownitis
• Nurture the freedom to
fail
• Innovation knows no
rank
• Challenge your crew
beyond its reach
It’s Your Ship:
Building a team on USS Benfold
“As captain, I was charged
with enforcing 225 years
of accumulated Navy
regulations, policies and
procedures. But every last
one of those rules was up
for negotiation whenever
my people came up with a
better way of doing
things.”
What breaks a team
• Bullies – one member speaks for all
• Lack of trust – inauthentic leadership
• Competing agendas – no buy-in, no
consensus
• Lack of communication – everyone is
talking at once…so no one’s listening
What builds up a team
• Encouragement – fostering new
ideas…soliciting input
• Shared values, shared vision – working
for toward a common goal
• Clear communication – using consistent
methods for keeping everyone informed
• Ownership – everyone on the team feels
connected and engaged
Questions?