“Great Teams: 16 Things High-Performing Organizations Do Differently” by Don Yaeger (W Publishing Company, $24.99).In Yaeger’s years at Sports Illustrated, he’s covered teams in a variety of sports. His discussions with team owners, executives, coaches and players found that great teams are built to last because of their organizational culture. His “16 Things” revolve around […]
Get Instant Access to This Article
Subscribe to Hartford Business Journal and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
- Critical Hartford and Connecticut business news updated daily.
- Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website.
- Bi-weekly print or digital editions of our award-winning publication.
- Special bonus issues like the Hartford Book of Lists.
- Exclusive ticket prize draws for our in-person events.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
“Great Teams: 16 Things High-Performing Organizations Do Differently” by Don Yaeger (W Publishing Company, $24.99).
In Yaeger's years at Sports Illustrated, he's covered teams in a variety of sports. His discussions with team owners, executives, coaches and players found that great teams are built to last because of their organizational culture. His “16 Things” revolve around his definition of T.E.AM.:
“Targeting Purpose” — In the people-first T.E.A.M. culture, employees throughout the organization understand the “why” of their roles — and that everyone (not just the stars) must do their jobs well to produce continued success. The culture must constantly remind people of the importance of their contributions. When people recognize their work has ongoing self and extrinsic value, they own their jobs, and know that individual achievement ties to organizational success.
“Effective Management” — Management must think “synchronicity.” Selling the vision of what can be accomplished heads the list of management's tasks. Setting standards and getting to know people and how to maximize their abilities follows. Management must also create leaders (i.e. those who “think forward”) because things always change.
“Activating Efficiency” — When people are on the same page, they know how to best use their skills and perspectives to complement one another. Collaboration thrives as they connect each other's dots. This creates “collective direction.” With the direction at the forefront, teammates self-manage the processes needed to produce the outcome. Mentoring becomes an important aspect of direction, too. Often, individuals grow tired of hearing the same “voice”; teammates provide a choir of synched voices.
“Mutual Direction” — While “collective direction” established the destination, “mutual direction” charts the course and makes adjustments by looking beyond what they know. Great teams analyze internal processes through benchmarking and industry comparisons. This allows them to play to their strengths while addressing their weaknesses. They also develop a knack for identifying information gaps and filling them.
To assess your team's “grit and glue,” as well as the synchronicity of your management style, check out teams.donyaeger.com.
• • •
“Innovation Judo: Disarming Roadblocks and Blockheads on the Path to Creativity” by Neal Thornberry (Evolve Publishing, $19.95).
Large businesses don't start large. They start with an entrepreneur filled with original ideas (i.e. new, better, different, faster). As the business grows, it adds layers of employees, management, silos, procedures, red tape, congruent thinking — and, with respect to innovative ideas to spur growth, “corporate constipation.” No one challenges the status quo because they don't believe anyone wants to listen.
For those who want to get them to listen, Thornberry looks to the principles of judo [seiryoku zen'yo (maximum efficiency, minimum effort) and jita kyoei (mutual welfare and benefit) and the concept of ju yoku go o seisu (softness controls hardness)]. His seven principles start and end with “preparation.”
What does it mean to be prepared? Your idea may be great to you but it may not look great to others. You have to flesh it out and find ways to sell its benefits (e.g. creates value for the firm and its customers, defensible, scalable, etc.) to others. There's no “one-size-fits-all” approach to selling it because others have different perspectives and hot/cold buttons. Part of your homework involves learning about how to frame your idea to the individuals whom you need to get onboard.
That framing requires some semantic antics. Instead of saying you have an idea, open with “I believe there's an opportunity for us to … .” This shows the other two things: 1. You've done your homework; and, 2. You value and appreciate their input.
The “Innovation Landscape Survey” in Appendix A and the “Opportunity Template” in Appendix B will help you craft your game plan. n
Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer.
