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A question of Leadership
When RACI Turns Rancid: How Well-Intentioned Frameworks Become Roadblocks
Last night was my first visit back to the gym. Wow! My strength had gone backwards. Not just a little bit. A lot. The phrase 'use it or lose it' clanged in my ears throughout the workout as I struggled to get close to the levels I had achieved before the flu took me out.
I began to wonder about how investment in building and speed of loss applies to team growth and development. When targeting physical strength, we know the muscle groups to focus on and the set of exercises to do it. But what about leading teams?
How do you ensure your team is building the right muscles to deliver your strategy? What happens if a critical muscle atrophies?
Building team muscle: What getting the flu taught me about leading sustainable teams
Last night was my first visit back to the gym. Wow! My strength had gone backwards. Not just a little bit. A lot. The phrase 'use it or lose it' clanged in my ears throughout the workout as I struggled to get close to the levels I had achieved before the flu took me out.
I began to wonder about how investment in building and speed of loss applies to team growth and development. When targeting physical strength, we know the muscle groups to focus on and the set of exercises to do it. But what about leading teams?
How do you ensure your team is building the right muscles to deliver your strategy? What happens if a critical muscle atrophies?
How healthy is your team? Why does it matter?
How healthy is your team? Why should you care?
I'm not talking about their physical and mental fitness - although anyone who has spent more than 5 minutes with me knows how important I believe that to be. I'm talking about the health of the relationships - the cohesiveness and the effectiveness of their collaboration -- critical elements for a high-performing team.
According to McKinsey, "organisational health refers to how effectively leaders "run the place"—that is, how they make decisions, allocate resources, operate day to day, and lead their teams with the goal of delivering high performance, both near-term and over time." Their research suggests that health is the strongest predictor of value creation for organisations.
If you're a leader who is 'dialled in' to the vibe in your team, at any given time, you'll be able to identify some interactions that inform your view of team health. That's great! But how do you decide the criteria for 'healthy'? And, how do you measure it over time so that you can respond to changes?
Without clear criteria and measurements, you are flying blind. - which creates increased and avoidable risks such as talent haemorrhage and decreased innovation speed.