Leadership. Doing the Right Thing, Even When Nobody is Looking.
It is the small things you never would think anybody would see or notice that can have the greatest impact. We are all defined by our actions, but judged by our reactions!
Something struck me yesterday while watching the Dallas Cowboys play the Baltimore Ravens. Dak Prescott, the rookie sensation quarterback which over the season has led the team to a franchise record 9 straight wins, had just come off the field. He was sitting on the bench and finished drinking water from a paper cup. He went to discard the empty cup in a trash can sitting just a couple of feet behind him when his short toss missed the trash. (It is good for the team he can throw a football 50 yards more accurately).
I don’t know how many people, particularly with the egos and entitlement behaviors that are seemingly pervasive in all of pro sports and in society today, would have got up like Dak, go pick up his trash and throw it away. While it is a very unassuming act, it speaks volumes for the person and leader Dak Prescott is proving to be.
Leadership is the doing the right thing even when no one is looking. However, in this case, millions of people will see Dak lead both on the field and off now that the video has gone viral.
During this season of giving thanks, I for one, am thankful there are still role models like Dak we can point to that show us what true leadership really is.
The Power of the ELO Model - Reap What You Sow
Last week we highlighted the 2016 World Series Champions and how the Chicago Cubs created the right culture where the organization enabled player-led, leader supported performance, creating an atmosphere where everyone takes pride, ownership, and accountability in being a leader where they are.
Today we want to highlight how important it is to ensure all three key performance components, organization, leadership, and employees, are all properly aligned to the right performance, and delivered in the right way.
Wells Fargo, one of the largest financial institutions in the world, shook the trust of its customers as well as the entire industry. The fallout, as a result, will impact the future of Wells Fargo and the financial services industry forever. To date, Wells Fargo has agreed to 185 million dollars in settlements after admissions from bank employees that they created and operated over 2 million fictitious accounts so employees could meet aggressive sales targets and earn bonuses along the way. And that 185 million is only scratching the surface. It does not account for the loss in customers and the tarnished reputation and stigma that will be attached to the organization for a very long time.
So what do the troubles of Wells Fargo have to do with an employee-led, leader supported, organization enabled performance model? Everything! While the now former CEO of Wells Fargo sat before Congress attempting to explain and blame the employees of the organization for not living the values, it was the organization that enabled those actions and behaviors to run counter to the stated values, even encouraging them with aggressive performance goals, punitive performance management practices, and reward and compensation plans established to reward results seemingly at any cost!
During a period of very rapid growth and success from 2011 until early 2016, this aggressive cross selling culture was cultivated and supported by leadership. Leaders supported this high pressure sales culture by firing over 5300 employees for not meeting their sales targets. Unfortunately, employees at all levels trying to survive in this environment were driven (doesn’t make the actions right) to open up bogus accounts to meet performance expectations and reap financial rewards or, like 5300 of their co-workers, face termination.
Once again, we have a clear and powerful example of organization enabled, leader supported, employee-led performance, but this time the outcome is much different than the Chicago Cubs.
Watch what your organization is sowing because what you reap could be a World Series Championship or destroy the faith and trust of millions of people across the globe.
The Power of the ELO Model Realized
Over the last few weeks we have explored an employee-led, leader supported, organization enabled (ELO) performance model. Now let’s explore the tale of two organizations and the power behind an ELO performance based model.
We don’t have to go any further back than last week and to an organization that for the last 108 years suffered through one losing baseball season after another. The Chicago Cubs last won the coveted World Series back in 1908. But in 2016 they were looked at in the beginning of the year as a contender for the title and unlike past years they realized a century old dream. So what changed?
The Cubs owners and organization enabled the success. They first brought in Theo Epstein, a 42-year-old baseball executive, as President of Baseball Operations. Prior to the Cubs position, Epstein was youngest General Manager in baseball at the time and led the Boston Red Sox in 2004 to their first World Series title since 1918. So what Theo Epstein brought to the Cubs organization was inspiration, energy and a long-term vision of player and organization development. He inherited a team in 2011 with a record of 71-91 and would bottom out in 2012 with a 61-101 losing record and would finish last in the following two seasons. Then in 2015 his vision started coming together and the goal was realized in 2016. But the Cubs organization enabled a feeling of hope again in the team and the city of Chicago by his hiring.
Theo began a massive rebuild of the organization bringing in a mix of experienced talent with young prospects and a new manager in Joe Maddon with the leadership style and experience required to support a turnaround and a team built like this. Joe Maddon doesn’t manage his players, he supports them. He creates an environment where players stay loose and feel empowered. If something had to be said, he would say it, but as he has been quoted “I’d much rather the peers carry my message” and that leadership style and confidence in his team paid off in game seven when everything was on the line and seemed to be falling apart and the game getting away from them. With only four outs standing between them and winning the World Series, the Cubs let a three-run lead disappear. A miscalculation by Maddon on the capability of the relief pitchers to throw so many pitches the night before and come back in the final game as strong was catching up to him.
After the ninth inning ended and heading into extra innings the skies opened up and the tarps came out on the field and the teams retreated to their clubhouses. Maddon said he walked into the clubhouse and saw his team having a meeting. He went upstairs to check on the weather. The meeting was led by a veteran player, Jason Heyward. That meeting, according to many of the players, is what changed Cubs history. Management didn’t need to call the meeting; it was player (employee) led. In fact, as a manager that supports and doesn’t manage often, Maddon said “I hate meetings, I am not a meetings guy. I love when players have meetings, I hate when I do. So they had their meeting and the big part of it was, we don’t quit. We don’t quit.”
You can attribute what you want to that meeting, but the Cubs came out of the rain delay and put up two runs in the 10th to give them what turned out to be their margin of victory to claim the 2016 World Series trophy.
Now with an organization that enables success by providing clarity, alignment and the resources to win, a manager that supports and develops the leader in every player, and with players embracing and thriving as leaders, the Chicago Cubs have an opportunity to be good for a very long time.
The Chicago Cubs, 2016 World Series Champions, the power of the ELO model.
Next week the power of the ELO but with a completely different outcome.
The Dove Hunt That Changed Everything! #Leadership #GoalSetting #WisdomWednesday #CornerstoneLearning
Only three years into my career as an account executive for FedEx, I had one of life’s simple but defining moments for me. I had just moved into a new house with my wife and two kids under the age of 5. I felt like I had everything under control and headed in the right direction. And then came the dove hunt invite that changed everything.
While I am not a big hunter, I did appreciate the invite from guys in the new neighborhood just trying to get to know one another. It was going to be a day trip about 2 hours away. The cost was $12.00 to hunt on the lease and the cost of shotgun shells. While preparing for the trip I let the family know I was going to be gone on that Saturday but back that night and then the question came..."Does it cost anything?" I said, “Yes, but not much, just $12.00 and some ammunition.” I was completely shocked by the response. “While I would love for you to go, unfortunately we don’t have $12.00 for you to go”! I had just had a bombshell dropped on me that I was not prepared for and I had to reevaluate everything.
I work hard, we didn’t spen extravagantly, and a small opportunity to enjoy life I couldn’t do. I was always told and heard motivational speakers all the time say you have to have goals if you are truly going to gain things you want or need in life. That very meaningless event, when you look at the scope and complexity of life, did have a profound impact on me.
Rather than going hunting, I sat down that Saturday and started to write down goals, both personally and professionally. I started with a list of things I wanted to do and needed to do but that required clarity and a focus to achieve. Things like, I wanted to become a District Sales Manager in 3 years. It is simply amazing how the law of attraction and achievement starts to take over when you commit to certain goals.
You know, it may have just been pure coincidence or luck but within 45 days after sitting down that Saturday I was chosen, after an extensive internal interview process, to move to Memphis, Tennessee, the corporate headquarters for FedEx and become 1 of 5 Sales Training Facilitators, a 24 month program used to develop the future sales managers in the organization.
Not only did I achieve my goal of becoming a District Sales Manager in 18 months, I also found a love and passion for training and developing others that led me to co-found, with my manager at the time, David Cottrell, Cornerstone Leadership. That was now over 20 years ago.
I challenge you, take 30 minutes today listing out what you what to accomplish. You just never know where this simple act might take you. I can assure you of one thing; If you don’t ever set goals, you will never achieve them. Next week I will give you a simple and easy framework to set your goals.
Have a great week!
- Ken
Leadership Development Without Getting Dressed Up! #MondayMorningLeadership #Leadership #WorkInYourPajamas #Learning
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