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One of the most important leadership lessons (based on a true story told to me by a mentor):
A team of three executives of a privately owned company were not seeing eye to eye on a variety of important company matters.
(A thread)
A team of three executives of a privately owned company were not seeing eye to eye on a variety of important company matters.
(A thread)
They decided to hire a coach to help them resolve their differences.
The coach asked each executive only one question: Why are you with the company?
Executive 1: I’m here because it keeps me busy. I was tired of my retirement.
The coach asked each executive only one question: Why are you with the company?
Executive 1: I’m here because it keeps me busy. I was tired of my retirement.
Executive 2: I’m here because it represents the fastest way to make as much money as I can, as quickly as I can.
Executive 3: I’m here because our company represents the best way for me to make the world a better place.
Executive 3: I’m here because our company represents the best way for me to make the world a better place.
The coach asked no further questions and diagnosed the team with irreconcilable differences and recommended that they sell the company. Because the three were motivated by fundamentally different things—there would be no way to get the team rowing in the same direction.
I think about this story a lot.
The moral of the story: teams must be composed of diverse talents, skills, and capabilities—but must be defined by common, shared motivations.
The moral of the story: teams must be composed of diverse talents, skills, and capabilities—but must be defined by common, shared motivations.
If your motivations with your teammates aren’t aligned, you will never achieve your full potential.
