the leadership playbook -...

OTHERBOOKSBYNATHANJAMAIL

TheSalesLeadersPlaybookTheSalesProfessionals

PlaybookTheSalesLeadersGamePlan

GOTHAMBOOKSPublishedbythePenguinGroupPenguinGroup(USA)LLC375HudsonStreetNewYork,NewYork10014

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Tomyson,Anthony,whocan’tbelievethat

companiesactuallypaymeformyadvice;hehasbeengettingmyadviceforthepasteightyearsandcan’tpaymeenoughtostop.

Andtomythreeprincesses:Nyla,whoiselevengoingonthirtyandisalways

takingcareofhermomandlittlesisters,andPaigeand

Savannah,whodon’treallyunderstandwhatDaddoes,andwhentheyareoldenoughtorealizestill

probablywon’tunderstandwhatDaddoes.

ItalkaboutyouallineveryspeechIgive,becauseyouaremyeverything.Ilove

youverymuch.

CONTENTS

Other Books by NathanJamail

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

First Pitch

PART ONE:Understand thePrinciples ofCoachingThe Five CrucialDifferences BetweenManaging andCoaching

PART TWO: Be aCoachCHAPTER 1Mandate Skill Practice andPlayer Development

CHAPTER 2Give Game Balls and MVPs: Recognize Teams andIndividuals

CHAPTER 3Have Quarterly Game Plansand Peer Presentations

CHAPTER 4Set Logical, Not Realistic,Goals

CHAPTER 5Take Responsibility forMotivation and Morale

CHAPTER 6“Build Your Bench”: Recruit theBest Players

CHAPTER 7Make Tough Decisions

CHAPTER 8Treat the Victim Disease

CHAPTER 9Avoid the Biggest ManagementTraps

PART THREE:Create a CoachingCultureCHAPTER 10The Desire to Win

CHAPTER 11A Culture of Accountability

CHAPTER 12Get on the Field

Post-Game Wrap-Up

Acknowledgments

MFIRST PITCH

yson’sLittleLeagueteamlostitsfirstgame

sobadthattheumpirescalledthegameunderthe“mercyrule.”Thisrule,alsoknownasthe“slaughterrule,”isinvokedwhenoneteamhasaninsurmountablelead;itprotectstheemotional

stabilityofthechildren,parents,andcoachoftheteamgettingskunked.

Iwasthecoach.Thesecondgame,wegot

acoupleofrunsbutstilllost.Wewonthethirdgame.Afterourwin,Igotthekidstogetheroutsidethedugout.Withtheirparentslookingon,Iaskedthemiftheyfeltbetterthisweekwhenwewonthanthepreviousweekswhenwe

lost.Theyallsaidyes.“See,itdoesmatterifyouwinorlose,”Itoldthem.

Insports,winningandlosingmatters.Itmatters.Itdoesn’tmatterifyouaredealingwithkidsorcolleagues:Noteam,period,cangoontoafieldexpectingtolosethegame.Anditisacoach’sjobtoinstillthismind-setintheteam—amind-setthatmakestheteam

believeitcanwineverygameandthusplayeverygametowin.ButasItoldmyLittleLeaguekids,“Winningisnotjustaboutresults”;theirdesiretowinasateamwasmuchmoreimportantthantheresultofthegame.Afterall,sometimesteamswinjustforshowingup,andloseeventhoughtheydoeverythingright.Theimportantthingistohaveawinningattitude—

tolosewithconfidenceandwinwithmodesty.

EverythingIsaidtomyson’sLittleLeagueteamhastheessentialingredientsforsuccessforanycoach:

Makingtheteammembersbelievein

themselvesMandatingthattheentireteamworktogetherPushingtheteamtoachievesuccessEncouraging

awinningattitudeCreatingateamculturethatsupportsallthesethings

Thinkaboutit:Thepeoplewhohelpedmakeyou

successfulinsports,school,oranypartofyourlifethatrequiredyourbestperformanceweretheoneswhoconstantlychallengedyou,inspiredyou,droveyou,anddidn’ttakelessthanthebestyoucouldbe—andtheywererighttodoso.Ourgoalasbusinessleadersshouldbetodothesamewithourpeople.Butmosttimes,wejustdon’t.

That’sbecausemostbusinessesdon’thavecoachingculturesandleaderswhoarecoaches;theyhavemanagementculturesandleaderswhoaremanagers.Coachescannotthriveinmanagementculturesthatexpectitsleaderstopayattentiontoindividualsmorethantotheteam,handleproblemsreactively,focusonreformingthepoorest

performers,avoidconflict,andmostlyjuststepbackandletpeopledotheirjobs.Acoachingcultureexpectstheexactoppositeofitsleaders:tobelievetheteamismoreimportantthantheresultsofanindividual,getinvolvedbeforeactionisneeded,focusonthetopperformerswhodeservetheirattention,embraceconflict,andalwaysgetonthefieldandpractice

withtheteam.Thesearethemissing

elementsinbusinessandbusinessleadershiptoday:culturesthatsupportatransformationofmanagersintocoachesandhelpthemdeveloptheskillstodoso.WhatifItoldmyLittleLeagueboystoworkasateamandplaywithawinningattitudebutdidn’tpracticeduringtheweekor

scrimmagegamesituations?Wemightneverhavewonagame.It’snotenoughtotalkaboutit.Thesameistrueinbusiness:Wecan’tsimplysaywewantourleaderstocoachtheirteams;weneedtoshowthemhowtobecoaches.Butfortoolong,thebusinessworldhaslackedaclearandeffectiveinstructionontheskills,disciplines,andexecutabletasksnecessaryto

turnleadersintocoaches.That’snodifferentfromsaying,“Iwantmyaccountanttobeanengineer,butI’mnotgoingtoteachherhowtobecomeone.”Thisiswhythefirstpartsofmybookfocusonunderstandingthedifferencesbetweenmanagingandcoachingandthendevelopingthefundamentalskills—frompracticingtomakingtough

decisionstomotivation—thatleadersneedtocreateandcoachdynamic,motivated,high-functioningteams.OnceIcoverthoseskills,thelastpartofthebookshowsleaderswhattheyneedtodotochangethecultureoftheirdepartmentorbusinessforsupportingandsustainingtheirtransformationfrommanagertocoach.

Soundsgreat,right?So

whyaren’ttheremorecoachesandcoachingculturesinbusiness?Isitjusttheabsenceofabooklikethis?No.It’sbecausecoachingishard.Coachingdoesn’tjusthappen.Coachingtakestimeandconstantefforttomakeitthecoreofabusiness’sleadershipprinciples.Coachingdoesnotworkifitisoptional.Theselessons

mustbeimplementedandmademandatory.Wecan’tsimplytryandfitcoachingintoourdays.Itneverfits.Considerthefirstcoachingactivitieswewillcoverinthisbook:practicingandscrimmaging.Professionalbusinessteams,unlikeanyprofessionalsportsteams,rarelypractice.Why?It’snotbecausewedon’tknowthatpracticeisessentialtoa

team’ssuccess.Butpracticingtakestimetosetupandweeksandmonthsofconstantworktoachievegreatresults.Howcanwepossiblysqueezeitintoalistalreadyoverflowingwithhigh-prioritytasks?There’sjustnotime!Buteveryonesaysthat.Wemaybebusy,butarewebeingproductive?

Coachingmakesusproductive,butthat

productivitycanbehardtowaitforwhenwealwaysfeelweneedsomeresultsnow,now,NOW!That’sanotherbigobstacletocreatingcoachesandcoachingcultures:Thereislittleinstantgratificationincoaching.Gratificationcomesinachievingbetterresultsmonthsdowntheroad.WhenIshowbusinessleadershowtopracticeandscrimmage,

theyneverleavetheroomsaying,“Genius!”Butwhiletheoverallresultstaketime,thechangeintheteam’smoralejustfrompayingattentiontothemandinstillingawinningattitudehappensmuch,muchfaster.

Truthis,there’sabiggerreasonweresistthechangesneededtoturnmanagersintocoaches:We’reafraidofwhatwemightfind.We’rescared

thatwhenwebegintocoachourpeople,wewillfindoutthatthosepeoplearenotasgoodaswethought.Thatdoesn’tonlymakeusscared,itmakesusselfish.Wedon’twanttodealwithandtakeresponsibilityforalltheinevitableworkandconflictthatcomesfromthischange.Nobodylikesmakingthetoughdecisionscoachesneedtomaketomovepeopleupor

outoftheorganization.Instead,wesaythingslike“IfIhavetogetridofthatguy,IwillhavetoconfronthimdirectlyandthendoallhisworkwhileIworktoreplacehim,andIdon’twanttodoit.”It’smucheasiertoignoretheproblemandhopeitgoesaway.Yetitneverdoes.

AndIknowthisnotbecauseIwritebooksaboutit,butbecauseIhavelivedit

myself.IlearnedallIknowaboutcoachingasaneverydaybusinessperson,probablyjustlikeyou.Beforestartingmyownsmallbusinessesandbecomingaconsultantfordozensoflargeandsmallcompaniesnationwide,IspentmorethantwodecadesleadingteamsincorporateAmericaandwasanexecutivesalesdirectorforaFortune500company.I

haveseenthesameleadershipproblemstoptobottomineveryoneofthem.

I’mthelastperson,however,whowillsayallthisknowledgeandexperiencemakesmesmarterthananyoneelse.IwasaC-student,soI’mnotalwaysthesharpesttoolintheshed.Ican’tpickoutmyownclothes,hairstyle,orfurniture.Yetnoneofthathas

anyeffectonwhetherI—oranyone—canbeagoodcoach.Coaches,insportsandbusiness,oftendonothave(orneverhad)theskillsoftheirbest“players.”CoachinghaslittletodowithGod-giventalent,andpastperformanceisnoindicatorofwhethersomeonecanbeaneffectiveleader,letaloneagreatcoach.Thisiswhyitistherarestarathleteor

Coachinghas todo withbeliefmorethanbrilliance,

smartestpersonintheroomwhobecomesorevenwantstobecomeacoach.

Tobecomeacoachmeanschallengingeverythingyouthinkanddoasaleadertoday.Andthat’swhatIwantthisbook

andwithattitudeasmuchasaptitude.

todo.Iwanttocontradicttheprinciplesofmanagementculturesyouhavebeenhearingandusingforyearsandconfrontthethingsyouhavedoneinthepastandbelievetoberight.WhatIdon’twant

todoismakethewordshardtofollow.Thefactis,Ihavealotofhalf-readbusinessbooksonmybookshelfwrittenbypeoplewhohavenoideawhatmy“world”islike.Iwantedtowritealeadershipbookthatpeoplelikememightactuallyfinishandfeelthat—finally—thereisabookthatspeaks“our”language.

Todothis,Iwrotethe

booksimilartothewayIspeakfromthestage,approachingconceptsfromdifferentanglesandwithdifferentpurposes.Ithenrepeatthecoreideasforreinforcementsothereisnoneedtomemorizethemasyouread.Inaddition,youwillnotfindalotofinternationalresearchorglobaltheoriesinthisbook.Ileavethosetothewonksand

scholars.Instead,Iusereal-lifeexamplesfrommybusinessesandfamily,thecompaniesIworkedfor,andtheleadersandorganizationsIcoach.Asyouprobablyguessed,Ialsousealotofsportsanalogies,butIdon’tusethembecauseIamanathleteortomakethisa“man’sbook.”IusesportsanalogiesbecauseIrunmybusinesseslikewinning

sportsteamsinwhichskilldevelopmentandeffectivecoachingmakestheteambetter.Theprinciplesandactivitiesarethesame—femaleormale—andaredescribedinsimpleXandOdiagramsatthestartofeachchaptersoyoucanseethe“play”coming.

Beforewegetstartedwithyourleadershiptransformation,letmegive

youonelastthought.Mostofushaveheardthephrase“workonyourbusinessinsteadofinyourbusiness,”butIwanttogiveyouacoachingtwistonit:Workonyourpeople,notforyourpeople.That’sabigkeytothisbook’sworkingforyou.Iwillshowyouthekeycoachingactivitiesandculturalrules,butmysharingthemwillnotbeenoughif

youwanttocontinuethetransformationofindividualsandoverallculturetoawinning,top-performingteam.Regardlessoftheirtitle,department,company,orindustry,Ibelieveleadersarepaidtopayattentionto,develop,andmotivatetheirpeopleandteamstoperformbetter.Workingwithadiversegroupofclients,notonlyinsalesdepartmentsbut

alsoinengineeringandoperations,hastaughtmethatthecoachingprinciplesItalkedaboutinmyfirstbook,TheSalesLeadersPlaybook,areuniversallyapplicableandgomuchdeeperthanIimagined.Sure,companiescanbesuccessfulandhavefunctionalcultureswithleaderswhoarenotcoaches,butthebestteamsarethosethatarecoached—not

managed,coached—whichiswhythisbookstartswithcoveringthedifferencesbetweenthetwo.

Enoughofthisalready—let’splayball!

PARTONEUnderstand thePrinciples ofCoaching

THE FIVECRUCIALDIFFERENCESBETWEENMANAGINGANDCOACHINGStop thinking like a

manager and startthinking like a coach.

wastalkingtomydad,who

isalsoabusinesspartnerofmine,aboutanemployeeatoneofourdrycleaners.Shehadabadattitude.

“Whatdoyouplantodoabouther?”Iasked.

“Nothingreally,”hesaid,“becauseweneedhertorunthestore.Sheknowsthebusinessbetterthantheothers.”

“Soifshequittomorrow,wouldweshutdownthe

store?”Mydadchuckledand

said,“Heck,no.”Hethenmentionedthatwhenshecalled,hecringedatseeinghernumber.Hedidn’tlikegoingtovisitthestorewhenshewastherebecauseitwassucha“beatdown”(that’sTexanfor“misery”).

“Dad,ifyoucan’tstandthispersonbecauseshehasabadattitude,andyouarethe

Mostcompanieshaveleaderswhoaremanagers

boss,imaginewhathercoworkersthinkor,evenworse,ourclients.”

Liketoomanybusinessownersandleaders,mydadwasavoidingdealingwiththispersonforallthewrongreasons.He

inmanagementcultures.

saidhehadtalkedtoheraboutherattitudeandhadevenwrittenherupforit.Whathereallyneededtodowasdealwithheronceandforall,buthenevertookthatfinalstepbecausehestillbelievedheneededher.Iencouragedhimtohaveonelastmeetingwithhertomake

herimmediatelychangeherattitudeorknowwewouldimmediatelytakethestepstoterminateher.Hefinallydid,andtheemployeedecidedshewouldbeabetterfitoutsidetheorganization.Didthestorecloseassheleft,takingallourdrycleanerexperiencewithher?Ofcoursenot.Thestorestayedopen,myfatherputinplaceanewmanagerwiththerightattitude,and

businessimproved—bothoutsideandinside.Infact,severalemployeesandclientscametomyfathersoonafterandsaid,“Finally!Whattookyousolong?”

Innotdealingwiththisbademployee,myfather,likesomanybusinessleaders,violatedtwoofthefiveessentialcoachingprinciplesthatdemonstratetwoofthecrucialdifferencesbetween

managingandcoaching:Noindividualismoreimportantthantheteam,andneveravoidconflict.Thenagain,mostbusinessesandtheirleaders,especiallywhenthingsaren’tgoingpoorly,don’tdealwithproblemsliketheseoranyothersthatmaylurkbelowthesurface.Theexpression“highwatercoversallrocks”comestomind.Butwhenthingsgetrough—when

thewaterrecedesandtherocksappear—mostleadershavelittleideahowtoacteffectively,pulltheirpeopletogether,andcoachthemasateamtoperformbetter.Theyworkinmanagementcultureswhereleadingmeanssteppingbackandlettingpeopledotheirjobs,forbetterorworse.Noneedtorocktheboatnow.Itwillbehightideagainsoon,right?Maybenot.

MostcompaniesNEEDleaderswhoarecoachesincoachingcultures.

ThisisamajorreasonIcallthemanagement-culturementalityfundamentallycorrupt.Hiregoodpeopleandletthemdotheirjobs?That’salinehandeddown

fromoutdatedbusinessbooksmorethanagenerationold.Leaderstodayneedtogetinvolvedandcoachtheirteamstosuccess,ratherthanmanagethemtomediocrity.Today’sbusinessisn’tsomuchabouttoday’seconomyasitisabouttoday’sleadership:Whoistakingresponsibilitytoactuallylead?Technologyandthe

competitionmovefasterthaneverbefore,andleadersneedtoimplementasystemforimprovementandchallengetheirteamstocompeteatthespeedofbusinesstoday.Simplymanagingpeopleandrelyingonthemtodevelopthemselvesisnotenoughanymore.I’mnotsayingthosemanagementcultureswerewrongforyesterday’sbusinessorthattheycan’t

worktoday;theyjustdon’tgiveleadersthebestchancetosucceedthewaycoachingculturesdo.Yetmostleadersdon’tunderstandwhatitmeanstocoach,thedifferencesbetweenmanagingandcoaching,orbeforeallthat,whatitmeanstobeagreatleader.

Greatleadersaren’tnecessarilygreatcoaches,butgreatcoachesaregreat

leaders.

Characteristics ofGreat Leaders

Greatleadersareethical,compassionate,andhumble.Theyaregreatstudentsandconstantlystrivetolearnmore.Theyareempatheticbutnotsympathetic,show

resolveinthetoughesttimes,andbelievetheycangetsomethingoutofeverybody,neverdismissinganyoneoutright.Greatleadersarestronganddecisivewithoutbeingarrogant.Theyneverusefeartomaketheteamfallinline,orusebravadotocompensateforafearofbeingvulnerable.Instead,theyusevulnerabilityandhumilitytogainrespectwhile

stillexudingconfidence.Greatleadersalways

believeinthemselvesandtheirteams—that’showtheygettheteams’individualmemberstosacrificeforthegoodofthoseteams.Theteamsknowtheseleadersmakethembetterandthusstrivetopleasethem.Asaresult,greatleadershavealoyal—evenblind—followership.Inshort,their

teamsloveandtrustthemandtheirvision.Buttheabilitytocreateavisionalonedoesnotmakeagreatleader—theabilitytohaveit,communicateit,andgetpeopletoactonitdoes.Whencompanieswantpeopletocommunicatetheirvisionsormissions,theyputthemoncards,coffeemugs,posters,andnewsletters.Greatleadersknowthatstuffgoesonlyso

Coachingdoesn’t

far.Theyknowtheymustgettheirteamstodomorethanreadthosewords.Theymustgetthemtobelieveinthosewordsandmakethempartoftheteam’severydayvocabularywithouteverthinkingaboutit.

GreatLeaders

changewho weare asleaders;itchangeswhatwe do.

versusGreatCoaches

Thedifferencesbetweengreatleadersandgreatleaderswhoarecoacheslieintheiractivitiesandactions.Leaderswhodon’t

dotheproactiveactivitiesandactionsofcoachingcoveredinPartTwoofthisbookarenotcoaches.Leaderswhochoosetositbackanddeveloptheirpeoplethroughreactivemanagementactivitiesdesignedtomaintainthestatusquoarenotcoaching.Theymayhavethepotentialtobeacoachbutnotiftheycontinuetositback,refusetogetmore

deeplyandproactivelyinvolvedwiththeirpeople,andsaythingslike“Myemployeesdon’twantmetellingthemhowtodotheirjob,andIdon’twanttodothat!”Unfortunately,thislineisjustoneoftheexcusesleadersmakefornottakingthetimetocoach.

Fortherecord,leaderswhoarecoachesaremoreengagedwiththeirteams,but

theyarenotalwaysintheiremployees’faces,gettinginthewayforthesakeofgettinginvolvedandmicromanagingeverythingallthetime(althoughmicromanagingisacoachingtoolandcanbeapproachedpositively,aswewillseelateron).Coachesjustdon’tfearinvolvementastheymakesureemployeesdoingtheir“thing”arealignedwiththe

team’s“thing.”Yetunderstandingthisandsayingyou’rereadytolearnandimplementtheskillsnecessarytocoachwon’tmeanmuchifyoudon’tunderstandthedifferencesbetweenmanagingandcoaching.Turningmanagersintocoachesbeginsnotwithactionandactivitiesbutwithacceptingthefundamentaldifferencesbetween

managingandcoaching.

TheFiveCrucialWays

ManagingDiffersfrom

Coaching

1. Beliefintheteam:Coachesbelieveinateamcultureandtheneed

tobeconnectedtothatteamconstantlysoeveryoneperformsbetter.Managersfocus

onindividualsandthendisconnecttoletthem“justdotheirjobs.”

2. Conflict

management:Coachesmakeuseofconflicttomoveteammembersupinthe

organizationorout.Managerstrytoavoidconflict.

3. Involvement:Coachesgetinvolvedbefore

actionisneeded(topreventproblemsfromdeveloping).Managersreactandgetinvolved

onlywhentheyareneeded(whenthereisaproblemandoftentoo

late).4. Employee

focus:Coachesfocusontopperformers(thosewhodeserveattention).Managers

focusonpoorperformers(thosewhoneedattention).

5. Teambuilding:Coachesarealways

practicingandscrimmagingtomaketheirteamsbetter.Managersrarelypractice.

Nowlet’stranslatethesedifferencesintothefiveessentialprinciplesofcoachingeverycoachmustfollow.

TheFiveEssentialPrinciples

ofCoaching

1. Maketheteammoreimportantthananyindividual.

2. Don’t

avoidconflict—useit!

3. Actbeforearesponseisneeded.

4. Payattention

totopperformersandfocusonmakingmoreofthem.

5. MandateEVERYBODYto

practice.

EveryoneoftheseprinciplesinformsthecoachingactivitychaptersinPartTwoofthisbook.Skillpractice,makingtoughdecisions,rewardsandrecognitions,buildingyourbench,gameplans,setting

goals,peerpresentations...allofthemrequirecoachestoappreciatetheimportanceoftheseprinciples.Solet’stakethetimetodiscusstheminalittlemoredepth,especiallythefirstone,whichwillbethebiggestshockformostleaderswhoaremanagers.

Coaching Principle

#1Make the team moreimportant than anyindividual

Thinkaboutthosestarathleteswhowereoraregreatplayersbuthavebadattitudesthatalienatetheirteammates,coaches,owners,andfans.Theirtalentmaybeundeniable,butsoistheirunlikability.Theyput

themselvesaboveeveryone,anddespiteputtingupsomebignumbersandoccasionallyplayinginchampionshipgames,theyrarelyleadtheirteamstotheultimatevictory.Mostoftheseplayers,despitetheirGod-giventalentandgaudystats,eventuallydestroytheteam’schemistry,andunlessboundbyalong-termcontracttheirteamsnowregret,thoseteamsrelease

them,againandagain.Sure,theyusuallysignsomewhereelse.Otherteamsandcoachestrytoworkwiththem,thinkingtheresultstheygeneratemayoffsetanypersonalproblems.Maybetheseplayersmature.Maybetheyfindthecoacheswhocanturnthemaround.Butusuallythoseplayersaren’taboutcontributingtothesuccessofanyonebuthimselforherself

andareeventuallyletgoagain.

Inbusiness,wehavethesamesuperstarswithgoodresultsandbadattitudes.Problemis,wedon’tusuallyfirepeoplelikethatorevenconfrontthem;weleavethemalone.Evenwhentheirresultsdeclineabit.Evenwhentheteamcan’tstandthem.Evenwhenwecan’tstandthem.Weisolatethemsotheycan

“dotheirjob”andnotannoytheteam.Weeffectivelysaytothem,“Hey,youdon’tplayverywellwithothers,butyoumakememoney,soI’mgoingtoletyoudoyourthing,keepyouawayfromtheteam,andnotpushyoutodoanythingoutsideyourcomfortzone.Carryon!”Alotoftimes,weactuallytrytogivethesepeoplemoreresponsibilityasa“reward.”

That’slikerewardinganirresponsiblechild:Mykidkeepsslackingonhisresponsibilities,soI’mgoingtoteachhimhowtoberesponsiblebylettinghimbabysithislittlesister.Notagoodplan.

Theseemployees,likethoseproblemstarathletes,needtobecoacheduporcoachedoutforthegoodoftheteamregardlessoftheir

individualresults.I’mnotsayingthoseresultsarenotimportant.I’msayingtheexactopposite.Resultsaresoimportantthattothinkthatonepersonwithabadattitudeistheonlyonewhocanachievethoseresults,thatthoseresultscannotbebetter,andthatthoseresultsarecontributedinacompletelypositivemannerisamistake.

Askyourselfthis

question:Isthispersonwiththebadattitudereallygeneratingtheresultsthatheorshecouldbegeneratingorareyouacceptingthemsoyoudon’thavetodealwithhimorher?Leadersmaythinktheyarehelpingpeoplewithbadattitudesbybeing“nice”andnotfiringthem.Butwe’reactuallybeingself-serving;wehaveauthoritytoactbut

don’twanttotaketheriskoflosingtherevenuestreamortheperceivedsuccess.We’realsobeingcrueltoeveryoneelseontheteambymakingthemsufferfortheresultsofoneindividual.Heck,wedon’tlikethem;imaginewhateveryoneelsethinks.

Howmuchhaveweactuallylookedintotheresultsofthosegoodperformerswiththebad

attitudes?Weassumethatbecausepeoplegenerateproductiveresults,itisbecauseofsomethingonlytheycando.Thus,weassumetheyarevaluable.Butweusuallydon’tknowforsure.Wesee10percentgrowthandthink,Great!butneverconsiderthatreplacingthepersonmightgenerateevenmoregrowth.Often,itturnsout,theyareproductivein

spiteofthemselves.Maybeitistheterritorytheycover,thedemandfortheproductorservicetheyworkon,thekindofprojectstheygetassigned,aparticularwhaleofaclient,oraresponsibilitythatissogreatthattheytakecreditforitbecausetheyhavetheclosestconnection.Andareweevenconsideringhowthispersonaffectstheteam?Aretheycausingotherpeople

It is theresultsthatmatter—theresults

ontheteamtoperformless?Itisnotjustaboutresultsbuttheenergythatyouandtheteamfeelfromthem.

Knowingthis,whydoleaderskeeppeoplewithbadattitudessimplybecauseoftheresults?Lazinessisa

of theteam.

bigfactor;ittakesworktodealwiththesepeople.Butabigpartofitisfearoftheconflictthatcomesfrommakingthesetoughdecisions(aswewillseeinthenextprincipleinthischapter).Itisalsofearofwhatwillhappenwhenthesepeopleleave:HowwillIreplacethoseresults?(The

answerisinChapter6:“BuildYourBench.”)WhatifImakeamistakeandtheyareasgoodasIthink?Buttheyneverare.

We’llcoverthisinmoredepthlater,butfornowknow—andIhavenotfoundanyonetodisputemeonthis—Ihaveneverseenapersonwithabadattitudeandgoodresultsleaveacompanyandtheoverallresultssufferlong-

term.Infact,whenacompanylosesthatperson,theoverallresults,productivity,andeffectivenessoftheteamusuallyincreaselong-term.IalwaystellprospectiveclientsthatIbelieveoneofthegreatestmistakesabusinesscanmakeistobaseashort-termdecisiononalong-termneedordesire.Inmostcases,thefearofthelossismuch

greaterthantheactualloss.Ihadthishappenwitha

Fortune100technologyclientwhosevicepresidentofengineerswasnotniceandwasalwaysnegative.Hequestionedandbuckedeverychangehisbossesaskedhimtoimplement.Whenaskedtodopeerreviews,herefused.Whentheybroughtmeintotalktohimaboutcoaching,hesaid,“Myemployeesdon’t

needcoaching.Theyareengineersandjustneedtodotheirjobs.”AstheVPresistedcoachingagainandagain,Itoldmyclientthatheshouldbeginlookingfortheman’sreplacement.Heagreedbutwastooafraidtotakeaction.“Nathan,youdon’tunderstand,”hesaid.“He’srespectedinthecommunityandtheindustry.Heactuallywriteslawsfor

ourindustry.Hetestifiestolocalgovernmentsonwhatshouldandshouldnotbearegulationinourindustry.He’sinvaluable.”

Buthewasn’tinvaluable.Hewasjustsomeonewithabadattitude.Hewastheonlyonetootinghishorn.Iaskedmyclientiftheyhadactuallyseenhimwritethoselawsorhadspokentothepeoplehetestifiedfor.Washemaking

hiscontributionsbiggerthantheyactuallyweretoprotecthimselffrombeingmorecloselyexaminedandhisbossesfromdiscoveringhewasjustsmokeandmirrors?Afterall,hispeersdidn’tlikehim,hisbossesdidn’tlikehim,andIwassurethatifmyclienttookthetimetoactuallyspeaktothepeoplehesaidhedidallthisworkfor,theywouldsaythey

didn’tlikehimmucheither.That’swhateventuallyhappenedwhenmyclientdugdeeper.Hefinallyfacedhisvicepresidentandmovedhimoutofthatpositionandeventuallyoutofthecompany,withnoregrets.Hetellsme,“Eversincethatpersonleft,theteamhasbeensomuchbetterandeveryonehassteppedup.”That’sbecausehewasstifling

everyoneelseandbringingthemdown.

Now,beforeyoustarttosay,“Iagree,Nathan,butattitudeissubjective,andHRwon’tletmedealwithpeopleforthingslikethatunlessthosebadattitudescreateahostileworkplace,”letmesaythatthisisnottrue.Let’sdispelthatmythrightnow:Wecanlegallyfiresomeoneforhavingabadattitude

becauseabadattitudeisbadperformance.Employeesdon’tneedtoberacist,sexist,oranyother“ist”andcreatehostileworkenvironmentsforleaderstoact.Wejustneedtobeclearaboutwhatthebadattitudeis,communicateittotheemployee,anddocumentitwithverbalandwrittenwarnings.IfireddozensofpeoplewithgoodresultsbutbadattitudeswhenIwasin

corporateAmerica,andIrarelyhadanHRissue,becauseImadesuretheemployeesknewtheyneededtostepuporstepout,andIdocumentedeverything.

HRdoesn’twantacompany’sleaderstokeepbadpeople;theyjustwantthoseleaderstobebetterpreparedwhenwedealwiththosepeople.Infact,mostcompanieshavewritten

processesfordealingwithbadattitudes.(Ifyoursdoesn’t,asimpleGooglesearchfor“firinganemployeewithabadattitude”willgeneratehundredsofreliableresultsfromavarietyofindustriesandexperts.)Still,weloveusingHRandlegalasanexcuseforwhywecannotholdeveryoneaccountablefortheirattitudes,sowejustdon’tdo

it.Thatiswhysomanyemployeesmaynotevenknowtheyhaveabadattitude.Thisisaproblemwithleadership,nottheemployee.Becausethemanagerhasnevertoldthemtheyhaveabadattitudenordocumentedit,theydon’twanttostartdealingwithitnow.It’snotworththefight.

Iwilladmitthatdocumentingbadattitudes

canbehardtodo—youcanfeelitbutstruggletoputitintowords.Itiseasierwhenthatpersonisa“Life-Sucker”oranyofthemostcommontypesthatwewilldiscussinmoredetailinChapter7,butthebestplacetostartistowriteitdowneverytimesomeonedoessomethingorsayssomethingthatmakesyoucringeorjustfeeldisappointed.Andaskthese

questionsabouteverypersononyourteam:

Whenyouarearoundthem,dotheymakeyoufeelgood,bad,orindifferent?

Dotheywanttocommittotheteamordotheyjustseemcontenttohaveajob?Dotheywantto

improveandmaketheteambetteroraretheycomfortablewiththestatusquo?

Ibelieveanyonewho

doesn’tmakeusfeelgood,wanttobeapartoftheteam,andimprovetomakethatteamandourcompaniesbetterhasabadattitude.That’sright,it’snotjustthejerksandnegativepeopleliketheoneatmytechnologyclientwhoclearlyhavebadattitudes.Itcanbeapersonspinninghiswheels,withnohungertodobetter,complacentaboutgenerating

okayresults,andsendingasignaltotheteamthatthisisokayiftheydoittoo.Coachesmustsitdownwithpeoplelikethisandaskiftheyreallywanttobewiththecompany.Thesearerequiredconversations.

Soit’snotjusttheworstattitudesandpoorestperformerswhoaffecttheteamandacoach’sabilitytoleadthatteam.Itcanbethe

employeewhohasbeenwithyoufortenyears,isniceenough,knowsyourbusinessandindustry,contributesasmallamounttothebottomlinebutdoesn’tcontributeawholelottotheteam,andjustwantstobeleftalonetodohisorherjob.Mostofusseethatpersonasloyal.Whyupsetsomeonewhoisn’tlosingyoumoneyandhasbeenwithyoualongtime?

Sorry,thatpersonistenured,notloyal,andisn’tateamplayer.That’sakeymanagementmisperception.Stoppayingthemandseehowloyaltheyare.Loyaltycannotbebasedontimeserved.Loyaltymustbebasedongrowthandcontributiontotheteam.Ifanemployeehasbeenwithyoufortenyears,contributestothesuccessoftheteam,and

Complacencycan bejust asdangerousto the

stillgivesyoueverythingheorshehasgot,thenthatemployeeisloyal.Anyoneelseisjustcollectingpaychecks.

Yes,everyonecontributesintheirownwayinalldepartmentsanddivisionsandacrossany

team’smoraleasnegativity.

team.Everyteamhasplayerswithdifferent

responsibilities.Therefore,Idobelievethat,incoaching,wemusttreatpeopledifferently,becauseeveryonehasdifferentstrengthsandweaknesses.WhatI’mtalking

abouthereiswhenleadersdosomethingcoachesneverdoinsports:Acceptteammemberswho,regardlessoftitleorresponsibility,areclearlynotorarenolongerthebestpeoplefortheirjobs.Todefineteamcontribution,answerthefollowingquestionsabouteveryonewhoworksforyou,notwithstandingtheirtenure:

Dothepeopleineachpositiondelivertheabsolutebestresultstheycanandthusmakethe

teambetterasaresult?Ateverylevelofthecompanyorteam,doyourpeopleperformatthe

topoftheirgameoraretheymakingexcusesforwhytheyaren’t?Arethepeopleyouhavethe

bestpeopleorareyouacceptingresultsbecauseofhowlongsomeonehasbeendoinga

job?Areyourpeopleadaptingtonewtechnologiesandwaysofdoingbusinessordoingitthe

waytheyusedtobecause“that’sthewaywe’vealwaysdoneit”?Dootherteam

membershavetodomoreforwhatonepersonisnotdoing?

Insports,whenplayerswinduponthewrongsideoftheanswerstothesequestions,theyretireorthey

getcut.Theymaygiveittheirall,butsometimesthatisjustnotenough.Itdoesn’tmeantheyneedtoleavethesport,buttheydoneedtoleavethefield.Theymightbecomebackupsorutilityplayersontheiroranotherteamforafewyears,butiftheycan’tcompeteatthehighestlevel,theygetbackuppay.

IncorporateAmerica,thatshocksus.Backuppay

formymostseniorpeople?No,yourtop-performingpeopleshouldbegettingtop-performingpayregardlessoftheirageorexperience.I’mtalkingaboutpeoplewhomaynotbelongintheirpositionsanymoreandatthesalariestheyareusedtobecausetheyarenotcontributingtotheteamthewaytheyshould.Itdoesn’thavetobesomeonewhohas

beentherealongtime.Ajobthatrequirestravelorlonghoursmayhavesuitedsomeonewhowasyoungandsinglewhenyouhiredthembutnow,afewyearslater,theyaremarriedwithkidsandthepressureandresponsibilitiesaretoomuch.Perhapstherearerolesinwhichpeoplecandelivertheresultsyouexpect,whetheritisresearchanddevelopment

orpolicywritingorsomethingelsethatworksfortheteam,butnotinthepositiontheywereoriginally.Theycancontributemoretotheteaminthatnewrole.Theyjustcan’texpecttogetpaidthesameway.

That’showcoachesputtheirteamsoveranyindividual.Ifsomeoneisnotfullycontributingtotheteam—nomatterhowexperienced

theyare—tellthem.Youcansay,“Listen,youareoneofmytopguys.You’vebeenherealongtime.ButIneedyoutohelpmeachieveourgoalsandhelptheteamfocusonpractice,commitment,andteamworkorelseweneedtofindabetterfitforyououtsidetheorganization.”Leaderscanconfrontthesituationandcoachthatpersonoutofitorcoachhim

outofthecompany.Itmightjustbeforthebetteroftheemployeetoo.Sportsteamsandbusinessesarefilledwithstoriesofskilledpeoplewholetabadorwrongattitudegetthebestofthembutthenthrivedwithachangeofscenery.

Problemis,allofthisiseasiersaidthandone,andchancesarethatthispersonyouconfrontisgoingto

disagreewithyou.That’swhycoacheslearntoembraceconflict.

Coaching Principle#2Don’t avoid conflict—use it!

MostleadersImeetsaytheyunderstandtheimportanceofhavinggood

attitudesontheirteam.ItellthemIbelievethatagoodteamattitudeismandatory,notimportant,andtheyagree.ThenIaskthemiftheyhavethatpersonwejustdescribedontheirteam,someonewhomakesthemdecentmoneybuthasabadattitude.Almostallofthemdo.SoItellthem,“Thentomorrowconfrontthatpersonandfirehimorher.”

“Whoa,I’mnotwillingto

gothatfar!”theysay.Whynotconfrontthese

people?It’snotbecausewedon’tknowthatpersonisaproblem.It’snotbecausewethinkfiringistheonlysolution;thismightturnaround,onceweconfrontthem.It’sbecausemanyleadersavoidthisandanyconflict.ThebestcoachesIeverhadnevershiedawayfromconflict,especially

whenitcametomyperformanceandattitude.Withoutbeingabusive,theygotthatfingerinmyfaceandchallengedmetodobetter.TheytoldmewhenImademistakes.Theyheldmeaccountableanddidn’tletmegetawaywithanything.Andtheymademebetterbecauseofit.

I’mnotsaying

It’seasy tobe abadparent,a badcoach,or abadleader.

conflictisevereasy,butlookonthebrightside:Leadersatleastknowthatnoneofthisshouldcomeasasurprisetothepersonwiththeproblemorbadattitude,if

onlybecausetheyhavedocumentedeverything,asoutlinedinthefinalcoachingprinciple.Intruth,rightthere,theconflicthasbegun.Theyhaveaskedforthecommitmenttotheteam.Theymightdiscoverthattherearetemporarypersonalissuescausingtheproblemsorthattherehasbeenanirreversibledeclineinskills.Whateveritis,startand

continuetohavethedifficultconversations.Speakrespectfully,clearly,andmostimportant,directly,butbewillingtogetinapoorperformer’sfaceandsay,“Hey,thatsucksanditneedstochange”or“Listen,wehavetriedtomakethisworkandIamsorry,butitjusthasnotworked....”

Forexample,Jimhasbeeninthesalesdepartment

atoneofmymajortechnologyclientsforsevenyears.Forthefirstfiveyears,hisnumbersplacedhiminthetop15percent.Butlastyear,hedroppeddowntothemiddle,andthisyear,hecontinuedtodrop.Jimisniceanddoesn’treallymakewaves,buthisresultsareclearlydownandhisdriveseemsgone.Isay“seems”becausethat’sallmyclient

knowsforsure.Jimmaybeathorninhismanager’sspreadsheet,buthismanagerignoredJimwhenhewasatopperformerandnowwaiteduntilJimwasreallyindeclinetoevencontemplateconfrontinghim.ThatleavesmyclientthreeoptionsfordealingwithJim,inorderofleasttomostdifficult:

1. Keep

ignoringhim(andhopehe’llrecoverhismojoorjustgoaway).

2. Firehim.

3. Coach

himbacktothetop.

MostleaderswhohavebeenmintedinmanagementcultureschooseoptiononeindealingwithJim:thepathofleastresistance.Whenthingsgetreallybad,theymightturntooptiontwo.Butnotehowcoachingisevenharderthanfiringsomeone.

It’shard to

Coachingtakesmoretimeandconflictbeyondthedisciplinaryandterminationconversations.Holdingpeopleaccountabletakestime.Beingthepersonwho’schallengingotherstodobetterallthetimetakestime.

Inthiscase,assumingJimcouldstillbeatopperformer,

makeup forit.

myclientchosetocoachhim.Sheaskedhimtorecommithisenergytotheteam.Shefirmly,butrespectfullyandcalmly,pointedoutthatJim’sperformanceinthelasttwoyearshadreallydeclined.Sheaskedhimtherightquestionstoseeifhewasawareofthe

problemandcapableofcommittingtotheteam.Shelistenedtohisresponsebutwascarefultonoteifheacceptedresponsibilityorsimplyblamedanyoneoranythinghecould,usingthemeetingasaplatformforcomplainingabouther,thecompany,theindustry,theworld,hismother....Intheend,shetoldJimhergoalwastogethisperformanceback

towhereitwas,anditneededtobethereorwellonitswayinsixtydays.Ifaftersixtydayshewasnotabletogetthere,shewouldhelpJimfindabetterfitinoroutsidethecompany,whereeveryonecouldbehappier.MyclientwantedtobelieveJimcouldreachthetopagain,sotheofferwasgenuine,andsheofferedhimtheattentionandaccesstoherthatshenow

gavetoothertopperformers(seeCoachingPrinciple#4).Nomatterwhat,though,Jim’sperformancecouldnowbeaccuratelygaugedtoseeifhecouldkeephiseyeonthegoal,improvehisskills,andstrivetocommittobepartofatop-performingteam.

Diditwork?No.Jimrealizedhewasnolongeragreatfitfortheteamandfoundanotherjob,andmy

client,whowasworkinghardontransitioningfrommanagertocoach,quicklyworkedtofindtherightreplacement.WithJim,aswithatalentedprofessionalathletewhoisstuckinarutafteryearswiththesameteam,alltheattentionnowmaynotmakehimanyhappierorreversetheproblem.Maybeithadnothingtodowithmyclient

inthefirstplace;Jimhadsomepersonalproblemsthatwereputtinghiminarut,andtherewasnothingshecoulddoaboutit.AchangeofteamsandcoachesmightbejustwhatJim,likethatathlete,neededtoshakethingsoffandseeacareerresurgence.

Youdon’thavetobeinsalestorecognizea“Jim”inyourdepartmentorbusiness.

Youdon’tneednumbersandspreadsheetstomeasureabadattitudeordecliningskills.Butifyoucan’ttakethenecessarystepsandseethepowerofconflictthroughcoaching,yourJimwillneverchange.

Coaching Principle#3

Act before a response isneeded

Dealingwithbadperformanceorattitudesandembracingconflictcanbearealcultureshockformanagerslearningtobecomecoaches.Butthat’stheconsequenceofleadinginthewaywehavebeenleading:Wedon’tapproachproblemshead-on.Wehopethey’llgo

away,makingexcuseafterexcusefornothandlingthem.Yettheynevergoaway.Thegoodnewsisthatcoachingactivitieslikescrimmaging,quarterlygameplansthatactuallygetimplemented,andpeerpresentations,whichwecoverinPartTwoofthisplaybook,allhelpleaderstorecognizeanddealwithproblemsbeforetheybecomebiggerproblemsoreven

problemsatall.AtSprint,Itooktheidea

ofaquarterlygameplanevenfurther:Iheldmandatoryquarterlyfull-daytrainingsessionsformyteamofmanagerswhoransalesteamsacrossSouthernCalifornia.Thiswasn’tjustNathanUniversity.Themeetingsweredesignedasmassiveinteractivelearningexperiencescoveringa

varietyoftopicstohelpusbetterunderstandthebusinessbehindouractivitiesandtoperformbetterasateam.Thetopicsweren’tjustsalesbasedeither.ThemanagersworkedinsmallgroupsandcoveredeverythingfromlearningtherolesoffinanceandhumanresourcestoshowinghowtoreadaP&Lstatement(sotheteamcouldunderstandhowprofitand

lossareactuallycalculatedforthebusinessthenexttimetheywantedtotakeaclienttolunchorrunaspecialpromotion).Wedidpresentationskillbreakoutsandpracticedday-to-daysituationslikeovercomingobjectionsandgreetingcustomers.Everyquarter,wewoulddecidewhichtopicstochangeandwhichtokeep,dependingonwhatwasmost

Managersreact.Coachesgetinvolved.

importanttothebusinessandneededthemostimprovement.

Whatmadethesemeetingsgreatwasthelevelofinvolvementtheyrequiredfrommyentireteamandme.The

meetingsweremywaytogetmyteamconnectedandlearningregularly.Theyforcedustoimproveonamorefrequentschedulethantheusualannualmeetingcycleofmostcompanies.Wewouldeffectivelykick-startthenextquarter,makeitbetterbytakingwhatwestruggledwiththepreviousquarterandworkingonittogether.The

learningwentbeyondquarterlytoo:Mymanagerswouldtakewhattheylearnedanduseitintheirweeklymeetingswiththeirteams.

Atfirst,mybosswasdubious.“Jamail,”hesaid,“howcanyouaffordtotakeyourpeopleoutofthemarketforeighthourseveryquarter?”Itoldhim,“I’dratherhaveamotivatedandconnectedteamforeighty-

ninedaysofaninety-dayquarterthananunmotivatedanddisconnectedteamforninetydays.Iwanttoputyouandmeinapositiontobesuccessfulbypreparingthemtobesuccessful.”

Ialsocouldaffordtodoitbecausethecostwasimmaterialtothereward.Mybossinitiallylookedatthesemeetingsintermsofstraightdollarcosts—thefactthatmy

managerialteamwasoutofthefieldforfourdaysayearplustravel,hotel,andacheapspacetoholdtheevent.(Iusedthemeetingroomsatabowlingalleyinexchangeforfivehundreddollars’worthofbowlingandfoodafterward.)ButIsawthecostbenefitintermsofeliminatingmanymoreunproductivefielddaysandbadinteractionsbecauseoftheworkbeingdoneat

thesemeetings.Everyquarter,mymanagerswererefreshed,focused,andmotivated,andIhadabettersenseofhoweachofthemwasdoingandwherefutureproblemsmightlie.Allthisledtosignificantbenefits:Wewentfrombeingtheworstmarketinthecountrytothenumberonemarketineighteenmonths.

What’sthat?Youlove

thisconcept,butyoudon’thavetimetogetsoinvolved?You’retoobusydealingwithalltheseproblemsandputtingoutthefiresyourpeoplesetandyoustillneedtoaccomplishyourowngoals?Well,ifyouregularlycoachyourpeopleonhowtostopsettingfires,youwon’thaveasmanyfirestoputout,andthatmeansmoretimeforeverythingonyourlist.

Anddon’tthinkforamomentthatjustbecauseyoudon’tleadsalesteamsasIdid,actionsandactivitieslikethesemeetingswon’tworkforyourdepartmentorindustry.Canyoureallylookinthemirrorandsaythatbecauseyou’realeaderofacreativeorengineeringteam,thereisnothingyourteamcanworkontogethertomakethembetter?Leadersofany

Goingthroughaperson’s

kindofteambenefitfromregularinteractionsthathelppushtheteamforwardandaddresswhatistocomeratherthansimplyrehashingwhathasbeen.

performancepostmortemis likeanautopsy:Thatbody isdead.

Rehashingwhathasbeenisonlyfeedback,whichwe

askforandgiveconstantlyasleaders,fromthesmallesttasks(howwethoughtameetingwent)tothelargestevents(performancereviews).Thisiswhyleaderstypicallyconsiderfeedbackcoaching.Butfeedbackisonlypartofcoaching,anditwillnothelpcoachesactbeforearesponseisneeded.That’sbecauseallfeedbackisreactiveandfocusesonthe

past.Thisdoesnotmeanfeedbackisunimportant.Offeringfeedbackregularlyisourchanceasleaderstotellouremployeesone-on-oneallthegoodthingstheydidandtoofferafewhelpfulpointstoponderandsuggestionsforimprovement.Leadersusuallyfeelprettygoodaboutthosemeetings,butitisnosubstituteforthelargeractivitiesofcoaching.

Feedbackcanalsocreateproblemsifitisdoneonlywhenthingsgowrongandanypositivefeedbackbecomesjustacrapsandwichbeforethebeatdownstarts.IhaveleadersatalltheorganizationsIworkwithtellmetheygetinvolvedonlywhentheirteamshaveaproblemorcan’tdosomething.Thatmeanseverytimethatleadergetsinvolved,

itisanegative.Whentheteamseestheleadercoming,theythink,“Uh-oh.Whatdidwedowrong?”Wecan’tcoachsomeonewhoviewsourinvolvementasanegativereaction.Whenaleader’sinvolvementisaconsequenceofanemployeenotdoingwell,theleader,nottheemployee,hasviolatedthisprincipleofcoaching.

Theactivitiesofcoaching

thatsupporttheseprinciples,suchasthequarterlymeetings,needtohappeninadditiontoandbeforefeedback,beforeperformancereviewsonpresentationsandevents,beforesomeonepicksupthephoneanddestroysevenonebusinessrelationship,beforeproblemshappen.Ifthissoundslikecontrollingormicromanaging,thatisnot

theintention—rather,itisapositivewaytobestowattentionontheteamandmakeeveryonebetterbygettinginvolved(seeChapter11).Andourbestpeopledeservethatextraattention.

Coaching Principle#4Pay attention to top

performers and focus onmaking more of them

WhenanNFLteamhasthenumberonedraftpick,theteamdoesn’tjusthandthekidajerseyandsay,“SeeyouonSunday.”Thecoach’sjobistotakethattoptalentandmoldhimintosomethingbetter.Thisisequallytruewithtop-performingveteransinsportswhoarelookingfor

afreshstart.TakePeytonManning.HewasalreadyoneofthegreatestquarterbacksintheNFL,butwhenhejoinedtheDenverBroncos,hiscoach’sjobwastopushhimtobebetter,andManning’sjobwastocommittotheteamandgivethemhisall.TheynearlymadeittotheSuperBowlhisfirstseasonthere.

IfPeytonManningwere

anemployeeinalmostanybusiness,hismanagerwouldhavehiredhimforbigmoneyandthen...justlefthimalone.Theywouldprobablytrainhimonthebasicsofthenewteamanditssystems,andthenthrowhimonthefieldto“dohisthing.”Howisthatfairtothepersonwhoisbringingyouallthisgreatness?Ifyouarethetopguyputtinginfiftytosixty

hoursaweekandyou’regettingleftalone,you’regettingrobbed.Youbringallthisenergyandpassiontothejobandwhatyougetinreturnistobeleftaloneandignored?Howisanyonehelpingyougetfromwhereyouaretowhereyouwanttogo?Howcanaleaderexpectyoutohelptheteamgettowhereitneedstogo?

Thisisamajorreason

leadersstruggleinbusiness:Theydoeverythingtheoppositeofwhatcoachesdotomaketheirteamsgreat.Inthiscase,theydon’tfocusonthetop.Iknowthisnotionfliesinthefaceofconventionalwisdom,butitreinforceswhyIthinkthedumbestpieceofbusinessadviceis“Hiregreatpeopleandletthemdotheirjob.”That’sthereasonbusinesses

leavetheirtopplayersalone.Infact,itisseenasanachievementinmanycompaniesthatpeoplegetsogoodatwhattheydothattheirbossesleavethemalone.

Coachesinbusinessshouldfocustheirenergymoreonthetopjustascoachesinsportsfocusmostonthefirststring.Thesecond-andthird-stringplayersalwaysknowtheycan

becomepartofthefirststringiftheycommittotheteam,workhard,strivetodomoretoearntheiropportunities,andcatchthecoach’sattentionbydeliveringbiggerresults.Acoach’sbiggestproblemisnotwhenthethird-stringplayers,whoarebustingtheirtails,complainaboutnotgettingenoughtime.Theproblemiswhenthethird-stringplayersdon’t

Managersspendtoomuchtimewiththepeoplewho

evencare.Everyone

whohearsmesaythisrespondsthatitmakessensetothem.Theyleavemypresentationspumpedandready.Butateighto’clockMonday

needtheattentioninsteadofthosewhodeservetheattention.

morning,it’sbacktoputtingoutfiresandtryingtofixtheproblemsoftheweakestemployeeswhilelettingthetoppeoplehandleeverythingthemselves.

Theseleaderstellmeagainandagain,“IfIcouldgetridofmyproblemsfirst,Icouldspendtimewithmypeople.ButIcan’tgetridofmyproblems,soIcan’tspendtimewithmypeople.So,therefore,they’renotgettingbetter....”Thisisallaself-fulfillingprophecy.Myadviceisletthebuildingsburn,man.Sometimeswehavetosacrifice.AtPearl

Harbor,thetriagenursesfamouslymarkedpatientswithlipstickwithanFfor“fatallywounded,”meaningtherewasnothingthedoctorscoulddo;thepatientwilldienomatterwhat.Inbusiness,wetendtodotheopposite—trytofixwhatcan’tbesavedandignorethetopperformers.

WhenpeopletellmethissoundslikeIplayfavorites

andspendallmytimewithsuch-and-suchtoppeople,Idon’tdenyit.Iadmititcreatessomeconflictintheranks,whichIembrace,asyouknow.ButIamhonestaboutwhatIamdoing.ItelltheteamthatIspendtimewiththepeoplewhoaretopperformers,havegreatattitudes,andmakemealotofmoney.Ialsoletthemknowthatiftheycommitto

theteam,I’llcommittotheminthesameway.Ialwaysgavemynewandbestpeopleattentionearlyandfast.TheydeservedthatattentionbeyondtrainingbecauseIdecidedtobringthemontotheteam.Igavethemaccesstomycalendarandexpectedthemtobookit.IgavethemeverythingI’vegot,toseeiftheycouldgettothefirststring,orIwouldgetthem

out.Hirefast,firefaster,Ialwayssay.

Mygoalwastomakemyinvolvementarewardfordoingwellratherthanaconsequenceofdoingsomethingwrong.ButIalsoknewmytopperformerswouldgetonmycalendaronlyiftheyperceivedmeassomeonewhocouldhelpthemdobetter.Iftheyperceivedmeassomeone

who’sjustgoingtojudgethemandbringthemdown,notaddvalueorhelpmakethedeals,work,orskillsbetter,theywouldnotwanttobeinvolvedwithme.AFortune100financialcompanyIworkwithstruggledwiththissituationwhentheirleadershipteamwantedtheircorporateliaisonstogoonappointmentswiththeir

agentsandhelpgeneratebetterdeals.Noneoftheagentsaskedthemtogo.Now,ifyouwereanagentandyouknewtakingme,yourliaison,onacallwithyouwouldleadtoyourclosingmoredealsandmakingmoremoney,howmanycallswouldyouwantmetogoon?Allofthem.Then,unlesstheagentsaresoinsecurethattheycan’thave

anyoneelsearoundwhentheygoonappointments,thereasontheydon’twantmearoundisthattheydon’tthinkI’mgoodenoughtotake.

Ican’ttellyouwhoyourtopperformersare,orwhatthespecificcriteriashouldbetomeasureyourpeople,butIcantellyouthateverycompany,largeorsmall,andeverydepartmentinanybusinessinanyindustryhas

atleastatopandabottom.Leadersneedtoidentifythemsotheycandecidehowtoapproachtheactivitiesforthoseteammembers.Iftheleaderislikeme,inasalesleadershippositionoranumbers-baseddepartment,youmightthinkthiskindofrankingiseasier:Justlookatthenumbers.Butthebiggestmistakewecanmakeasleadersoftheseteamsisto

use“thescoreboard”asthesolecriterionforrankingemployees.Greatsportscoachesdon’tsay,“Well,wewontwenty-onetonothingandwe’resix-and-oh,soitdoesn’tmatterthatmyquarterbackhasthrownonetouchdownandtwentyinterceptions;he’sthemostimportantposition,sohe’smynumberoneplayer.”Thatquarterback’scoachisnot

onlygoingtofocusonwhatthequarterbackdidn’tdoinpracticeactivitiesbutalsostartlookingforsomeonewhomightmoveuporintothatposition.

Thinkyoudon’thaveabottom—thatallyourpeoplearegood?Askyourself,astheteamleader,ifyourbossoryourmostimportantclientsaidyouwerethesameaseveryoneonyourteam,

wouldyoufeelcomplimented,insulted,orrippedoff?AlmosteveryoneIhaveworkedwithsaystheywouldfeelinsultedorrippedoff.Theybelieve,rightorwrong,theyarebetterthansomeoftheirpeers.Don’tyouthinkyouremployeesthinkthesamething?Sohowdoyouknowwhereyouremployeesrankifyoudon’thaveanynumberstoputon

thescoreboard?

Askyourbestclientsorcustomers.Askotheremployeesatthecompany.

Askyourself,who’sthepersonyougotowhenyouneedtogetsomethingdone?Ask

yourself,ifyou’vegotXnumberofteammembersandcantakeonlyoneofthemwith

youtoanewjobortostartanewcompany,whowoulditbe?Ifyoucouldtakeonly

two,whowouldtheybe?Three?Knowingwhatyouknowtoday,whowouldyounot

hiretomorrow?

Answeringthesequestionswillgiveleaderstheirtop,middle,andbottomandaclearpathtorankingthewholeteam.Coachesthenknowwhoisonthefirststringandwhoisonthethirdstring—whothestartersareandwhotheroleplayersare—andcangetthemallready

tocoachaccordingly.That’swhyarankingisonlythefirstpartofthecoachingequationandwhythecoachingprinciples,skills,andculturearesoimportant.Theprincipleskeepusgrounded,thecultureprovidesthetimetocreatecoachingactivities,andthetimeallowscoachestopursuethoseactivitiesasateam.

Intheend,formanynew

coachesinbusiness,thehardestpartofobeyingtherankingprincipleislearningwhattodowiththemiddle.Duringbreaksinworkshops,leadersregularlycomeuptomeandsay,“Ilovehowyoutalkaboutthetopandthebottom,butmytopperformersarefine.I’mmoreconcernedaboutthemiddle.Ihavetomovethepeopleinthemiddle.”

Itellthem,“Don’tfocussomuchonthemiddle.Makethemwanttobetopperformers.Tomovethemiddle,focusonthetopperformers,removethebottom,andmakethemiddledesiretobepartofthetopbecausethat’swheretheattentionandactionare!”

Doesthismeanfirethelowest-paidemployeesandpayattentiontothehighest-

paidones?No.Therearetop,middle,andbottompeopleinanydepartmentanddivision,fromcustomerservicetomarketingtoengineeringtoaccounting.Leadersthroughoutacompanyshouldthinkoftheirmiddlepeopleasmetalandtheirtopandbottompeopleasmagnets.Makesurethetophasthemostmagnetsandthat’swherethemiddlewill

gravitate.Sayaleaderhasten

employees—twointhetop,sixinthemiddle,andtwointhebottom.Conventionalwisdomtellsthatleadertoleavethetoptwopeoplealoneandworkwiththemiddleasiftheyarethetop.Thatmiddleiscomfortable,approachable,andseeminglyfixable.Itisalsothestraightestpathtomediocre

Theway tomovethemiddleup is tochop

performancefortheteam.Itiseasyandsafetomanagetothemiddle.

Sure,youneedmoretopperformers—butnotattheexpenseofyourcurrenttopperformers.Ifbeinginthetopmeans

off thebottomandgrowthe top.

gettingnoattention,thosetopperformerswilleitherlooktogosomewhereelseor,maybeevenworse,refusetoworkashard.Now,ifthetopperformersdon’tcare,andthemiddleissocomfortable,whywouldanyoneleavethe

middle?Whywouldanyoneinthemiddlewanttomoveup?Theycanworklesshardandgetalltheattentiontheyneed—eveniftheyfalloffabit,nooneevergetsfiredanyhow.Pushthetoptogrow.Anddon’tjustignorethebottom.Removeitandwatchthemiddlewanttomoveintherightdirection.

ThisiswhyIsaythe80-20ruleisaterriblethingto

abidebyincoaching.The80-20rule,ortheParetoprinciple,datesbackto1897andtheItalianeconomistVilfredoPareto,whofoundthat80percentofmostnations’wealthwascontrolledbyjust20percentofthepopulation.Othereconomistssoonstartednoticingthesameunequalpatternselsewhere;justafewcausesaccountedformost

effects.Today,the80-20rulehasbecomeshorthandforsaying20percentofwhateveryouaremeasuringisresponsiblefor80percentofyourresults,suchas20percentofyourcustomersareresponsiblefor80percentofyourprofits.Theideaisthatafewthingsaredisproportionatelyresponsibleformostresultsoreffects.

Tome,theParetoprincipleisnotarule;itisaresultandanotherself-fulfillingprophecycausedbyinactionbymanagersinmanagementcultures.Ifthetop20percentofafootballteamproduces80percentoftheresults,thatteamwillneverbethebest.Theywillbe,atmost,goodandverylikelyaverage.Thesameiseventruerinbusiness:The

top20percentoftheteamcannotproduce80percentoftheresultsandhavethemanagersimplyleavethemalone.Ourtop-performingpeopleneedtoknowthattheymustkeepperformingandimprovingtheirskillstokeeptheirjobsandthatwearewatchingandgivingthemthetools.Thetopperformersshouldbethefirstonesonthepracticefieldworkingwith

thecoachesandinspiringthenewhires,themiddle,andeventheothertopperformerstotakethemon.Otherwise,thetop20percentisnevergoingtogrowanybigger,andthemiddlewillhavenoreasontoaspiretobeinthetop.

Coaching Principle

#5Mandate EVERYBODY topractice

Ihaveneverheardanyonesay,“Let’smanagethisteamtothetop!”Leadersdonotmanagetogrow.Theymanagetomaintain.Whenyouaremanaging,you’renotinterestedindevelopingtheteamandmakingeveryonestronger;you’reinterestedin

managingthebusinesssoyoucanmakemoremoneyandincreaseprofits.

Insports,teamsachievethesepeaklevelsbypracticing.Acoachsays,“Wearegoingtopracticeallweek,everyweek,beforethegame.”Professionalathletespractice90percentoftheirtime.Butinbusiness,teamsdonotpracticeatall.Howandwhattopracticeiswhat

wewillcoverinChapter1.WhatIwantyoutounderstandnowiswhywedon’tpractice:Ourleadersdonotdemanditfromusbecausetheydon’tseeitasimportantorvaluable.Sure,wetrainnewhiresandthenmaybeonceayearwedosomekindofteam“training”ornewproductdevelopment,orweretrainpeopleonexistingofficeprotocolsor

usingnewsystems.Don’tconfusethistrainingwithcoaching.Trainingsarelike“newyear,newyou”approachestoexerciseanddieting:Theyhappenandthentheyaregone.

Inbusiness,acoachmustsayallthetime,“We’vegotabigjobaheadofus,andtodoit,weareallgoingtoprepareandhoneourskills.”Icallthiskindofpractice

“scrimmaging.”Scrimmagingisaboutpreparingtoplaythegame.Scrimmagingisabouttryingsomethingout,improvingskills,discoveringnewpossibilities.Iftheteamstinkswhenscrimmaging,that’sfine.Bettertofindoutbefore“gametime”whatskillsneedimprovementandwhichplayersneedmorehelp.Theteamlearnshowtoworkbettertogether.

Sohow,exactly,dowefindthetimetodothisscrimmagingwhileweareonthejobanddoingourjob?Afterall,officesarenotpracticefields.Practiceiswhatanathleteispaidfortogetreadyforthegames,butworkisn’tpractice;workisalways“gameday.”Butit’snot.Here’stherealtruth:Mostpeoplethinktheygetpaidtodowhatevertaskthey

aredoing.Thisisjustaconvenientexcusefornotfindingthetimeforsomethingnew,suchascoaching.

Ofcourse,wecan’tpractice90percentofthetimeastheydoinsports,butareyoureallysayingthatyourworkwouldnotbenefitfrompracticingsomethingyouneedtodojust5percentofthetime?Fivepercentofa

forty-hourworkweekmeansfindingtwohoursaweektotakeanessentialsteptowardbeingacoach.Andyes,Idobelievewegetpaidtopracticeasleadersinbusinessbecausepracticeiscrucialtopersonalandteamdevelopment.Idon’tcarewhatyourtitleorindustryis.Idon’tcareifyouarealeaderinhumanresources,sales,finance,nursing,socialwork,

design,engineering,oranyotherareayoucanthinkof:Leadersgetpaidtodeveloptheirpeople,andiftheyarenotdoingit,thentheymaynotunderstandtheirjobdescription.

NevermindthatalmosteveryoneIknowbelievesthatwhenyoupracticesomething,yougetbetteratit—maybenotperfectbutabsolutelybetter.Infact,whenwehear

aboutathletesskippingorslackingoffinpractice,wesaytheydon’tcareandwegetangrywiththem.Wecallthemarrogant.Idon’tknowifIwouldsaywearebeingarrogantasbusinessleaderswhenwedon’tpractice,butwhenitcomestoourbusinesses,sayingwedon’thavetimeforitconfuseshavingknowledgeofwhattodowithhavingthebestskills,

Coachesneverthinkthey

themostconfidence,andbecomingbetteratwhatwedo.Knowledgeinandofitselfisn’tpower;itiswhatwedowithknowledgethatmakesitpowerful.

Thesalesrepsatoneofthelargestbuildingproductsmanufacturingcompaniesin

know itall, anddon’texpecttheirteamstoknow italleither.

NorthAmericausedtogetfewerthan5percentoftheirreferralsfromtradeshows,andthedivisionalpresidentatthetimewantedtoknowwhy.So

heflewalltherepsintotownforanationaltradeshowanightearlytochangethingsup.Heflewmeinandwemetwiththerepsatthehotelandtoldthemweweregoingtopracticewhattosaywhensomeonewalksintotheboothattheshowthenextday.

“That’sstupid;weknowhowtodothis,”theyallsaidbeforecondescendinglyagreeingtothetask.

Notsurprisingly,theirperformancewasawful.Theywerestammering,usingcannedlines,andgivingwronginformation.Whenwepointedthatouttothem,theysaid,“Thisisn’treal.”Ofcourseitisn’t.ButusuallytheonlytimeIhear“it’snotreal”isasanexcuseforpoorperformance.Iftheycan’tdoitinpracticeanddon’thavetherightapproach,rapport,

andinformation,howcantheydoitrightwhenitcounts?Thedivisionalpresidentsatthemdownandwalkedthemthroughtherightwaytoapproachapotentialcustomerandtoprovidethecorrectinformation.Fromthere,therepsstartedtoprepareandpracticewithrealpurpose.

Coachesknowtheyneedtomaketheirteams

scrimmageasifeverythingisrealandtopracticelikeweplaysothatwhenwegettherealchancetoplay,wemaximizeeveryopportunitywecan.Asforthebuildingproductsmanufacturingcompany,therepsgotthemessageandfortwohourstheypracticedandgotprettygood.Thenextdayatthetradeshow,theygotmoreleadsandmorereferralsthan

theyeverhad.Today,theypracticethenightbeforetradeshowsandtheweeksleadinguptothem,andnowgetthelion’sshareoftheirreferralsattheevents.

Whatthiscompanylearnedisthat,withoutpracticing,youdobusinessasusual—notbetter.Whenemployeesdotheirjobsbutdon’tpractice,theyalsodothosejobsonthesafeside.

Theydon’ttakechances.Theydon’tpushthemselves.Greatcoachesinbusinessknowpracticinghelpsteamslearnandimprovequickly.That’swhymandatingpracticeforeveryoneisbothanessentialcoachingprincipleandthefirstactivityinbecomingacoach.

PARTTWOBe a Coach

Chapter 1MANDATESKILLPRACTICEANDPLAYERDEVELOPMENT

Business skills needdevelopment andimprovement just asmuch as athleticskills do.

Howmanytimeshaveyouwalkeduptothe

frontdeskofahotelorrestaurant,madeeyecontactwithanemployee,andsaid,

“Howareyoutoday?”andheorshereplies,“WelcometoSuch-and-SuchPlace”?

Huh?HowaboutyouanswerthequestionIasked?Unfortunately,Ican’tsaythissurprisesmewhenithappens.Iwasgivingapresentationtoaclientinthehospitalityindustryandaskedtheaudience,“Howmanypeopleactuallypracticewithyourpeopleonhowtosayhello?I

meaneveryonefromthefrontdeskdowntoyourhousekeepers?”Fewhandswentup.Yetthesearepeopleinthebusinessofbeinghospitable.

Weliketosay,“It’slittlethingsthatmatter.”Iagree.Andhowyougreetsomeoneisalittlethingthatmatters.Itisthestartofarelationship.Nexttimeyou’reatyour,orany,office,makeanoteof

thegreetingorthelackthereof.Ifindnotoneintenpeoplewhocanevensayhelloright.ButifIwentintoanybusiness,notjustinhospitality,andsaid,“Wearegoingtopracticeeveryonesayinghello,”they’dsayI’mnuts.

Anyskillinbusinesscanbeimprovedanddevelopedwithpractice.Weknowthisbecausewesayitallthetime

—atleastoutsideouroffices.Ifcoacheswanttheirteamsandplayerstogetbetteratasport(oramusicalinstrumentforthosenon–sportsplayersoutthere),whatdowetellthemtodo?Practice!Ifourkidsneedtogetbettergrades,whatdowetellthemtodo?Study!Weshouldtakeourownadviceasbusinessleaders.Professionalathletesstudyroutinesandplaysand

practicethem90percentofthetime,butinbusiness,leadersandtheirteamspracticewhattheyneedtodolessthan1percentofthetime.ThisissimplyindefensibleandviolatestheessentialcoachingprinciplethatEVERYBODYmustpractice.

Letmeaskyouthis:Doyouthinkyourteamwantstoworkfor

Businesspeoplenotpracticingfor“gamesituations”are nodifferentfromathleteswho do

someone,giveeverythingthey’vegot,andtheninreturngetcompensatedandbeleftalone?Orwouldtheyratherworkforsomeonewhochallenges

notpractice:Bothareunprepared.

them,strivestomakethembetterbydevelopingskillsbeyondtheircurrentcapabilities,andhelpsthemachievetheirpersonalandprofessionalgoals,andthecompany’sgoalsaswell?Putitanotherway:Wouldn’tyouratherhaveateamofthat

secondgroupofpeople?That’sthekindofpersonIwantworkingformetoo.

The Differencebetween Practiceand Training

Insports,thecoach’sjobistomakeeveryonebetterinordertoputthebestteamon

thefield.Todothis,coachesmandatepracticeandgetonthefieldwiththeirteamseverydayastheypractice,workingwiththemontheskillstheyneedingeneralandspecificallyfortheupcominggames.Thisshouldbethesameforcoachesinbusinessasskilldevelopmentisimperativeforputtingthebestteam“onthefield.”Yettoooften,businessleaders

thinkproductandindustryknowledgecanreplaceskilldevelopment.Wemaylivebytherulethatknowledgeispower,butweforgetthathowwellweuseourknowledgedeterminessuccess.

Inotherwords,weequateaperson’sexperienceortenurewithhavingtheskillsweneedtosucceed.Buttenureandexperiencecanleadtocomplacencyasoften

astheydobetterment.They’renosubstitutefordevelopingskillsthroughpractice—nottrainingbutpractice.Practiceiswhatwedoonaregularbasistohelpusdevelopwhatwealreadyknowandgetbetteratdoingourjobs.Trainingiswhatathletesdoinweightroomsandconditioningdrillstogetinthebestpossibleshapeforpracticesandgames.Training

iswhatwedoinbusinesswhenweareteachingemployeesnewjobs,systems,products,ortools.Inbusiness,wetendtodothetrainingthingprettywell,butwefallshortonthepracticeside.

Simplyput,leadersmustmakeskillpracticemandatoryforeveryone.Noexcuses.Andjustasforsportsteams,anessentialpart

ofpracticeisscrimmaging.Scrimmagesaresafeplaceswherewecanbeterribleasweworkthingsoutwithoutfearofjudgment.Infact,Iwantedmyteamstosuckandtolearnfromthat.Scrimmagingalsoallowscoachesandteamstotrysomethingdifferentwithoutjudgmentorconsequences—togetoutofourcomfortzonesandstopplayingitsafe.

Oftenwekeepdoingthesamethingwehavebeendoingforyears,notbecauseitisrightbutbecauseitiswhatweknow.Butstayingcomfortableisstayingcomplacent;itistodwellcontentedlyinmediocrity.

ScrimmagingStarts with “Hello”

Scrimmagingworksinallindustriesandforallpositions,anditisapositiveexperienceevenifyouaredealingwithanegativesubject.Planningtowriteupanemployee?Scrimmagethat.Asleaders,oneofthemostdifficultpartsofourjobsisdealingwithlowperformers.Sopeerscrimmageyourconversationaheadoftime.Discuss

possiblescenariosandscrimmagethosescenarios.Afterscrimmagingtheconversationwithapeer,therealonemightnotbeanyeasier,butitwillabsolutelybemoresuccessfulandeffective.Youwon’tstumbleandstammerattheemployee’squestionsandendupwithato-dolistforhelpingtheminsteadofputtingyouremployeeonthe

spottotakeaction.Scrimmaging

conversationslikethesehelpsusavoidthetrapsofthosesituationsandimprovesthemandtheskillsneededtohandlethem.Andthescrimmagescanbeasbasicaspreparingforthatfirstgreetingassomeonewalksintoyouroffice,store,ordepartment.Theimportantthingistokeepitrealand

focusoneverydayimportantskills.

Here’sasamplelistofthingsyoucouldscrimmagetohelpstartyourowncoachinglistforyourselfandyourteam,manyofwhichwecoverinlaterchapters:

Communicatingwithotherteams

AddressingconflictCustomerservice/TalkingtoacustomerNeversayingnoTransferringtherightenergywhen

speakingtosomeone(sothatpersonfeelspositiveenergyfromthestart)Identifyingand

dealingwithproblemsSettinggoalsOne-on-onesWritingSellingPresentingAskingpurposefulbusiness

questionsUnderstandingandreviewingaprofitandlossstatementGettingteambuy-inMotivatingothersGetting

outofabadmoodDealingwithdifficultpeople

Thekeythingtorememberasyoumakeyourownscrimmagelististhatsuccesscomesfromfocusingonthemostimportantskills

foryourteam,notfromhowmanydifferentskillsyouworkon.Startwithanindividualskillortwoandscrimmageiteveryweek.Attendtothebasicsfirst—theskillseveryoneneedsanduses.Thisiswhatcoachesdoinsports.Forexample,inbaseball,theentireteamworksconstantlyontheskillsthatmakethemgreat:hitting,fieldinggrounders,catching

flyballs,throwing,andrunning.Theydon’tpracticethesethingsbecausetheydon’tknowhoworbecausegamesituationskillsareunimportant.Theypracticethembecausetheyknow,tobethebesttheycanbe,theymustpracticethebasicsallthetime.

Leaderswhogettheirteamstoscrimmagebeforetheydosomethingbig,such

asmajorpresentationsorclientcalls,canalsoidentifyanddealwithanymistakesthathaveunfortunateconsequences.Amajorindustrialdistributor,oneofthelargestcompaniesofitskindinthecountry,realizedthepowerofpracticewhentheystruggledtoanswerthequestion,“Whyus?”Whywouldsomeonechoosethemovertheirbiggest

competitors,thelargestofwhichtheycouldnevercompetewithonpricealone?Tofindouthowtheywerecurrentlyansweringthisquestion,Ihadthemscrimmagecustomercallswithoneanotherandme.WhatIheardwaseveryplatitudeinthebook:Wehavegreatcustomerservice.Wecare.Wewillbetherewhenwesay.Wedeliver

underbudgetandontime....Youcouldmakeplatitudewallpaperofthisstuff.ThesesoundedlikethecannedanswerspeoplegivemeinjobinterviewswhenIaskthemwhytheywanttoworkforme:“I’mapeopleperson,dedicated,loyal,hardworking,andgiveeverythingIgot.”Noonesays,“I’manunmotivatedjerkandaliarandacheat

who’llbelateallthetime.”Practicingwas

uncomfortablefortheseconstructionguys.Theyfounditannoyingandweren’tafraidtovoicetheirdispleasure.Buttheirleadersforcedthemtokeepgoing.Afterafewweeksofhonesteffort,theteamstartedtolistentooneanother,heardtheproblemsIdid,andrealizedtheirobstacles

weren’tovercomebyplatitudesorevenbypricingbutspecificallybywhattheyofferedbetterthananyoneelse:attention.Theteamthusstoppedtryingtocompeteonprice,ditchedthecannedlinesabouthowmuchtheycaredabouttheircustomers,andstartedofferingdetailsonthekindofcustomerattentiontheyofferedthatthebigboyscouldn’t.Theytalkedabout

goingonappointmentcallstohelpcontractorssellmoreroofs(andthusbuymoreproductfromthecompany)asabenefitoftheirexperienceandexpertise.Soon,theywereabletotakewhattheylearnedinthesescrimmagesandwalkintomeetingswithcontractorstoarticulatethis.Theresultwasoneofthebestyearsthecompanyeverhad.Today,thoseconstruction

Practiceleadstobetterresults

guysdotheirpracticingontheirownandkeeprefiningitbasedonwhattheircustomersneedandontheneedsofthemarket.

IpracticewhatIpreachtoo.Inthecourseofscrimmagingphonecallstopotentialcustomers,I

—period.

discoveredoneofmyemployee’sgreatestproblemswasgettingpastthemomentsomeonesaidtheywerenotinterestedincoachingandtraining.Hisresponsewas“I’mnotfamiliarwithmanycompaniesthataresuccessfulthatarenotinterestedintraining.”Healsotoldthem

hewas“surprised”bytheirresponse.WhenItoldhimhowhisresponsemademefeel(whichwasn’tgood)inthescrimmage,hewaspretty“surprised”himself.Itmayhavesoundedtohimlikeagreatwaytoovercomeobjections,butwhenhesaidit,Ifeltinsulted.Ifeltasthoughhewaspickingafightbychallengingme,anditwascreatingunnecessaryconflict

(pickingafightlikethisisnevergood,becauseyoucanwinthefightbutstilllosethebusiness).Afterregularpractice,heisnowcompletelynaturalandrelaxed.Hesays,“Igetit.”Herelatestothemandeventalksabouthisowncoachingexperience.Heworkshiswayintoletthemagreetosendthemourinformationandasksthemsimplytobeopen-

mindedaboutitwhentheygetit—amuchmoreproductiveapproachthatturnedseveralnosintoyeses.

Whilethoseexamplesofscrimmagingaresalesandcustomerbased,leadersineverydepartmentandindustryshouldknowthathowwepresentisasimportantaswhatisbeingpresented.Infact,howtopresentisoneofthemost

basicandessentialskillstoscrimmage,andyoucandoityourself.IfirstdidthisatSprintbeforedeliveringoperation,or“ops,”reviewswhentheC-suite(theCMO,CFO,CEO,etal.)cametotown.Liketheotherdivisionleaders,Ipreparedmypresentationandstudiedmynotes,butIalsorealizedthatthedeliveryofmyopsreviewwasjustasimportantasmy

content—maybeevenmoreimportant.So,inthedaysleadinguptomypresentation,Isetupmycameraandrecordedit.Then,Iwouldwatchitnotonlytoseehowitfelttoseemepresentbutalsototakenotesaboutmyperformance:WherewasIstrongandweak?WheredidIlookfake?WheredidIgetlostorstumbleovermywords?And

letmetellyousomething.Itmightbeawkwardfunwatchingyourselfpracticeapresentationonce,butitismiserablethesecondtimeandbeyond—andpowerful.OnceIstoppedfeelinggoofyandworryingaboutwhatIlookedlike,itwasunbelievablehowawareIbecameofeverythingIsaid.Isawthetruevalue,andeveryopsreviewIdeliveredwent

well.Recordingyourselfwitha

cameraisthebestwaytoscrimmageapresentationbecauseyoucanseeyourbodylanguageaswellashearyourwords.Butadigitalvoicerecorderisbetterthannothing.Ifitfeelsstrangedoingthat,reachouttoafriendortwoandoffertobuythemlunchiftheylistentoyoupresentastheyeatand

giveyoudirectedfeedbackafter.WhenIworkedalone,Iwouldpracticemymostimportantpresentationsaloneandinfrontofmywife,kids,andmother-in-lawandtellthemwhattolookfor:DoIscreamoremotetoomuch?Doesmyvoiceinflectionsoundokay?AmIspeakingtoofast?Tothisday,thenightbeforeIdoaspeech,Iaminmyroomgoingthrough

thestoriesthatarenewaswellasthoseIhavedeliveredtoaudiencesdozensoftimes.IdothisnotbecauseIdonotknowthembutbecauseIwanttodeliverthemperfectlyandmakesureeverythingIsaystillsoundsfreshandrelevanttomebeforeIstepontothestage.

Thatsaid,scrimmagingpresentationsoranythingelsetakestimetoachievethebest

results,andbusinessleadersalwaystellmethey’retoobusyputtingoutfires,returninge-mails,makingclientcalls,andattendingmeetingstoscrimmageastheydoinsports.Afterall,coachesofsportsteamsandtheirplayersarepaidtopracticeandcoach,right?That’snotonlyanexcusebutalsountrue.Mostcoachesinsportswouldarguetheyhave

justasmanydistractionsaswedoinbusiness;theyjustbelievetherearenoexcusesformissingpractice.SodomyclientsatoneofthelargestproductmanufacturersintheUnitedStates.Theyhaveeventakentheirpracticingprogramsonlineandmandatedweeklyscrimmagesonthingslikepitchingonthephone.Asaresult,theteamshave

engagedtheprogramsevenfurther,oftendoingskillsscrimmagingbeyondtheweeklysessions.Someteamshaveseentheirresultsdouble,andallofthemhavelearnedthat,astheykeepgettingbetteratwhattheydobypracticing,theygetmoreefficientwiththeirtimetoo.

The Biggest Enemy

of Practice Is “WeJust Hate Doing It”

Igetwhypracticeishard:Welovethe“game”butnotthepreparation.MaybethemostfunI’veeverhadinsportsismanagingmykid’sbaseballgames.Ilovedthegames.Ongameday,Iwasuptwohoursearlytohavemyrostersreadyandthinkaboutallthein-game

possibilities.ButIhateddoingthepractices.Ihatedplanningthem,sendingoutgrounderaftergrounder,explainingthedrills,andrepeatingthemtimeaftertime.Practicewasoftenboring,forthekidsandforme.Iwasthecoach.Ihadtogo.ButtheonlyreasonthosekidsshoweduptopracticeisbecauseImadethem.Businessisnodifferent.

Drillingtheskillsandthenworkingoverandoveragaincanbereallyboring.Remindingsomeoneoverandoveragainhowyousay“Hello”?Thatcanbelikenailsonachalkboard.Andhereiswhatmakesitmoremiserable:Itisthecoach’sjobtomakeitlivelyandfun—andithastokeepbeingfunafterthefirst,sixth,andhundredthweek.

Truthis,nooneshouldstoppracticinguntiltheyretireornolongerdesiretobethebesttheycanbe.Thosewhodismissitasunimportanteitherhatedoingit,don’tunderstanditsvalue,oraretooarroganttounderstanditsimportance.Anyonewhowantstoseeaperfect,ifextreme,exampleofthisarroganceinactionneedsonlytogoogle“AllenIverson

Practice”andwatchtheformerNBAstar’s2002post-gamecommentsonpractice.Iverson,oneofthemostprolificscorersinNBAhistory,hadledthe76erstotheNBAFinalsin2001.Thistiradehappenedaboutayearlater,aftertheteamlostinthefirstroundoftheplay-offsandIverson’scoachhadcriticizedhimforhurtingtheteambymissingpractices.

Iversonisbothconfusedandfrustratedbythereporters’wholelineofquestioningaboutthemissedpractices.

“I’msupposedtobethefranchiseplayerandwe’retalkingaboutpractice,”Iversonrants.“Notagame,we’retalkingaboutpractice....Howsillyisthat?IknowI’msupposedtobethere.IknowI’msupposedtoleadby

example....We’retalkingaboutpractice.Weain’ttalkingaboutthegame.We’retalkingaboutpractice....We’renottalkingabouttheactualgamewhenitmatters.We’retalkingaboutpractice....HowthehellcanImakemyteammatesbetterbypracticing?”

Trustme,Iamnottakinganyofthisoutofcontextto

proveapoint.Butpleasedon’tgothrowingstonesatIversonwithoutlookingatyourteamandyourselffirst.Iversonwasasupremelytalentedbasketballplayer.Howmanyofourbestplayersdoweletslideandnotholdaccountableformissingmeetingsorforthinkingcertaintasksarebeneaththem?Howmanypeoplewhoworkforus—notourworst,

Withoutpractice,allskills

ourbest—ifweaskedthemtoscrimmagesomething,wouldrolltheireyesandsaythatwascrazyanddismissitasunimportant?Areyourollingyoureyesnow?

Nobodyisthatgood.Thisisplainandsimplearrogance—maybenotasextremeas

start tofall off—fortheplayerand theteam.

Iverson’sbutstillarrogance.Wewouldneverletourkidsgetawaywiththatathomeoronthefield.ImaginebeingacoachofaLittleLeagueteamandoneofyourbestplayerscomesuptoyouhalfwaythroughthe

seasonandsays,“Coach,Ialreadyknowallthesedrillsandskills,andIdon’twanttocometopracticeanymore.I’lljustgotothegames.”Whatwouldhappenifyouallowedthat?Yourteamwouldgetworse.Youwouldbenchthekid.Idon’tevenwanttothinkhowIwouldreactifacoachtoldmeitwasmykid.Itshouldbethesameinbusiness.

Coaches MakePracticing Excitingand Fun

BusinessleadersshoulddowithpracticewhatEmerilusedtosay:“Takeitupanotch.”Makeitfastandenergetic.I’vedone“firescrimmaging”withentireteamstokeepthingsmovingquickly.Notreadyforthat?Here’sonewayIdoitatmy

workshops:IpickpeopleoutoftheaudiencetodoaquickscrimmagewithmeasifIwereaclient.Istopthemaftertwominutesandmakethemdoitagain.Istopthemafteroneminuteandsaydoitagain.Then,Istopthemandsay,“Whydon’tyouchangeitupanddosomethingcrazy,maybesomethingyouarethinkingaboutdoingbutwouldneversayinareal

meeting?”Thenwedoitagainforoneminuteandthenagain,andeverytime,thepersongetsmoreandmoreconfident.Theaudienceseesthis,justlikeyourteamwill.Andweallhavefun.

ThisworksevenwhenIpickthesurliest-lookingpersonintheroom.IwasataneventforaFortune100clientofmine,andIspottedhimrightaway:amiddle-

agedguyinhipglasseskickingbackwithaposturethatsaidTooCoolforSchool.Hecouldn’tcarelessaboutwhatIwassaying,andhehadanamelikeAceorsomethingthatwentperfectlywithhisposture.Acewastoocooltoscrimmage.ButsometimestheAcescanbeturnedintoaces.Sometimestheyaresurlyonlybecausetheywantattentionthattheyhavenever

beengivenasatopperformer.Iusuallyhavetoworkhardertogetthescrimmagegoing,buttheAceswhoaren’tasseswilleventuallystepupinfrontoftheirteams.Andwhentheydo,scrimmagingbecomesevenmorepowerful,becauseAcecannowhelpmaketheteamacestoo.

Justrememberyourcoachingprinciples:

Everyonehastogotopractice,butfocusmostonthetopperformers.Thinkaboutit.Ifyoucanimproveyourbesttwoemployees,howmuchwilltheentireteam’sresultsgoup?Whilegreatcoachesknowthatalltheirplayerswillgetbetterthroughpractice,andeveryonemustparticipate,gettingtheirtopperformerstopracticefirstanddomore

supportsacultureinwhichotherteammembersstrivetoearntherightformoretimewiththem.Doingtheopposite—spendingthemosttimewiththosewhoarestruggling—institutesthebeliefthatoncepeoplegettoacertainlevel,theynolongerhavetopractice.Bettertospendthemosttimewithtopperformersandhaveeveryonetryingtobeintheir

position.Theexceptiontothisrule

isthenewhire.AswewillcoverinmoredepthinChapter6,leaderscannotthrowtheirnewhiresor“rookies”onthebenchwiththethirdstring.Theyhavetogivethemattentionandpracticewiththemasiftheyaretopperformerstodecidequicklyiftheyaregoingtomakeit.Theydeserveyour

attentionbecauseyou’vedecidedtobringthemontotheteam.Givethemeverythingyou’vegottoseeiftheygotothefirststringorthebench.

Yeah, We Used toPractice. . . .

Andonceyou’vegotthisentirepracticethinggoing?

Keepitgoing.Evenwhenwegetstartedpracticing,wecaneventuallygettiredofitandthink,“Hey,we’vedonethisforeightweeksandeveryonehasstartedgettingalittlebetter.Solet’sstop.”Butthoseeightweeksof“better”werebecauseofeightweeksofpractice.OfthehundredsofcompaniesIhaveworkedwithonimplementingapracticeandskill

developmentprogram,everyoneofthemseesandbelievesinthebenefitofskilldevelopment.But,sadly,lessthanhalfofthoseclientsmaintainitonaconsistentbasis.Theydon’tstopbecausetheydon’tbelieveinit;theystopbecauseitishardwork,time-consuming,andnotinstantlygratifying.

Forexample,ifaleaderhassevendirectreportsand

shewantstoimplementaweeklypracticemeeting(inplaceofastaffmeeting)withone-on-onecoachingsessionsforeachmember,she’slookingatanadditionaleighthourstofitintoherweek.Doesshehavethoseeighthoursjustlyingaround?Probablynot.Butshestillneedstofindthetimeandprioritizepracticeabovealmosteverythingelse.Can

youthinkofanything—whetherabusinessskill,sport,orhobby—that,ifyouspentfiftyhoursayearworkingwithacoachon,youwouldn’tbebetterat?

Yes,coachingandskilldevelopmentareredundant.Yes,practicingthesameskilloverandoverisnotnewandexciting.Yes,itistime-consuming.Yes,itisfrustratingnottosee

immediateprogressorevenfailure.Yes,itrequiresconflictandwe’drathertellpeople“Thatwasgood”insteadof“Here’showyoucanmakeitbetter.”

Butthenexttimeateammemberischallengedtousethatdevelopingskillandismoresuccessful,itiscompletelyexhilarating.Thehardertheskillwedevelop,thestrongertheresult,andas

wemasterskills,theybecomelesshardtopractice.Ayearlater,Iguarantee,yourteamwillbebetterthantheywere,notjustolder.

Takeaways:SkillPracticeandPlayer

Development

Coachesmustmandate

practiceandunderstandthedifferencebetweenpracticeandtraining.Whatmakesabusinesspersona

greatassetisnotexperiencebutskill.Scrimmagingisthekeytosuccessfulpractices.Takethe

advicewegivekidsinsports:“Practicelikeyouplay.”Keepscrimmagingfun,stayfocused(especially

ontopperformers),anddon’tgiveintotheurgetostop.

Chapter 2GIVEGAMEBALLSANDMVPS: RECOGNIZE

TEAMSANDINDIVIDUALSNot everybody getsor deserves a gameball in business.There are notrophies forparticipation.

AsImentionedatthestartofthisbook,Ihavebeen

fortunate(orcrazy)enoughtocoachmyson’sLittleLeaguebaseballteams.AndwhileI

mayknowathingortwoaboutcoachingandteambuilding,Iamnoexpertonthefinerpointsofbaseball.SomeofthosekidshadmuchbetterskillsthanI.Butabaseballcoachdoesn’tneedtheskillstofieldagrounderorswingabatbetterthantheteam,justtheskillsnecessarytomaketheteamgreat.Still,thetricksofthistradewerenotinmycoachingrepertoire.

KnowingIneededtoknowwhatIdidn’tknow,Iwenttobaseballcoachingclinicseveryyear.There,Irelearnedalessonfromthebusinessworldinbaseballterms:Coachingisnotjustabouttheball.Itismostly,andmostimportantly,aboutinstillingbeliefsintheteamandguidingthosebeliefsintosuccessfulaction.

Followingthatclinic,I

resolvedtousemytimeasacoachtoteachtheboysaboutlife,namelythatwhattheybelieveinandhowtheyactwillaffectthemnow,duringtheseason,andevenwhentheybecomeadults.IalsomadesuretheparentsoftheboysIcoachedhadaclearunderstandingthatthiswashowIwasgoingtocoachtheirkids.So,beforeeveryseason,Ihadtheplayersand

parentsovertomyhometodiscussmyteam“rules”fortheupcomingseason.TherulemostparentsstruggledwithwasoneInowrepeatconstantlyasabusinessleader:Noteveryonewillreceiveagameball,andsomepeoplemayreceivemorethanoneduringtheseason.

Awards and

Recognition MustBe Earned

Whetheritisbaseballorbusiness,unearnedawardsandrecognitiononlyservetostiflemotivationoftopperformerswhoreceivenothingspecialfortheirexcellence.Meanwhile,thosewhoreceiveunearnedawardsandrecognitionknowthey’rebeingundeservedly

acknowledgedor,worse,thinkwhattheyaredoingdeservesacknowledgment!Thisisnotjustunfairnessperpetratedbyseeminglybeingfairbutafailureofthecoachtopusheveryonetodotheirbest.Inmorethanfiveseasonsofcoaching,Istayedtruetomyword,andnoteverykidreceivedagameball.Butdidthatleadtomutinyintheranks?The

exactopposite:Everyteammemberwasproudofthosewhoearnedrecognitionandstrovetoearnagameballthemselves.

Today,thereareagrowingnumberofbooksthatbackupthisapproach.AsAshleyMerryman,coauthorofTopDog:TheScienceofWinningandLosing,wroteinTheNewYorkTimes:“Whetheryour

kidlovesLittleLeagueorgymnastics,asktheprogramorganizersthis:‘Whichkidsgetawards?’Iftheansweris,‘Everybodygetsatrophy,’findanotherprogram.”Ofcourse,coachesshouldalwaystrytofindatruesuccessfromeveryplayerandacknowledgethosesuccesses,buteachplayerstillhastoearnthebiggerrecognition.Iwantedmy

LittleLeagueboystoknowthatagameballisspecial.Businessleadersshouldobeythesameprinciple:Everyonedeservesachanceandrespect,buteverybodymustearnthe“gameball.”Theproblemis,toomanyleadersandorganizationsnowdowhatthosemisguidedyouthsportsleaguesdo—sacrificerewardingthosewhodeservecreditforexcellingsoasnot

toupsetthosewhodon’t.Icouldnotdisagreemorewiththisapproach.Ialso100percentdisagreethatcompetitionisunhealthy.IcoachmyLittleLeaguekidstobetheirbestandplaytowineverygamewithhumilityandgreatsportsmanship.Wewinwithmodestyandlosewithconfidence.Thisishowcoachesmustleadtheirteamsinbusiness.

Competitionis goodandhealthywhendoneright.

Simplyput,leadersmustappreciateeverymemberoftheirteamfortheireffortandcontributionswhilealsorecognizingthespecificachievements

ofthebestperformersfortheirexcellence.Sodon’tworryaboutleavingpeopleoutwhenawardinggameballs.Thisrecognitionofsuccessshowsyourgratitudeandhelpspushpeopletogreatness.Anddespitewhattheymightsay,mosteverybodywants,needs,andlikestoberecognizedandappreciatedregularly.Inmyexperience,evenpeoplewho

saytheydon’twantappreciation,orhaveatoughtimeacceptingit,desireitdeepdown.Mostpeoplewhosaytheydon’tneedrecognition,onlytheirpaycheck,areusuallybeinghumble,feelingbadforsomeoneelseontheteam,orlying;everyoneelseisjustbeingselfish.Sayingitmightalsobeasignofanythingfromalackofconfidencetoa

badattitudethatneedstobeconfronted.

IndividualRecognition Is Stillabout the Team

Recognizinganyteammemberwhodoesgreatthingsorachievessmallvictoriesbecomesunhealthy

onlywhenaleaderusesittoputdownothermembersorwhenitbecomesthedefiningmomentwithintheteam.Itisabalancingact,butit’snotterriblydifficult.Recognitionandrewardneedtoacknowledgeaperson’sperformanceandreinforcewitheveryonethatthepersonisstillpartofateam.Thisisespeciallytruewhenthemembersofateamwork

remotelyorontheroadandareusuallyoutofsight.It’salltooeasyforthoseteammemberstofeeldistantanddisconnected.Recognitionandappreciationfromthecoachhelpstiethemtothegroupandpulltheteamtogether.

Forexample,atthegymwhereIworkout,wecheereveryonetofinishstrong.Theonesfinishinglastgetthe

mostcheerstokeepthempressingforward,andthetopfinishersgetrecognitiononthe“leaderboard.”Thecheersareourwayofshowingappreciationforallwithoutdiminishingthesuccessofthetopperformers.Thelarge-scaleequivalentofthisinbusinessmightbeofferingayear-endtriporcelebrationforthosewhofinishaheadoftheteam’s

individualannualgoals.Ifdonerightandinahealthyway,onceyourtopperformersearnthatincentive,theyarestillyourleaders,buttheyhavenodisincentivetohelpingtheirteammatesgetintothespotlightand,asaresult,thoseleadersfeellessisolatedandtheteamwinsbig.

Buttheseprogramsdonotneedtoinvolveexpensive

orlavishgifts.Therearemanysmallgestureswithpracticallyzerocostthatcanfairlyrecognizeandappreciateanentireteamwithoutalienatingthetoporignoringthebottomperformers.Inmyfirstbook,ItoldthestoryoftheKingPinaward,whichconsistedofpassingabowlingpinawardfromwinnertowinnereveryweek.Therewardhadno

monetaryvalue;itwasbasedinprideandpersonalachievement.Aclientofminehasafantasticmethodforrecognizinghistopperformersandthesuccessesofallteammembers:abell.WhenIfirstvisitedhim,Inoticedthebell,butIdidn’tthinktoaskaboutituntilafterafewvisits.Hetoldmethatwhensomeoneontheteamdidsomethinggreat,

suchassetanelusiveappointment,closeasale,orrunasuccessfulevent,theteammemberwouldringthebell,whichsoundedthroughouttheoffice.Itoldhimhowawesomethatwas,andhetoldmethatitgaveeachpersonwhoringsitahugesenseofaccomplishmentaswellasrecognitionandcelebrationamonghisorherpeers.Italso

motivatedeveryone.Untilitdidn’t.

Keep the Bell, Firethe Employee

IwassoexcitedformyclientatthetimethatIfailedtorealizewhyIhadn’taskedaboutthebelluntiloneofmylatervisits:IneverhearditringwhenIwasthere.When

Iaskedhimaboutthis,hesighedandtoldmetheyhadstoppedusingitrecentlybecausetheteammemberswhohadn’trungthebellinquiteawhilewerefeeling“leftoutandignored.”Myclient’sintentionwasgood(nottohurthisemployees),butasaresult,heremovedsomethinggreatandcreatedabiggerproblem.

“Letmegetthisstraight,”

Isaid.“Youstoppedlettingthosewhoweredoingagreatjobandstrivingforsuccessringthebellandcelebratetheirsuccessesbecauseyoudidn’twanttohurtthepeoplewhofailedtohaveonesuccessworthshoutingabout?”

Myclientnodded.“Hereistheproblem,”Icontinued.“Peoplewhoresentthesuccessofotherswillnever

havesuccessthemselves.Youcan’thavepeopleonyourteamwhoresenttherecognitionandsuccessofothers.Youcan’thavepeopleonyourteamwhouselackofrecognitionasanexcusetofeelbadaboutthemselvesratherthantryingharder.”

WhatItriedtoexplaintomyclientthatday

rightrecognitioncreateshealthyenergy.

isessentialtothesuccessofanyrewardorrecognitionfrombelltoblowouttrip:Healthycompetitioncomesfrommembersoftheteamviewingothers’successesasamotivator—tolearnfromthemandachieve.Itisnotniceorsmartto

punishthosewhogiveyourteameverythingtheyhavetobe“nice”tothosewhodon’t.Whoareyoureallybeingniceto?Acknowledgingeveryoneissimplyamisguidedandselfishavoidanceofconflictbytheleader.

Have the RightSystem and Keep It

RealIhaveapassionfor

recognizingpeople,butmoretimesthannot,Igetbusyandforgettorecognizethoseteammemberswhodeserveit.Thus,likeanycoach,Ineedsystemstoshowappreciationandacknowledgesuccesses.Butatthesametime,IhavetobesureIdon’tmakethose

systemssoforcedthattheybecomeinsincere.Theyhavetobesustainedbutheartfeltandinformal.

Iemphasizenonformalitybecausesooftenwhenanorganizationdevisesaformaladhocprograminwhichrecognitionisparforthecourse,suchasaCOUPONFORBEINGCAUGHTDOINGSOMETHINGRIGHT,itgenerallymakestheentireprocess

seemdisingenuousanddislikedbyeveryone.Recognitioncannotbeforcedonpeople.Agenuinesenseofappreciationandnotaforcedactiontranslatestotheteam’sdoingsomethingbecausetheywantto,notbecausetheyhaveto.That’swhyformal,less-than-genuinerecognitionprogramsfadequickly.That’swhyagenuinethank-yougoesalotfurther

thanan“onthespot”giftcardthatispartofaforcedprogram.

Thebiggerproblemofforcedformalsystemsisthatthememoryofthembecomesabarriertofuturegenuinerecognition.Teammembersbecomeapprehensiveofanythingnew,includingongoingchangestotheorganizationalculturethatleadersmakewhenchanging

frommanagerstocoaches.Whatistrueforouremployeesisalsotrueforus:Oursincerityhastobefelt,andsoithastobereal.Leaderscan’tappreciateandrecognizeteammembersbygoingthroughthemotions.Wehavetomeanitandwanttodoit.Ifeitheroftheseisabsent,ouremployeesknowit.

Yousee

If theintentis real,thenthevaluewill bereal:Genuinelycelebratethesmall

thisinbusinessallthetimeandfeelitthesecondyouwalkinthedoor.Onceagain,itallgoesbackto“Hello.”Youwalkintoastoreandhearan

victories.unenthusiasticvoicesaysomethinglike,“Hello,welcometotheDungeonofService.HowmayIhelpyou?”Thewordsmayberight,buttheenergyandbodylanguagetellustheemployeeisonlygoingthroughthemotions.Sometimesyouwanttograbthesepeople,shakethem,andsay,“You

shouldjustquit,becauseyouobviouslydon’tlikedoingthisjob!”Ihavebeenknowntodothiswithservicepeopleattimes(minusthegrabbingandshaking).Andyetemployeeslikethisarenotentirelytoblame,becausetheyhaveneverreceivedanygenuinerecognitionorsincerityfromtheirleadersandthuslackthepassionandenthusiasmtoshowitto

others.Iamnotsayingthat

formalrewardsystemsarebad.Therearetimeswhenhavingformalrewardsystems—employeeofthemonth,topplayerofthemonth,bestteamplayer,etc.—arewarrantedandeffective.Buttheyareeasiertoimplementonthesalesandcustomerservicesidesofbusiness.Whenitcomestofactory

workers,accounting,humanresources,creative,andoperationsroles,aformalrewardsystembecomesmoredifficulttomaintain,andtokeepeveryonemotivatedandsustainingitcanbedifficultwhentheenergyfades.So,ifyou’regoingthroughthemotionstopickthismonth’sMVP,itmightbemoreprudenttoditchtheformalsystem.

Build a GenuineRecognitionSystem andSustain It

Onceleadersarereadytoestablishgenuinesystemsforaweeklyormonthlyrecognitionprogram,itisessentialtheystartbydecidingwhattheywanttorecognizebeforetheyfigure

outwhattherewardis.Takethetimetothinkitthroughandcreateit,andthendon’tbeafraidtochangeitifitneedschanging.Thebestprogramwilldevelopovertime,butdon’twait,becauseitwillneverbeperfect.Theonlythingmoreexpensivethanrewardprogramsandmotivatingyourteamisdoingnothingatall.Keepinmind:Ourpeoplenevertellusthey

arediscontentorbored;theyshowusbyleaving.

Startbythinkingofthetasksyourmostsuccessfulteammemberdoesthatyoucouldacknowledge:

Whatachievementsstandoutamongyour

teammemberswhoroutinelygoaboveandbeyondthecallofduty?Listthem.What

actionsoftheirsmakeyourjobasleadereasier?Listthem.Makealistoftheactions

thatmostandmaybeallofthemembersofyourteamneedtodobetter.What

wouldhelptheteammembersbetterservepeoplebothinternalandexternaltotheorganization?

AtSprint,Iwasfortunateenoughtoworkwithagreatfinanceleader,CharlieMoore.CharliewasinchargeoftheregionalfinanceteamfortheSoutheast,andIwasinchargeoftheregion’ssalesteams.Charlie’sjobwasfarmorepowerfulthanmine.Histeamwasresponsibleforhelpingthecompanycreatethetoolsandmatrixtomeasureourbusinessand

findwaystomaximizeourcustomerexperiences,sales,andprofitsinwaysthatmadefinancialsense.ButCharlieknewauthoritydoesnotmakeyoupowerful;realpowercomeswiththeabilitytobevaluabletoothersandhelpinfluencetheirsuccess.Andhowherecognizedthepeoplewhoworkedforhimcertainlyinfluencedme.

Rewardscanmeannothingif thecoachesareunclearaboutwhattheyare

financeandsalesrelationshipsaresummarizedas“thesalesteamsaretheretomakesales,andthefinanceteamsaretheretokeeptheminline.”Sales

recognizing.andfinancearealmostalwaysplacedinanadversarialrelationshipthatcreatesresentment—andIdidjokinglycallCharlie’steam“TheASS[AntiSalesSupport]Team.”Itwasallinfun,though,becauseCharlie’sformalrewardsystemwasanythingbutajokeandprovidedmewith

thefoundationIusetoguideleadersinsettinguptheirownformalsystems.

Tokeephisprocessasobjectiveaspossible,Charliefocusedonmeasurableachievements,thosehehadseenandthosehe’dlearnedaboutbyspeakingdirectlytopartnersandteamleaders.HereishowCharlieformedhisbasis.First,hedefinedtheattributesandactionsoftop

players:

GreatworkingrelationshipswithclientpartnersPartofthesolution,notpartofthe

problemHappilydoesthosetasksthatdon’tlooklikehisjobThinksoutsidethe

financeguidelinestoachievegreatandfinanciallysoundsuccessRemainshumblewhileoperating

withgreatconfidence

Thenhelistedtheactionseveryoneneededtodobetter:

Bevisibletoclientpartners(getoutofthe

office)BecomepartofthecreationprocesssotheirinvolvementisdesiredProactivelycallandmeet

withpartnersConstantlyworktohelptheirpartnersachievetheirgoals

Oncetheselistsweredone,Charliewasableto

outlinewhowouldberewardedandrecognizedeachmonth,andhisteamknewexactlywhattheyhadtodo.Charlieknewbeingagreatcoachmeantfocusingontheskillsandattributesoftopplayers,appreciatingeveryoneeveryday,andrecognizingexcellenceregularly,regardlessofthereward.Genuinerecognitionwasthepointbecausewhen

wecoachpeoplethisway,wearemakingthembetter.Whenwejustleadormanagepeople,wesometimesmakebusinessbetterandgivepeoplemoretenure,butwe’renotfocusedonthem,ontheirattributesandskills.Thinkingaboutwhatitmeanstowanttobeappreciatedcanthushelpusseethingsinadifferentway.

Remember: A JobMust Be More thana Paycheck

Intheend,coachesunderstandthemeaningofappreciationandhowpowerfulatoolitcanbe.

Afewyearsago,Iwastalkingtoagoodfriendofmineabouthisjob.Hetoldmehelikedhisjobokay,buthewasgrowingmoreand

moreboredwithit.Hemadegreatmoney,buthewasnotchallengedandfelthewasjustgoingthroughthemotions.Thefollowingyear,Icaughtupwithhimafterhiscompanywentthroughchanges,andtheactivitiesandrequirementsofhisjobhadchanged.Iaskedagainabouthisjob,andhesaid,“Iamworkingmytailoffandtraveling.Iamworking

harderandbeingchallengedmorethanever,butIdon’tmakeanymoremoney.”

Isaid,“Justayearago,youwereunhappyorboredbecauseyouwerenotdoingenough,andnowyoufeelyouaredoingtoomuch?”Iwasthinking,Whatwillmakethisboyhappy?Butmanyofusareexactlylikemyfriendintheworkplace—notsurewhatismissing,yetknowing

somethingismissing.Myfriendisasuperstaremployeeforalargetelecomcompany:hardworking,verypassionate,andalwayswillingtodowhatittakestohelphisteamandsupporthisleadershipandclients.Helovesthecompany,anditisagreatonetoworkfor.Butmyfriendworksremotelyandtravelstoseehisclients.Itisalonelyjobalotofthetime,away

fromtheteamandapartfromtheintimateinvolvementandsupportofthoseheworkswith.Hefeltunappreciatedandunconnectedtosomethingbigger.

Sinceremoteofficesandleadershipareawayoflifeinmostbusinesses,itismoreimportantthaneverthatwecompensateforthelackofateamenvironment.Concluding“itiswhatitis”

willgetusnowhere.Fortunately,myfriend’snewbosswasacoachandunderstoodthis.Heheardwhatmyfriendwanted:appreciation,respect,and,mostimportant,tobeincludedinsomethingbigger.Heknewmyfriend’sneedforallthiswouldneverbeoffsetbymoneyshort-termifhecontinuedtobeunhappylong-term.Andso,hemade

myfriendcomeintotheofficeandworkmorefromthere.

Myfriend,I’mgladtosay,nowloveshisjobmorethanever.Althoughheatfirstcomplainedofhavingtogototheofficeeverydayandnottravelingasmuch,heisbeingchallengedandhefeelsappreciatedandrecognizedforhiseffortsandsuccess,notonlybythebossand

companybutbyhisteamaswell.Leaderslikemyfriend’sbossknowtheymustnurturethosewhostriveforgreatachievementsanddemonstrateallofthegreatattributesofwinningteammembers:passion,desire,greatattitude,greatenergy,caring,andprideintheirwork.That’snotsomefeel-good,touchy-feelymumbojumbo;itisrealstuffthat

goesbeyondthepaycheck.

Takeaways:GameBallsandMVPs

Winningmatters:Don’tbeafraidtorecognizethosewho

winandtoappreciatethetopperformers.Rewardsandrecognitionshowappreciationforthosewhodo

greatthingsandmotivateotherstostriveforgreatthings.Don’thurtthosewho

giveyoueverythingtopleasethosewhogiveyouverylittle.Implementreward

andrecognitiontochangebehaviorpositivelyandsustainit—forleadersandtheteam.Be

genuineinyourappreciationandrecognition,ordon’tdoitatall.

Chapter 3HAVEQUARTERLYGAMEPLANSAND PEERPRESENTATIONS

Having a planversus having athought

Manyorganizationsandleaderssaytheyusesometypeofyearlyorquarterly

businessplan.Perhapsyouhaveoneyourselfinadeskdraweroronabookshelf.Chancesareyouhaven’tlookedatitsinceyoumadeit.Yeteveryfourthquarter,mostleadersdothesamething:Takelastyear’sbusinessplan,blowthedustoffofit,changethedateto

thefollowingyear,updatethenumbersinthegraphs,andcallitgood.Makeaplanforthenewyear?Check!

Sadly,somecompaniesarehappywiththis.Ihaveseentoomanyleadersandteamsattainconsistentlymediocreperformancesimplybynotusingtheirgameplansandupdatingthemquarterly.Imaginehowsuccessfultheywouldbeiftheyacted

deliberatelyandpurposefully.Theseplansareoneofthebesttoolscoacheshavetoholdtheirteamsaccountable.Butatleastthoseleaderswiththedustyplansareonebigstepfurtherinplanningthanthecountlessleadersouttherewho,ifyouaskedtoseetheirplan,wouldsmile,taptheirindexfingertotheirtemple,andsay,“Igotitrighthere.”Imaginehowsuccessfulthey

wouldbeiftheyactuallygotasfaraswritingthatplan.Let’sclearthisuprightnow:Whattheyhaveisathought,notaplan.They’rewingingit,gamblingonideasthathaven’tbeenfullyrealizedinthemostcompleteandeffectiveway.

Athoughtbecomesaplanwhenyouwriteitdown—whenyoucanseeit,critiqueit,putitintoaction,

andreviseitbasedonexperience.Leadersmightbedoingokayimplementingthethoughtstheyhavewithouttakingthetimetowritethemout,butthey’renotreachingtheirfullpotential,andneitheraretheirteams.They’renotseeingalloptionsandavenues.Youcan’tdothatwithathoughtoraplansittingonashelfforelevenmonthsoftheyear.Nocoach

can.Insports,ifacoachdoesnotprepareagameplan,writeitout,andupdateitthroughouttheseason,heisnotsettinguphisteamforsuccess.HaveyouseenthesizeofanNFLplaybook?Itqualifiesasweightliftingtome.Businessshouldbethesameway—maybenotinthesizeoftheplanbutinitsimportancetoleadersandtheirteams.Coachesmust

developandusetheseplans.Theyareessentialtoensuringthatteammembersregularlyrefocusandtomeasuringtheirsuccess.

Thinkofitthisway:Youusesomeschedulingsoftwareordeskcalendar,right?Youdon’ttrytoremembereveryappointment.Whenyougotomeetings,youtakenotestorememberthings,scribblequestionsyouwanttoask,

andmaybepostsomethingonsocialmediawhensomethinginspiresyou.Youwanttorememberit.Youkeeprecords.Youmakeuseofthewrittenwordwhenyou’reseriousaboutdocumenting,studying,andremembering.Yeah,youmightgettherebymovingfromthoughttoaction,butwritingitoutfirstmakesitvisibleandunderstandabletoeveryone,

revisable,andthusmuchmoreimprovable.

Write Down YourPlan

Atruegameplanneedsconsistentreviewing,adjustments,andupdates.Keepitopenonyourdesk,computer,orportabledevice.Mandateyourteam

doitaswell.Inspecttheirgameplanstoo:Makesurethey’reusingtheirsbyusingyours.

IamthefirstonetoadmitIdon’tlikedoingthis.Forme,writingplans—heck,writinganything—ranksrightuptherewithrootcanalsandcolonoscopies.Ilovetalking.Icantalkaboutleadershipcoachingallday,everyday,365daysayear.However,

evenIadmitthatmytalkingimproveswhenIwritedownideas,lookatthem,andpassthemontoothersforreview.WritingdownmyideasenablesmetobeintentionalaboutwhatIsayandwhatIdo.I’mnotwingingitfrommybrain.IknowwhereI’mgoingandhowI’mgoingtogettherebecauseI’veplannedmyroute...andthenIplanitagainandagain.

Withouta gameplan,allleadersend updoingisreacting.

Theenemyofaneffectivegameplanisthesetofexcusesleadersmakeasreasonswhycomposingadetailedgameplanwouldbeawasteofour

time:“IalreadydowhatIneedtodo”or“IhaveitonmyiPadto-dolist”or“I’vebeendoingthisjobfortwentyyears,soIknowallIneedtoknow.”Perhapsmyfavoriteexcuseis“Myschedulechangeseverydayandtoomuchtoplansofarahead.”Whenitcomestoourexcuses,wesoundnodifferentfromourkids.Iknowwhatwouldhappenif

myson’sschooldidnothaveasetschedulebutjusttoldhimtoattendEnglish,math,economics,andSpanishandmakesurehegrabbedlunch.Mysonisagreatkidandhewouldhaveeveryintentionofgoingtoclass,butchancesarehewouldmisseverythingbutlunch.Wehavetomakeourselvesovercometheequivalentasleaders.Weneedtoeitherplanouractions

andletothersreactorspendourtimeunplannedandgetlostreactingtoothers’actions.

Remember theDifference betweena Game Plan and a“Set of Results”

WhenIasktoseea

client’sbusinessplan,Iusuallygetalistofsales,budget,production,safety,andothergoals.These“plans”andtheresultstheyhopetoachievearenotgameplansbutsummariesofobjectives.Goalsandobjectivesshouldcompriseapartofanygameplan,buttheycannotbetheentiretyofthatplan.Thiswouldbetheequivalentofthecoachofa

footballteamtossingasidehisplaybookandsaying,“Wewanttoscorepointsandwinthegame.Wewanttokeepourplayershealthyandprotectthequarterbackandplaygreatdefenseandthuswinasmanyofthesegamesaswecanandmaketheplay-offs.Then,wewanttogototheSuperBowlandwin!”

“Okay,”theteamwouldsay.“Buthow?”That

“How?”isthequestionthegameplanissupposedtoanswer.Atruegameplannotestheactivitiesandplaysyouwillneedtoexecutetoreachyourobjectives.Ittellstheteamwhattheyaregoingtodotoachievetheirgoals,andhowandwhentheyaregoingtodoit.Here,forexample,arewhatacoupleofshortgameplansmightlooklikefora

plantmanager.

What:Walktheplantfloor.When:4timesperday(8A.M.,11A.M.,2P.M.,5

P.M.)How:Inspect,assistwhereneeded,pointoutsuperstars,interactwitheachteam

member,givedirectionasneeded.

What:Conductone-on-onemeetingswithteam

supervisors.When:Onceperweek(Setitonthecalendaratthebeginningofeachmonth.)How:

Duringmyweeklymeetings,discussperformanceoftheteams.Discussanyleadershiporpersonnel

issues.Spend10minutesonpersonalgrowth.

Now,arealgameplanforthisplantmanagershouldbemorein-depth,withmoredetailabouttheactivitiesthatincludetimeallocationsand

content,butatthesametime,itdoesnotneedtofillathree-ringbinderjustforshow.Itshouldbeamanageabledocumentthatisconsultedweekly,ifnotdaily.Ifprinted,itshouldbecoveredwithcoffeestainsandinkfromconstantmorningreview.

Mandate the Team

to Keep GamePlans Current andFocused

Aftercreatingagameplan,coachesmustkeepitinplayandupdated.Likesustainingskillpracticeandrecognitionprograms,thisisalwaysabiggerchallengethancreatingtheprogram.Thisiswhereleaderscanbringtheirteamsintohelp.I

havefoundthattheonlywayIhavebeenabletokeepmyplanrelevantandinplayisbyrequiringmyteamtodoit.Doingthisholdsthemaccountableandholdsmeaccountableaswell.Toomanyleadersdon’tmandatetheirpeopletodothisbecausethentheywouldhavetodoit—alegitimateconcernbutnotagoodone.

How,in

We willdo onlywhatwe areheldaccountableto do.

practice,doyoumandatetheuseofagameplan?Incorporateitinyourone-on-onemeetingswithyourteam.Useitonthedayyouplanyournextweek.Ifyouarethinkingthat

youdon’thavethetimetoreviewyourplaninpreparationforthenextmeeting,thenstartyourgameplanthere!Leadershipinmostbusinessesdoesnothaveadailystructure.Inmostcompanies,itisuptotheleadertocoordinatethekeyactivitiestocreateastructure.Sodothatandmakeitapartofthegameplan.Afterthat,addthe

specifictasksyouneedtobedoingtogrowyourbusinessandyourteam.

Recently,Iwasconductinga“preparationcall”withanewclientintheshippingandtransportationindustry.Ispendaboutanhouronthesecalls,askingeverythingabouttheirorganization,people,keyactivities,andgoals.Thatway,Icangetthebest

understandingoftheircultureandmakemypresentationcustomizedandrelevanttotheirspecificbusiness.Duringthisparticularcall,Iaskedmyclienttodescribetheperfectdayandweekofactivitiesforapersoninsuch-and-sucharole.“TellmeasifIwerearobotandIwoulddoexactlywhatyouwantandneedmetodotobethebestatthatposition,”Isaid.

Herewasheranswer:“YouwouldgoonfiveclientmeetingsaweekandconductfivemeetingswiththeGMinchargeofthoselocationsandmeetwiththenumberoneproducerofeachoffice.Next,Iwouldexpectyoutogoonfourjointcallswithourfieldagents.Iwouldalsoexpectthattheagentsviewyouasagreatenoughvaluetohaveinvitedyoutogotothese

meetingswiththem.Last,youwouldbeinyourofficedoingadministrativestuffonlyonedayperweek.Mostofyourtimewouldbeinthefieldwithyourteamandclients.”

“Perfect,”Isaid.“Nowtellmewhatishappeningintherealworld.”

“Wellthetoptenpercentofourteammembersaredoingtheseactivities,and

mostofthemaredoingmuchmore.Aboutfiftypercentarefulfillinghalfoftheseexpectations.Therestaredoingabouttenpercentoftheexpectedactivities.”

“Whyaremostofthemnotdoingwhatyouexpect?”Iasked.Thatwasthequestiontheywantedmetoanswer,butmycallhadalreadyrevealedwhatitwas.Whydoesanycompanylikethis

tolerateemployeeswhodonotdotheexpectedactivities?Theanswerisalackofaccountability.

Havingourteammemberscreate,use,andupdategameplansisagreatwaytoholdourteamsandusaccountabletothem.Hereisthebig-pictureviewofhowthisworksinmybusiness:

IgivemyteammembersexpectationsthatincludeallkeyactivitiesIbelieveareimperative

fortheirsuccess.Inmyexpectationsfortheteam,alongwithexpectedactivities,Ialsoprovideexpected

results.Theteammembersinturncreatetheirownpersonalgameplansforhowtheyare

goingtoexceedmyexpectations.Wereviewtheirgameplansandmakesureweboth

agreethatitmakessenseandwillgeneratethebestpossibleresults.(Bysayingwebothagree

meanswedon’tgobelowmyminimumexpectations,andtheplansarepushingthemoutside

theircomfortzone.)Oncewehaveagreedandallnecessarychangeshavebeenmade,itbecomes

ourlaw,ourpersonalcommitment,andtheoverallmaptooursuccess.

Mygameplansarethedocumentseachpersononmyteamwillbeheld

accountableforeveryday,week,month,quarter,andyear.Itisnowalsotheirdocument—onetheyhaveownershipofandnotonethatwasgiventothembycorporateorbymeplayingMoses.Theyhavecreatedandcommittedtodoingit.Thisisbasicbusinessethics—doingwhatyousayyouwilldo.SoallIamaskingofmyteammembersisthatthey

beethical.

Quarterly PlansMakeAccountabilityBetter at the Topand Bottom

Withoutfail,everytimemyteamandIdoourplans,mytopperformers,orsoonto

betopperformers,exceedmyexpectationsregardingactivitiesandresults.IfIaskthemtodofiveofsomething,theywillcommittoeightandthenperformten.IfIaskthemfor$1,000inrevenue,theywillcommitto$1,200andthenperformto$1,500.Logicalthinking,whichwewillcoverinthenextchapter,keepsgrowingandgrowing.

Andwithoutfail,every

timewedoourplans,mybottomperformerstrytojustifywhytheexpectationsregardingactivitiesandresultsareunrealisticortoohigh.Noneoftheirreasonsarebasedontheirownabilityorlackofdesire.Itisalwayssomeoneelse’sfaultorthecompany’sfault.Thismightrevealsomethingasseriousasalatentcaseofvictimdisease(seeChapter8)ora

lackofcommitment.Oritmighthelpleadersaddressaproblemwedidnotsee,suchasamisunderstandingofthegoalandthereasonsbehindthebusinessplan.Whateverthecausefortheexcuses,Ihavefounditbesttoaddressthemupfront.Thisway,theteammembershavetimetorethinktheircommitment,rethinktheirdesiretobeintheirposition,orrethinkwhat

theydidnotunderstandsotherearenomoremisunderstandingsonmypartortheirs.

Irememberreviewingoneofmyteammember’sbusinessplanswithhimanddiscussinghiscommittedactivityandresults.Hewasexperiencedandknowledgeableaboutthebusinessbutlackedasenseofurgencyanddesiretoget

betterandreallystriveformore.Hetoldmethatmyexpectationswereunrealisticandofferedseveralreasonswhy.Ilethimshareallofhisconcerns,perceivedobstacles,andexcuseswithme.Infact,Iacknowledgedthatmanyofhispointswerefairlyaccurate.Butwegetpaidtomakebusinesshappen,nottositbackandwaitforthingstohappen

becausethingsareoutofourcontrol.Isharedwithhimallofthereasonswhyandhowweneededtoovercometheobstacles—bothrealandmerelyperceived.IwantedhimtohearfrommethatIwasmoreconcernedwithhowherespondedthanwiththeissuesinhisresponse.SoItoldhimallofthis.

Isaid,“Mr.X,Iammostconcernedthatyoutruly

believetheseexpectationscannotbemet,givenourcurrentsituation,andthatyouareunwillingtodothefollowingexpectedactivitiesfromourplantoachieveourgoal.Irespectandappreciateyourhonestyandsharing,soIwanttomakesureIgiveyouthesameopennessandhonestyaswell.Attheendoftheday,wegetpaidtoovercomeobstaclesandnot

toacceptanyexcuses.Theseactivitieshavetobemetandtheresultswillfollow,butonlyiftheyaredonewiththepassionanddrivetogetthemdone.Iamconcernedthatyouwillbeunabletoacceptthisplanandleadyourteamwiththeseinitiatives.”

Then,Iturnedtothegameplanwehaddevelopedandcontinued,“Youarecorrectthattheseexpectations

arehardandwillrequirechangeandalargecommitment,andthatiswhatweneedfromeveryone,includingyou.Ineedyoutogothinkthroughthisgameplananddecideifthisissomethingyoucanbelieveinandchoosetodowithouthesitation.Ifnot,Iunderstandandrespectyourappraisalofthesituationandyourabilities.Withthatbeingsaid,

wemayneedtomakeadecisionaboutwhereyougonext.Iwouldbemorethanhappytofindabetterfitforyourattributesandskills,whetheritisinsidetheorganizationoroutsidetheorganization.”

Thenextday,Mr.Xcameintomyofficeandtoldmehewas“in”andwillingtodoeverythinghecouldtomeetmyexpectations.

Problemis,hethoughtthiswaswhatIwantedtohear.Itwasn’t.Iwantedtohearhimdeclarehiscommitmenttothegameplananddeliveronitandthenexceedmyexpectations.Withoutconsideringthegameplaninfrontofus,Mr.X’swordswereempty,whichiswhattoomanyleadershave—emptypagestoholdpeoplelikeMr.Xaccountableto.

Withtheplanonthetable,Mr.XandIbothknewhehadnorealintentionofimplementingit;webothknewhewouldneverbeaccountableforit.Withinsixweeks,Mr.Xsecuredapositionoutsidethecompanythatwouldbetterfithisgoalsandaspirations,andIwasabletoputanewpassionateandcommittedteammemberinhisplace.Inlessthansix

months,theteamwasontracktosetnewrecords.

Presenting PlansPeer to Peer, NotJust Coach toTeam, IncreasesAccountability

Justasteammatesneedtogetusedtoscrimmaging

skillsandactivities,Iamahugebelieverthatteamsalsoshouldpresenttheirbusinessplansinfrontoftheirpeersandcoacheswheneverpossible.So,oncecoachesandteamshavecreatedtheirgameplans,agreedtothegameplans,andtalkedabouttheimportanceofholdingteamsaccountableforthegameplans,itisthentimetodiscusspresentingthegame

plan.Therearelotsoflittlereasonsforthis,butthethreebiggestreasonsarethemostimportant:

GroupaccountabilitySharingbestpracticesDevelopingpresentationskills

Group accountabilityWhenwepresentinfront

ofourpeersandmakepersonalcommitments,wearemorelikelytodowhatwecommittedtodo.IencouragethegroupstogetinvolvedandeventocallBSwhentheyseeit—nottohumiliateorhurttheirpeersbuttohelpandchallengethemtobebetter.Thereisnohidingfromtheaccountabilityonce

theyarefinished,either.Myteammemberswhoparticipatedinquarterlypeerreviewsknewthat,inninetydays,wewouldbestandinginfrontofoneanotherexplaininghowwedidcomparedtoourcommitments.Thisnotonlyempowerstheteamtobeaccountabletooneanotherbutalsotakessomeoftheaccountabilitypressureoff

thecoach’sshouldersinthebestway.

Sharing best practicesItisonethingtoexceed

expectations;itisanothertolearnwhattheymeanoverthelongterm.Peer-to-peerpresentationsessionshavethepowertoshatterexpectationsofwhatcannotbedone,becauseteammembersnotonlyhearhowfellow

membersachievedwhatotherssaidcouldnotbedonebutalsohearaboutthebenefitsofdoingso.Thisleadstoencouragement,motivation,and,perhaps,thefuelofhealthycompetition,pushinglowerperformerstoreachthetop,andtopperformerstogetbetterandexceedexpectationsinordertostayahead.Thisiswhysharingbestpracticesis

usuallythemostboisterousandfavoritepartofeachperson’spresentation.Itgiveseveryoneachancetoshine,feelgood,andsharethingsthatareworking.

Developing presentationskills

Publicspeakingisoneofthegreatestfearsinbusinesstoday.Peer-to-peerpresentationsovercomethis

inawaythatgoesbeyondscrimmagingtobuildconfidenceandpersonalgrowthtoptobottom.Iwasworkingwithaclientconductingpeerreviewswhenoneofthemostexperiencedemployeeshadtheworstpresentation.Hiscontentandactivitiesweregreat,buthispresentationwasdry.Hisbodylanguagewassopoor,youwouldhave

thoughthehatedhisjob—yethespokeanddidsmallpresentationsinsideandoutsidetheorganizationonaregularbasis....Yikes!WhenIaskedmyclientifhewassurprisedbytheperson’spresentationskills,hesaid,“Yes,Iamshocked.Ithoughthewouldhavedonebetterthanthatsincehepresentsinhisjob.”

Overthenextseveral

months,duringone-on-onemeetingsandspecialtimesetaside,wescrimmagedthisemployee’spresentationskills.Thenextpresentation,ninetydayslater,showedincredibleimprovement.Hepreparedmoreanddidnotreadtheslides;instead,hetoldastoryandusedtheslidesasaguide.Hewasengagingandentertaining.Theconversationsaboutthis

employee’sperformancewereinitiallydifficult,butafterayearofpeerreviewsandongoingcoaching,thisemployeebelievedinhimselfandfeltmoreconfidentinwhathedoes—anditshowed.

Ofcourse,likemanythingsthataregoodforus,thereisacosttoconductingpeerreviewsofourgameplans.Peerreviews,liketheplansthemselves,sometimes

fallpreytothe“powerofthenew,”gainingtractionatfirstbutwanderingfromtheroadandfadingfromviewsoonafter.Theygetremovedfromthekeyactivitieslistbecausetheytaketime(assumingeachpersonhasuptoforty-fiveminutestopresent).Forcoachesandtheirteams,itcanbeabeatdowntositthereandlistentoeveryone’spresentation,butitisa

beneficialbeatdown.Trustme:Therewardsofeverybodyhavingarenewedfocuseverythreemonthsthroughpeer-to-peergameplanpresentationsmakeupforthecoupleofdaysinpreparationandthecoupleofdaysinpresenting.

Thinkofhowfastyourbusinesschanges—weekly,evendailyinsomecases.Are

quarterlyadjustmentsandupdatesreallytoofrequent?Isn’thavingagameplanthatismorethansomethingthatsitsinathree-ringbindergatheringdustonashelf,butinsteadraisestheaccountabilityleveloftheentireteam,goingtohelpyouwinbetterandmore?Everyteaminsportsneedsagameplantocompeteandwin.Remember:Creatingitisjust

thebeginning.Wemustuseitandpresentandshareitforoptimalresults.

Takeaways:QuarterlyGamePlansand

PeerPresentations

Theonlythingworsethanan

ignoredorbadgameplanisnogameplan—ifitisnotwrittendown,it’sathought,nota

plan.Gameplanscanbeatime-consumingbeatdown,sowhiletheyareextremelyimportant,theygetdone

onlywhenaleaderorcoachmandatesthem.Don’tstopreviewingyourplans,no

matterhowbusyyourteambecomesorhowrepetitivethereviews.Peerpresentationsare

tough,time-consuming,andsometimesinconvenient,buttherewardsareHUGEforpresentationskills,

focus,best-practicesharing,accountability,andsuccess.

Chapter 4SETLOGICAL,NOTREALISTIC,GOALSTake the power out

of the past and strivefor what can bedone, not what hasbeen done.

Whydothebestcoachesinsportsalwayshavetheconfidenceofthe

ownersandplayersthattheycanwin,andevenwinitalleveryyear—althoughtheydon’twinitalleveryyear?Becausenoonewinsitalleveryyear.Theydowinandlosechampionshipsandhavegreatoverallwon-lostrecords,butthatisirrelevant.Thebestcoachesdon’trest

ontheirpastlaurels.Theycelebratetheachievementandthenhavetheabilitytoforgetthepastanduseitforexperienceratherthanasaforecaster.Theyreevaluateeverythingeachseason,beginninganewwithrevisedgameplansandthelogicalbeliefthattheirteamscanbeattheotherteamseverytime.

Itdoesn’tmatterwhat

thosecoaches’teamslooklikeonpaperorthat“experts”inthemediaaretellingthemitisnotrealistic.Itisnotaboutsettingrealisticgoals.Itisaboutthinkinglogically.Beinglogicalsimplymeansthatgivenenoughtime,commitment,andskill,thatteamcouldwineverygameandwinitall.Hasitbeendoneinthemodernera?Onceortwice.Soisitpossible?

Yes.Andnow,evenifastarplayergetshurtandtheyloseagameormissthepost-season,thosecoaches’teamsstillhavewinningattitudesthatmakeforgreatteams,seasons,championships,dynasties,andwinningculturespeoplewanttoplayforandfanswanttoseeyearinandyearout.

Itshouldbenodifferentforleaderswhoarecoaches

inbusiness.Inbusiness,beinglogicalmeansbelievingthatsometeamorcompanyhastobenumberone,sowhynotmine?Leavetherealisticgoalsettingforfinanceandmakingbudgets.Beingrealisticalmosteverywhereelselimitsustothestandardsofpastachievements.Realisticgoalstooeasilykeepustiedtowhat’sbeendone.Theyareinhibitorsthat

leadtoplayingitsafe.Theysaythatdreamsareonlyrealwhenwearesleeping.Sooutthosedreamsgo.Logicalgoalspropelusintothefuture,andleadersmustpushtheirteamstodreambig,notjusttowinbuttoattainwhathasneverbeenattained—andtobelievetheycandothis.

Unfortunately,mostleadersaretaughttoset“realistic”

Arealistis onlyapessimistindenial.

goals,usingsomeversionoftheacronymSMART(Specific,Measurable,Attainable,Realistic,Timely)todefinewhatthosegoalsare.IevenusedSMART

goalsinmypreviousbook.Istillthinkitisausefulacronymforrealisticthinking,buttodaymySMARTgoalsforcoachesarealittlesmarter:Specific,Measurable,Attainablebyme,Relevant,andTimely.

ReplacingRealisticwithRelevantinSMARTiseasyenoughtounderstand.Iteliminatestherealisticmind-setbutremindsustokeepour

thinkingfrombeingimpossibleandirrelevanttoourbusiness.ButinthatsmallvariationofAttainabletoAttainablebyMeisanessentialdifferencebetweenrealisticandlogicalthinking—notconfusingattainablewithhavingbeenattained.Logicalgoalsettingchallengesustobethebestandbreakrecords.Ifcoachessetonlythegoalsfortheir

teamsthathavebeenattainedbyothers,recordswouldneverbebroken.UsainBolt,MichaelPhelps,andLindseyVonndon’tgototheOlympicsthinkingaboutjustwinningandmaintainingtheirsuccess.Theywanttobetheirbestandsetnewstandards.Obstaclesbedamned.Greatcoaches,players,andteamsalwaysbelievetheycanwineverygameintheregular

seasonregardlessofwhereandwhentheyareplaying,regardlessoftheweatherortheopponents.Whetherleadersareinchargeofseveralteamsacrossamultinationalcorporationorabusinessofone,sellingshoesorsheetmetal,leadingacreativeteamofdesignersorabrainycrewofengineers,yourbusinesscanlogicallybeontopofsomething,so

chasethelogicalgoals.

Action SpeaksLouder than Words

Webrushourteetheverymorningandeverynight(well,Ihopewealldo).Howcanwegetthiswaywithgoalsetting?Idon’tthinkanybodywoulddisagreethatsettinggoalsofanykindis

important.Infact,Ithinkmostofuswanttosetgoalsonadaily,weekly,quarterly,andannualbasis,butsomehow,orforonereasonoranother,wedon’tgetitdone.Howmanytimesdowehavetoreaditinabookuntilweactuallydoit?

Ispentmorethantwenty-fiveyearsincorporateAmerica.Ihaveownedfourcompanies.Iamthefatherof

fourchildren.Iteach,coach,andwritebooksaboutgoalsetting.AndyetIstillconsistentlyfindmyselfnotsettingandmanagingmygoals!Mybiggeststrugglesinlogicalgoalsettingarenolongeralackofknowledgeofhowtosetthemorthescalefromrealistictologicalbutthedisciplinetodoit.Infact,Iamgoingtostopwritingrightnowsowecanallset

threegoalsforthisweek.Iwillberightback.Pleasehold....

That’safirststeptomakinglogicalgoalsettingapriority:writingitdown.Now,scheduletimetodoit.Startbymakingitarecurringmeetingonyourcalendar,withanalerttoremindyouwhenitiscoming.That’sthenextstep,butitisnotgoingtobeenough.Weknowthat

justbecauseitisonourcalendardoesn’tmeanwewilldoit.Heck,justlookattheotherrecurringscheduledtaskswedon’tdoalready.Sohowdowekeepthisfrombeingacalendarcleanupiteminsixmonths?Havethedisciplinetokeeptheteamandyourselffocusedonthosegoalssoyoustarttoseetheresults.

Simplyput,theshort-

termpainofdoingsomethingthatisgoodforusisworthitifwegetthegreatresultsweneedfromdoingit.Itislikeexerciseanddieting.Weexerciseandstayondietsnotbecausewedon’twanttoeatcakebutbecauseweseethebenefitfromdoing(ornotdoing)thesethings.Usually,wealsohavesomelargergoalinmind.Thebiggerthatgoal,theharderweneedtowork

andstayfocusedonittomakeanydietwork:IsitrealisticthatIcanlosetwenty-fivepoundsbeforemycollegereunioninamontheventhoughIhaveneverdietedbefore?Probablynot,butitispossibleifIwanttodoit.Seeingthefirstpoundscomeoffinspiresme,buttherearestillweeksandpoundstogo,andkeepingthegoalallinmyheadisnot

helping.Hiringagreatpersonaltrainerwhosharesmygoalislikehavingacoachtopushme.TellingmyfriendswhatIamdoingprovidessupport,andasWeightWatchershasshown,havingacommunityaroundmethatisafterthesameorsimilargoalshelpsmeevenmoretosustaintheworknecessarytoachievemygoals.Thesamecanbesaid

forsettinglogicalgoalsforourteamsandourselvesasbusinessleaders.

Logical versusRealistic GoalSetting

Logicalgoalsettingisofcourseeasiertoarticulatewhenadepartmentorteamis

responsibleforormeasuressuccessinnumbers.Insales,let’ssaymycompany’sindustrywidetotalmarketshareis$100million.Mycompanyhasa10percentmarketshareor$10millioninsales.Mythreetopcompetitorshave$20millioninsalesora20percentmarketshare.Therealistinmesays,“Wedidtenmilliondollarsinsaleslastyear,andI

Makelogicalgoals

thinkthisyearwe’regoodtogrowtenpercent,twentypercentattheoutside,toelevenmilliondollarsforamarketshareincreaseofonetotwopercent.”Igotsleepyjustreadingthatsentence.

Thelogicalleaderinmesays,“Wedidtenmilliondollarslastyearandit

importantforeveryoneand itwill beimportantforeveryone.

isahundred-million-dollarindustry,andifthreeofmycompetitorscanhavetwentypercentmarketshare,thensocanwe,right?Sothereisnoreasonwecan’tdoubleoursales,because

they’rebuyingtheotherthirtymilliondollarsfromsomeoneelse.”Thatmaynotberealistic,butitislogical.Logically,Iknowthattheother90percentofthemarketisbuyingfromsomebodyelseand30percentisbuyingfromcompaniessmallerthanmycompany.Icanbelievethat,giventhenumberofopportunitiesandresourcesavailable,mycompany

shouldbeabletoincreasemarketshareto20percent,theonlyquestionsbeinghowandwhen.

Measurablenumbersdonothavetobedollarbased.InChapter5,ItalkaboutaleaderwhoisinchargeofsafetyatadozenplantsforamajormanufacturerandhowIusedthelogicalgoalofzeroaccidentsinaquartertomotivatehisteam.Most

companiessaytheywanttohavethebestcustomerservice,sohowaboutagoalofbeingnumberoneinserviceandreliabilityinyourindustryormarket?Remember:Numbersarenotjustaboutsales,andsalesaren’tonlyaboutsalesteams.Salesnumbersareaboutrevenue.Yeteverytimewethinkofrevenue,volume,profits,andgrowth,wethink,

“That’sjustaboutsales.”Butthat’snottrue.Revenue,growth,andsustainabilityareforleadersandteamsineverypartofacompany,whethertheyareincreative,editorial,marketing,engineering,technology,production,ordesign.

Trustme,thesalesdepartmentsdon’tthinktheycandoitwithouttheleadersofotherdepartmentsthinking

logicallytoo.Howelsewillabusinessinnovateoraddresstheneedsofthecustomers?Salespeopledon’tdesignandproducethephones,cars,computers,andkitchenequipmenttheyareselling.Theydon’tbuildthewebsitesandprogramthesoftware.Theymayanticipatewhattheircustomersneedandinnovatehowtheysell,buttheycan’tinnovatewhatthey

aresellingorsellwhatthemarketwillneedthreeorfiveyearsfromnow.Fiveyearsago,GPSdeviceswereeverywhereandsalespeopleweresellingthemlikecrazy.Notnow.Today,moreandmorepeopleusetheirphonesfornavigation,sopeopleatGarminbetterhavebeenthinkingmonthsandyearsbeforetodayaboutadaptinganddesigningwhatitcould

sellnextlesttheyenduplikeRIManditsBlackBerryandgetleftbehind.

The BiggestDifference betweenCrazy and GeniusIs Success

Youmightthinkmylogicalgoalsarecrazy,yet

whenIreachthosegoals(andsomeonecanbecausethelogicalispossible),passingtherealisticgoalinpursuitofmylogicalgoal,I’ma“genius.”Whatdoyouneedtobelogicalratherthanrealistic?Alittlecrazyandalotofbelief.Wasitrealisticin1994,whenBarnes&Nobleandotherchainsboomed,thatJeffBezoswantedtobuildthebiggest

bookstoreontheInternet?ShouldwetellourfinancemanagernottodreambigandlivebigandreachhergoalofbecomingaCFOsomeday?Myfriendisadrummerwhosaidallhislife,“I’mgoingtobeadrummerforoneofthebiggestbandsintheworld.”DoItellhim,“Dude,that’snotrealistic”or,whenIseehimworkingsohardtogetthere,encouragehisdreams?

(Bytheway,he’snowthedrummerforcountrysuperstarJasonAldean.)

Sure,itdoesn’thurttobealittlenaïveandnotknowthatsomethingcan’tbedoneorthatconventionalwisdomsayssomethingcan’tbedone.WhenIwroteanddecidedtoself-publishmyfirstbook,TheSalesLeadersPlaybook,in2008,Iwasexcitedtomakeitabestsellerbut

quicklyfoundoutthatwritingthebookwastheeasypart(whichissayingalotforme).Sellingitwasmuchharder.Still,Ididn’tknowthatorevencare.Withunbridledoptimism,Icalledbookstoresanddistributorsaroundthecountry,askingthemiftheywouldwanttosellmybooks.Iwasshockedtofindthattheydidnotreallycaretodoso.Theyapparentlydidn’t

hearmyegoscreamingatthemthewayitscreamedatme.

Icouldhavegivenup,butIdidn’t.Ihadcoachedmyselftowriteoutmygoalsandtostayfocusedonthem,andsinceItravelalot,oneofmygoalswastoseemybookinanairportbookstore.Aftermakingtoomanycallstocount,sendingouthundredsofbooks,andgettingmore

rejectionthanIdidfromgirlsduringmyhighschoolyears,itseemedthatitwouldn’thappen.ButIsoldieredon,determinedtoseemydreamcomealive.Ihavesincediscoveredthatmostpeopleinpublishingthinkthisisimpossiblewithoutbestsellerstatusorpayingforshelfspace,butbackthen,allIthoughtwas,Therearebooksinthosestoresthataren’t

bestsellersorbywell-knownauthors.Whynotmine?

Afterseveralmonthsandmanytries,ImetayoungmanstockingabookstoreandItoldhimwhoIwasandwhatIwantedtodo.Hehadgreatenergyandsaid,“MynameisRico,likeRicoSuave,”andwetalkedbriefly.Hetoldmethathewouldtalktohisbossandseewhathecoulddo.Ricodid

notdisappoint.Afterweeksofcommunications,meetings,andcalls,wewereabletogetmybookplacedintheDallas/FortWorthairport.Thepictureofthedisplayofmybookinthatfirstofmanyairportstoresstillsitsonmy“visionboard”inmyoffice,nottoremindmeofhowfarIhavecomebuttoinspiremetokeeppushingthelogicalbarhigher.Mynextgoalisto

sellamillionbooks.Peoplehave,youknow.Whynotme?

Don’t UseExperience toPredict the Future

Ourgoalsmustnotlimitus;theymustchallengeus.Butwecan’tfakeanyofit.

Wehavetobelievethatwehavetheabilitytowin—tobenumberoneorachievewhateverourlogicalgoalis.Leadersandtheirteamsmustforgetthepastandthenbelieveinthegoals,alignthemselveswiththosegoals,anddoalltheactivitiesfromscrimmagingtorecruitingthebestplayersandbeyondtogetthere.

WhenItookoverthe

SouthernCaliforniamarketforSprint,itwasamongitsworst-performingmarketsinthecountry.So,naturally,Itoldmyteamatthefirstmanagers’meetingthatourlogicalgoalwastobenumberoneinsalesanddecreaseourbudgetexpensestothelowestinthecountry.Itoldthemhow,togetthere,weweregoingtoimplementacoachingprogramandculture

similartotheoneinthisbook.IexplainedhowIwouldworkwitheveryoneonscrimmagingandpeerpresentationsandcoachthemtoovercomeanyexistingobstaclesandtobelieveinournewbroadervisionforsuccess.

That’swhenonemanagerstoodupandsaid

becauseit hasneverbeendonedoesn’tmean itcan’tbedone.

somethinglike“Hey,youknowwhat,Igetit.Thewholebig-Texas-attitude-we’re-going-to-make-things-happen.But,Nathan,thatisnotpossible

here!”“Okay,why?”Iasked.“Thefactsarereal

simple,”hesaid.“Wehavetoomanystoresinthismarketandmorecompetitorsthanyouareusedto,andinmanycases,ourcompetitorsarebetterthanweare.Thereisjusttoomuchforthisteamtohandlealready.Wehaveneverbeennumberone,butwearepleasedwithwherewe

are.”Iliketocallthismanager

theSnowmanbecauseofthesnowjobhewastryingtosellme.Thiswasthemostcynical,pessimistickindofthinking,andwhatwasworse,hewasplayingmeforthefool.Hewasn’tbeingsarcastic.Hewasbeingmanipulative.HestartedwithabackhandedcomplimentaboutmyTexasattitude

workinginsmallermarkets,buthewastryingtodeflectmefromdiggingdeeper.Hedidn’twantmepushingtheteamtoovercomeanyobstacles.TheSnowmanwasnotabadperson,buthewasusingeveryobstacle,realisticthinking,andpastexperienceasexcusesforalackofachievement.TheSnowmanwassobusybelievingthatwewerewherewewere

supposedtobeinthemarketthatherefusedtobelieveanythingelsewaspossible,andthatpreventedhimfromholdinghimselforanyoneaccountable.Hebelieveditdidn’tmatterwhatwedid,andthatthesituationwasn’tgoingtochange,sowhytrytobebetter?

Ihadnointerestinmakingthis“okay”fortheSnowmanortheteam.So,in

thiscase,IcamebackhardattheSnowmanwithaspeechthatwaspartlyaboutthepowerofthinkinglogicallyandpartlyultimatum.Itookadeepbreath:“Thatattitudedoesnotworkforusanymore.Ifyouthinkitcan’tbedone,thenitcan’tbedone.Let’susetheexperienceofthepasttounderstandwhatourobstaclesare,butlet’spushourselvestoreach

biggergoals.Thenumberofstoresisimmaterial.Wehavealowmarketshare,andifpeoplearebuyingphonesbutnotbuyingourphones,weneedtofindoutwhy.Theissueisn’tthemarketorourcompetitors.Theissueisus.Weneedtofindawaytobebetter.Ifanyonedoesnotbelievewecanbethebest,thengoworkforthecompanythatis,becauseIwantto

If yourpeopleDON’T

workfortheteamthatwantstobethebest.Someonehastobenumberone,sowhynotus,together,asateam?Ifyoucan’tgetbehindthis,thecompanywillfindotherpeoplewhocan.”

TheSnowmanhadnosnowjobtoanswerthis.Neitherdidanyofthe

thinktheycanbeat“them,”thentheyshouldgo join“them.”

othermanagerswhorefusedtoalignwithourgoals.Ofcourse,Iwasn’tthisbluntwithallofthem,andIdidgiveallofthemtime.Ispentmonthstryingto

coachthemtobetopperformersandreachourlogicalgoal.Butintheend,weterminatedtheSnowmanandaboutthirtyothersintheoffice—30percentofmyteam—inthefirsteightmonths.

AndtheSnowmanwasprovenwrong.OncewefacedthetoughdecisiontogetridofpeopleliketheSnowmanandthevictimswhoblamed

everyonebutthemselvesfortheirlackofsuccessandwerenotgoingtochange,theothersbegantoseethepossibilityofwhatwecouldaccomplish.Theystartedtoseethemarketchange.Wedidn’tjustimprovesales,communication,andrelationshipsatthestores;weexpandedfromthirtylocalretailerstosixty.Everymonth,assalesincreased,the

team’sbeliefgotalittlestronger.Withineighteenmonthswe,asanentireteam,wereabletoachieveourgoalofbecomingnumberoneandbecomingoneofthecompany’smosteffectiveandefficientmarketsinthecountry.

NotonlydidlogicalthinkingturntheteamaroundatSprint;itmadetheworkfun.Theywereactually

volunteeringtopassoutdonutstocustomersatfourA.M.onthedayafterThanksgivingforthedoor-busterearlybirdspecials—andhavingablastdoingit.Theywereworkingtoprovesomethingandkeepwinning.

Asweachievedourgoals,oneofthemanagerscameuptomeandsaid,“NathanyouhavetobethemostunrealisticmanagerI

haveeverhad.ButIneverhaveachievedsomuchsuccess.”Hetoldmeheinitiallyresentedmeforbeingwhathesawasunrealistic.Hesaidhemightnotappreciateallthechangeorlikeitwhenitwashappening,butheappreciateditwhenitwasoverandwesawtheresultsofourhardwork.Doingyourbestisnevereasyandtakesyououtofyour

comfortzone.Yourjobasaleaderistoexpandyourteam’scomfortzone.Whenyouarewinning,itisthegreatestpainintheworld.

Can’t Pitch a StrikeUnless You ShowUp at the Game

MywifeandItellour

kidsnottoletanyonedeterminetheirsuccess.Wetellourkidsallthetimethattheycandoanythingtheywant.Whentheyaretryingtodosomethingandsay,“Ican’t,”mywifeorIwillimmediatelyrespond,“Youcandoanythingyousetyourmindtoifyoubelieveyoucananddothehardworktogetthere.”

Iknowwearenotan

anomaly.Mostparentstelltheirchildrenthisandtrulybelieveit.Yetwhenitcomestooursuccessesasadults,especiallyinbusiness,wedon’tbelieveit.AnditisnotjusttheSnowmenmakingexcuses,withcommentslike“Wecan’tdothatbecauseofourmarketplace.”Itispeoplewhojustdon’tbelievethattheyortheirbusinessescancompeteonahigherlevel

thantheyalreadyare.Wesay,“Wecan’tcompetewiththem”or“Ican’tchangeindustriesbecauseIamtooold”or“ThisisallIhaveeverdone....”

Allthefearoffailureortheworriesaboutsteeplearningcurvesorthehardworkitwilltaketogettogoalsthatwesayandbelieveourkidscanovercome,weusetodashourowndreams

asadultprofessionals.Sotowhomarewelying?Arewelyingtoourkidswhenwetellthemtheycandoanythingorarewelyingtoourselveswhenwesaywecan’t?Ihaveaskedthisquestionofliterallythousandsofbusinesspeople,and100percentofthetime,theysaythattheyarenotlyingtotheirkids—theyreallybelievetheycandoanythinginlife.

So,then,wearelyingtoourselveswhenwemakeexcusesforinactionorfornotdoinganybetterthanwealreadyare.Weconstantlytellourselvesandsayoutloud,“It’simpossible.”Well,toparaphraseafamouslinefromthemovieThePrincessBride:Wekeepusingthatwordbutitdoesnotmeanwhatwethinkitmeans.Infact,manythingswemake

excusesforinbusinessarepossible,andleaderswhowanttobecoachesmustpushtheirteamstounderstandwhatthisreallymeansandelevatetheirsuccessbeyondthepossibletoalevelthatmayhaveseemedimpossible.Theydothisbysettinggoalsthatarelogical,notjustrealistic.

Takeaways:

SetLogical,NotRealistic,Goals

Realisticgoalsarebasedonourpastandarelimitedbyourexperiences;

logicalgoalsarebasedonwhatcanbedonebasedontime,capacity,andcommitment.Makeit

importantanditwillbeimportant:Goalsettingisabenefit.Everyoneagrees,yetmostofuskeep

talkingaboutitanddon’tdoit,sojustdoit!Logicalthinkinganddreamingbigisnotjust

forkidsandsalesteamstryingtomaketheirnumbers—theyareforeveryleaderand

teamthatdesirestogetthemostoutofworkandlife!Webelieveourkidscanbe

anythingtheywanttobeinlifeandyetwethinkwecan’tchangecareersorbenumber

oneinbusinessbecausewehaven’tdoneitbefore.Whomarewelyingto?

Chapter 5TAKERESPONSIBILITYFORMOTIVATIONANDMORALE

Whateveryou’veheardaboutitbeinga

leader’sjobtomanage,notmotivate,isanotherlingeringlegacyofthemanagement

cultureandthebeliefthataleadershouldhiregreatpeopleandgetoutoftheirway.Aleadermightevensay,“It’stheirjobtomotivatethemselves.Ipaythemforthat.”Tothisandeveryotherexcuseleadersmakefornotmotivatingtheirteams—toeveryleaderwhosaysmotivationdoesnotworkorcan’tbesustained—Isay,“Baloney.”Nomatterwhat

anyonesays,itistheleaders’jobtomotivatetheirteams.

Insportsandinbusiness,itisthecoacheswhomustmakesuretheyhavemotivatedteamswhowanttowin.Don’tgetmewrong:Coachescan’tdoitall.Iwantmyteamstoinspireoneanother,andIexpectawillingnesstobemotivatedandsomeself-motivationtoo—butnotattheexpenseof

silencefromme.Iexpectandmandatethatleadersdothesame:Motivatetheirteamswithfocusanddiscipline,passionandbelief.Andwemustfindawaytodothis,notonceortwiceorwheneverweseeacool“teambonding”exercisetotryoutbutonadaily,weekly,andmonthlybasis,andthenstartalloveragain.

Motivation Leadsto Action

Howmanytimeshaveyouledaterrificmeetingtorallytheteaminwhicheveryonegetspumpedandunitesaroundtheplanorgoalsbeingset,onlytoseetheenergyfadebythenextweek?Thisissomeofthe“evidence”leadersusetosaythis“motivationstuff”

doesn’tworkorworksonlyforashorttimeandthenfadesaway.Butthat’sanexcuse.Motivationdoeswork;itworkslikefoodinourbodies.Thinkaboutthebestmealyoueverhadandhowhappyandfullyouwereafterward.Ifyoudidnoteatagainforthreedays,wouldyounotfeelhungry?Wouldyouthinkthat“foodstuff”didnotwork?Likefoodfor

Motivation

ourbodies,leadersmustrefueltheirteamswithmotivationandfindwaystofeedtheirteamsthisfueldaily.Buttheunfortunatetruthis,mostofuscan’t,don’t,andwon’tgetthismotivatedtomotivatebecausethejobisneverdone.

That’swhymotivationdoesn’twork:

is easytostart,hard tosustain.

Itneedsasystemtokeepitgoing—afocusedplanwithwhichleadersmustgetinvolved,toimplementwithkeyactivitiesanddesiredresultsonthatdaily,weekly,andmonthlybasis.Someofthisplancanbeachievedthroughthe

rewardsandrecognitionswediscussedinChapter2.Someoftheactivitiescanbeeasy,suchasrememberingtoofferkindwordsorbriefguidanceduringscrimmagingandbeforeandafterapresentation.Butthebestideascomefromlearningwhatispossible,believingthatitispossible,andchallengingourselvestothinkbigger.

IwascoachinganexecutiveinchargeoftwelveplantsthroughouttheUnitedStatesandCanadaforamajormanufacturingclient.Oneofourfirstdiscussionswasabouttheplants’safetyratings,whichwerebasedonthenumberofinjuriesattheplants.Everyquarterlyplanupdate,hewouldsetagoaltohaveasmalldecreaseinreportedinjuries.

“Whynotjustmakethegoalzero?”Iasked.

“Nathan,youdon’tgetit,”helaughed.“That’snotpossible.”

Wetalkedsomemoreandhetoldmehowsomeplantshadmorethantwoinjuriesandothershadnone.SoIasked,“Ifoneplantcanhavezero,thensocaneverybodyelse,right?”

“Yes,intheory,butnotin

reality,”hesaid.Tohiscredit,the

executiveseemeduncomfortablewithhisanswer.Partofhisdiscomfort,asyoumighthaveguessed,wasthathehadsetarealisticgoal,notalogicalone.Hedefinitelyknewitwaspossibletoachievethosesafetyresults.Buttherewassomethingmore:Heknewlogicalgoal

settingandmakingtheteamsbelieveinitwasonlypartofthesolution;heneededaplanthatwouldmotivatetheteamstoachievethosegoals.

Hestartedbylookingatwhatitwouldtaketogetthenumberofinjuriestozero,andhecreatednewprogramsandincentivestomakehispeoplebetter.Then,hestartedaprogramthathadneverbeendonebefore,

implementingnewideasthatheandhisleadershipteamcreated.Theybroughttogetheragroupofpeers,leaders,managers,andpersonnelwhowenttooneplantatatimetodoa“deepdive”intotheoperationsandthensharedthegoodandbadofwhattheyfound.Ateachplant,theyfoundpositivefactorstheycouldimplementatotherplants,andnegative

factorsthatneededtostop.Buttheteamnowhadsuggestionsforimprovementbasedonwhattheyhadlearnedintheirtravelstootherplants.Hisprogrambecameanationwideinitiative.

Next,theplantexecutivealsostartedsearchingforprogramsandideasoutsidethecompanyandindustryandeventuallymandated“plant

walk-arounds,”duringwhichaplantmanagerwalkstheplantflooracoupleoftimesadaytotalkandworkwiththeemployeesandsupervisors.Priortothesewalk-arounds,plantmanagerscouldgodaysorevenaweekbeforetheyspenttimeonthefloorworkingwiththeteam.Threequartersofconsistentsafetyratingimprovementslater,theplantexecutive’steamhad

achievedanall-timelowinsafetyscores.Maybezeroinjuriesacrosstheboardwasn’talwayspossible,butmakinghispeoplestriveforthatgoalmotivatedthemtobebetter.

Learning, Energy,Challenges

Therearemanywaysto

motivatepeople,butasmyplantexecutive’splanreveals,coachesinbusinesscanalwaysrelyonthreethingsthatalmostanyonerespondsto:Learning,Energy,andChallenges.

LearningKnowledge+Learning

+Confidence=Motivation.Thisisthemagicformulaleadersmustremember.

Knowledgealonedoesnotleadtomotivation;learningmoreandintherightwaybuildsonthatknowledgeandhelpsusgetbetteratwhatwedo.Whenwelearnsomethingvaluable,webecomemoreconfidentinourselves,andasaresult,wearemoremotivatedtotakeaction.Wethenkeepworkingonwhatwelearnedandstrivetolearnmore.That’sthenumberone

variablethatdetermineswinningorlosing:confidence.Themoreweteachourpeopleascoachesandholdthemaccountabletothatlearning,themoreconfidencetheyhave,themoremotivatedtheyaretowork,andthemoredesiretheyhavetokeeplearningandtostarttheprocessoveragain.

Forthe

Challengesmakeyou gobigger.

plantmanager,learningwhatwasgoingrightandwrongatoneplantandthentakingtheknowledgetotheotherstosolveproblemsthroughoutalltheplantsmadeeveryplantbetterandgavehisteamandhimself

confidencetosustaintheprogram.Italsogavehimconfidencetolookoutsidetheindustryfornewideas,whichledtotheideaofplantwalk-arounds.Don’thaveamanufacturingplantyou’reresponsiblefor?Theessentialwaysforanyleadertomotivatethroughlearningistosustaintheweeklyandmonthlypracticesessionsandpeerpresentationswecovered

inchapters1and2.

EnergyWantyourteamtohave

therightenergy?Thenhaveityourselfandmakesureyourteamcanfeelitinwhatyousayand,moreimportant,whatyoudo.It’snotjustparamountthatcoachesgenuinelybelieveinalltheprinciplesofcoachingandthattheyfollowtheactionsof

theirplaybooks—theymustbepassionateaboutthem.Wehavespentaconsiderableamountoftimediscussingthebadattitudesonateamandhowitbringsateamdown,butleadersmustrememberthattheirpositiveattitudesandtheenergythatcomesfromthemcanmotivatetheteamtofindsolutionstoovercomeobstacles.

Positiveenergy—fueled

bypassionforthejobandthesuccessoftheteam—willmotivateanyteamtosuccess;negativeenergy—fueledbyalackofpassion—willmotivatetheteamtofail.Thewalk-aroundsoftheplantmanagerengagedtheemployeesandtransferredhispositiveenergytotheteamsonthefloor,motivatingthemtodomoretosucceed.Theywantedtogetbetternowtoo.

Thiscan’thappeninthefourwallsofleaders’offices.Itisimperativeforustorememberourcoachingprinciplesandgetinvolvedwithourteams.We’llcovergetting“onthefield”withtheteaminmoredetailinChapter12,butfornow,remembertosmile,shareyourpassionwiththeteam,andengageyourtopperformerspositively.

ChallengesLiketop-performing

athletes,top-performingteamsdon’tjustwanttobecoached;theywanttobechallenged.Whentheyaregivenalargerareaofresponsibility,theyviewtheincreaseasacompliment—asignthattheirbossesbelieveinthemandtheircapabilities—andaremotivatedtodomore.

Itiseasytoseehowtheplantmanagerchallengedhimselfnotonlywithlogicalgoalsbutalsobygoingoutsidetheindustryanddoingthingsnoonehadattemptedbefore.Asimplewayofimplementingthisinanyofficeistouseabasicchallengemodelthatdoesnotneedtobeconnectedtorewardsandrecognitions:Everyweekwhenyoumeet

withtheteammembersindividuallyandasagroup,createonenewchallengethatwillresultinasignificantachievementthatmonth.Theeasiestexampleistobreaksomecompanyrecordthatisrelevanttoyourteam,suchasinventoryissues,numberofsalesorcustomerservicecalls,fewercustomercomplaints,mediaplacements...some

measurableobjectivesignificantforyourcompany.Unitingtheteamaroundthesesignificantchallengescreatesatleastamentalscoreboardtotrackachievement,thougharealscoreboardworksevenbetter.Otherwise,itislikeplayinggolfwithoutkeepingscore,orpokerwithoutmoney:Itmightbefunforashorttimebutafterawhile,welosefocusandjuststart

goingthroughthemotions.Butdon’tlimityourself

tostraightnumberchallengestomakeorbreakrecords.Youcangoanywherewiththesechallengesfromsmalltolarge,suchas:

Challengethefinanceteamtospenda

dayinthefieldwiththesalesorserviceteam.Challengethesalesteamtospendtwohours

thatdayattheplantorinthewarehouse.Challengeamanagertoservesomeoneacupofcoffee.Challenge

theengineeringteamtogreetcustomersatthedoor.

Ifwemakeanyofthesethingshappenjust50percentofthetime,wewillstillachievesixmilestonesorteamachievementsperyear.

Onceagain,thekeytoanyofthechallenges,likeanyprincipleorprocessinthisbook,isthatitmustbegenuineandmaintainedandnotjustsomethingwesaywedidonce.Coachesmustalwayskeepitgoingand“keepitreal.”Ifitisnot,ourintentwillfade,soallwewillhaveareemptyactionsthatleaveusbackwherewestarted,lookingforsomething

elsetokeeptheteammotivated.

Ifyouareunsureaboutwhatmightchallengeandmotivateyourteam,askthem.Turntoyourtopperformers,andiftheyarenotthemostmotivated,turntotheoneswhoare.Sometimeswehavetopperformerswhohavegoodresultsdespitethefactthattheyarenotmotivated,but

thatdoesnotmeantheyaregoodteammembersorvaluableoveralltotheteam,aswelearninChapter7.First,weneedpeoplewhoare“motivatable.”Giventhechancetoputanequallytalentedbutmoremotivatedpersoninplace,aleaderwould,everytime,getgreaterresultsfromtheteam.Ifleadershavepeopleontheirteamswhoarenotmotivated

bytheirjobs,theymusttakeresponsibilityforitandhelpthemfindthatmotivation.Ifthatdoesn’twork,theymightdecidetohelpthosepeoplefindsomethingtheyaremotivatedaboutandtellthemtogodothatforaliving.

Get Your Team in“The New Guy/Girl

Zone”Newemployeesarefull

ofhopesanddreams.Theylookateveryobstacleasanexcitingchallenge.Theyhavegranddreamsofsuccessandnopresuppositionsaboutwhatcanandcannotbedone.Thus,thenewguyoftengetsthingsdonethatcynicsinthecompanywoulddismissasimpossible.Overtime,

however,twothingsusuallyhappentothosenewguysinmanagementcultures:Theyleavewhenthechallengeoftheirnewjobsfadeandopportunitiesaren’tpresentedtothem;ortheybecomeoldguys,thosecynicsdwellingonthepastandtellingthenewnewguyswhythingscan’tgetdone.Thisiswhathappenswhenthelearning,energy,andchallengesgo

away:Motivationdisappearswiththem.

That’swhyleadersliketheplantexecutivemustalwaysask,“Giventhetoolswehavetoday,howdoweachievemore?”Whencoacheschallengetheirteamstoanswerthisquestionbyachievingsomethinggreaterthantheyhaveinthepast,theywilltrainandprepareforitandenterwhatIcallThe

NewGuy/GirlZone.Ofcourse,it’sagrindto

keepthisup.Whenyoustartout,it’slikethebeginningofaLittleLeaguebaseballseason.Thegrassisfreshlycut.Theexcitementofplayingthefirstgamescarriesyou.Youhaveoptimism.Youwatchthingscometogether.Winorlose,it’sfun.Everybodyisexciteddespitethemistakes,andthenyou

realizeitisjustgametwo.Tenmoreweeksofpracticeandgames?Butthosetenweekshappen,nomatterwhat.Youcanfindawaytostaymotivatedandkeepgettingbetterorjustkeeplosing.

InbusinessandLittleLeague,itisrighttotaketheshort-termpainofdevelopmentforthelong-termgain.Theproblemis,

short-termpaincanresultinlostmotivationthatcanbetoughtorecover.Ifacoach’sbossesdon’thaveconfidenceinthelong-termplanandseesomeprogress—iftheplayers,especiallyyourtopperformers,arelosingtheirpassion—theremaybenolongterm.Theconsequencesarethesame:Losetoomanygameswithoutthesupportofyourteamandanycoachcan

Coachesletplayersleadplayerson thefield,whichis a

getfired.Tokeep

thetopoftheteammotivatedwhenthegrindstarts,leaderstendtodelegatekeyleadershiptaskstotheirstarplayersandtop

step tomakingmorecoaches.

performers.Wetelloursuperstars,nowthatthey’vedevelopedtheseskillsandareperceivedastheteam’stopperformers,weneedthemtoleadtheteam,inspirethem,anddeveloptheteamandtakeoverdrills.Delegatingtothemisan

excellentmotivationaltoolaslongaswedelegateleadershiponthefield,notincoaching.Whatthatmeansis,topperformerscanbeleadersoftheteamonthefield,buttheydon’treplacethecoach.Theyrunactivitieslikescrimmagingandpeer-to-peerpresentations.Inotherwords,delegatingtotopplayerscanbecomepartofaleader’smotivational

equation,butitcannotbecomethecoachingequation.Baseballmanagerscannothavetheirshortstopcoachingtheteamduringagameplusplayingshortstop,justascompaniescannothaveleadersresponsibleforateamofsalesrepsplustheirownsalesquotas.Agreatshortstopcanmakeperfectplaysandgetkeyhits,buthecan’tdothatandbeagreat

coachatthesametime.

Create LeadersMotivated toCoach, NotManagersMotivated toManage

Ofcourse,thisiswhatmanycompaniesdo,create

managersratherthancoaches.Whenacompanygrows,itpromotesitstopperformerstoleadershippositions,butitstillexpectsthemtodomostoftheworktheywerepreviouslydoingandtakeresponsibilityfortheteam.Inmostcompanies,thisusuallyhappensbecausewedon’twanttopayforacoachtoleadtheteaminthefirstplaceandwefearlosingthegood

workthattheleaderwasresponsiblefor.Asaresult,thenewlymintedleaderscan’treallydelegatemuch,becausethecompanyhassaid,“Iwantyoutobethecreativedirectorinchargeofalloftheotherdesigners,butIstillwantyoutodothedesigningyou’redoing.”Whatexactlyaretheydirecting,then?

Whencompaniesdothat,

theirleaderscannotcoach.Theycanmanagetheteamlikeleadersdoinmanagementculturesbecausethatrequireslittleinvolvementandaccountability.Theythink,“I’mnevergettingfiredfornotbeingamanager,butIwillgetfiredifIdon’tdomywork.SoifIjustmakemynumbers,notblowanythingup,andmanagewhenIcan,

I’msafe.”Trustme:Hirealeadertocoachandthatleaderwillnotleaveanyprojectuntouched,becausethey’reresponsibleforallofthem,especiallyiftheyhavebeencoachedbyaleaderinthepast.Butifleadershavetoberesponsiblefortheirpreviousworktoo,thatishighlydemotivating.

Leadersinthissituationarenotgrowingtheir

people;theyarejustmaintainingoperations.Acompanywillgetmoredone,getbetterresults,andhaveamoremotivatedteamifithasoneleadermanagingthreeplayersandtheirprojects,notfourplayerswithprojectsandoneofthemostensiblymanagingthemall.

Companieswithleadersmanaginginthesepositionsusuallyhaveamorale

problem,whichacoachmustalsotakeresponsibilityfor.Butinthiscase,wordsoftenspeaklouderthanactions,becausemoraleistheresultoftheteam’sfeelingsaboutwhattheyaredoingandthesituationtheyarein,notofanyactionsleaderstake.

To Change Does

Not Always Meanto Get Better

Leaderswhoarecoachescanandmustmandateactivities,buttheycan’texpectchangeforthebetterimmediatelyandthattheirteamswillneatlyfallintolineindaysorweeksoramonthafteryearsofwhathasbeen.That’swhycoachesneedtogivetheteamssome

perspective.Coachesknowthattochangeoldfeelings,theymustfirstandforemostworkhardtochangeandimprovetheirteams’perspective—makethemgratefulandpassionatefortheopportunitiestheyhave.Thisisespeciallytrueifacompanyisnotonlyadjustingtotheculturalchangescoachingbringsbutalsogoingthroughdownsizingor

Helpthe

dealingwithsomedifficultcompetitiveissues,manufacturingissues,financialissues,etc.Asmydadoftentoldme,“Son,youthinkyouhaveitbad,buttrustme,someoneouttherehasitalotworse.”

Thisiswhysomanyleadersandcompaniesspendmillions

teamsee theblessingstheyhave—the jobitself,forone.

everyyeartobringintragedyspeakers—motivationalspeakerswhotalkaboutfacingandovercomingtragedies.Whydoessomeonefacingsomuchtragedymake

usfeelgood?Doesthatmakeusmean?Ofcoursenot!Itisbecausethespeakersaskustochangeourperspective.Astoryoftragedyandovercomingitmakesusgratefulforwhatwehave.Theysparkouremotions.Wethenlookatourproblemsandrealizethatourissuesaresmall.Afterthespeech,everyoneleavesdeterminedtochangetheirperspective

andhaveabetteroutlookforpressingonandpursuingexcellence.Then,theactionsofmotivationcantakeovertosustainthatfeeling.

Now,itdoesn’tnecessarilytakeamotivationalspeakerorastoryabouttriumphoverimmensetragedytochangeourperspective.Itdoestakealeader—acoach—tositdownwiththeteam.Infootball,

coachesgivespeechesbeforethegametomentallypreparetheteam.Athalftime,theygiveashortspeecheithertogettheteambackontrackor,iftheyarewinning,tostayontrack.Then,attheendofeverygame,regardlessoftheresult,thecoachgivesafinalspeechrecognizingthegoodandthebadofthegameandsettingthetoneofwhatistocome.

Leaderscanandmustdothesamethinginbusinesstotakeresponsibilityfortheirteam’smorale—alwaysthinkingandspeakingtothemandpreparingthemforwhateverpartiscomingnext.Theymustseethattheteammoraleisthesumoftheindividuals’morale.Oneindividualwithabadattitudeinfectsanddiminisheseveryone.Andthentheteam

isdefeated.Astheirleader,dothis:Acknowledgethehardshipsandhardfeelingsofateammember,butdonot,underanycircumstance,validatemiserywithsympathy.Theteamisn’tcomingtousforsympathy.Theyarecomingtousforperspectiveanddirection.Sympathyisavalidandnecessaryemotioninlife,butinthiscase,it’satoxin

thatonlyfurtherpoisonsthewellofbadmorale.

Forexample,anemployeecomestoyou,thecoach,expressingfearandsadness,anxiousanddepressedaboutconditionsoutofhiscontrolandnegativelyimpactinghisjob.Itmightbetheeconomyorsomethingpersonalortherestructuringthat’stakingplace.Hisleader,inan

attempttoshowsympathy,sayssomethingtotheeffectof“You[despondentemployee]areright.Businessistoughrightnowandthere’snothingtobedoneaboutitbutstruggleon.”Insteadoffeelingbetter,theemployeeisgloomierthanever.Theleaderacknowledgedthefeelingsbutalsoreflectedandencouragedthem.Wordspreads,moraletakesadive,

andtheleaderunintentionallyhurtstheteaminsteadofhelping.Thisisnottosaythataleaderofateamwithbadmoraleisabadperson,but“DumpsterMorale”isoftentheresultofaleaderdemonstratingsympathyinsteadoftheempathycharacteristicofgreatleaders.

IfirstlearnedthiswhenworkingwithanexecutiveataFortune100

Alwaysthinkaboutandspeakto yourteamtherightway.

technologycompanyaspartofmycoachingprogramthere.Timesweretough,andthelatestroundoflayoffsatthecompanyhadjustbeenreported.Moraleinhis

officewasdown,andheaskedmewhathecoulddoaboutit.Itoldhimhisteam’smoralehadnothingtodowiththecompany.Moralewasdownbecauseofhim.“Whatareyousayingtothemwhentheycometoyou?”Iasked.Hetoldmehesaidsomethinglike“Iunderstand.Allthelayoffsarehardtowatch.Andit’stoughcompetition

outthere.Andtheeconomyisbrutal.Wejustneedtoworkthroughthis.”Problemis,thisexecutivewasn’tempathizingwiththeteamwhenhesaidthesethings(makingtheexperiencemutualandfeelingwhattheywerefeeling).Hewassympathizingwiththem(acknowledgingtheirhardships).Asaresult,hewasn’tholdingthemaccountableforwinning

anymoreandpushingthemtodotheverythingtheyprobablyneededtodotoavoidbeinglaidoffthemselves:Keepworkingharder.Afterworkingwithhimformonths,hestartedtoseemypointandaskedhowtoimplementachangeindirectionandundowhathehadsaidbefore.Myadvicewassimple:Tellthemthetruth.Itoldhimtosay,“I’ve

noticedmoraleisdown,andIhavefoundoutthatthisismoremyfaultthanyourfaultoranyoneoranything’sfault.I’veallowedustouseexcusestohaveapityparty.I’vesympathizedwithyouinsteadofpushingyouandmyselftodomoreinspiteoftheobstaclesandtoworktoovercomethem.”Now,whenthisexecutivetellshisteamtobegratefulforwhattheyhave

andkeepworkinghard,theirperspectivestartstochange,andmoralestartstocreepupward.

Theexecutivelearnedthatmoraleisnotsomethingyoufixwhenitisbroken,liketheairconditionerinyourhome;itissomethingyoumustadjust,tweak,andmaintainlikethetemperatureofyourhome.Thethermostatisyourresponsibility.You

havetokeepthetemperatureconsistent,startingwithyourownattitude,andthengivedirectionconstantly,becausemoraleisdependentonyourdirectionasmuchasitisonperspectiveandgratitude.Theremaybeuncertainty,resistance,confusion—wordsofdefeatmixedwithpassionanddesire—asyouimplementthisplaybook.Helpyourteamthroughit.

Guidethem.Encouragethem.Shareyourplanandthedirectionforhowthingswillchange.That’snotonlywhatwillcompelateamtosharealeader’sbeliefsbutalsowhatwillmakethebeliefstheirown.

Takeaways:MotivationandMorale

coachkeepstheplayersmotivatedatalltimesandholdsplayersaccountableformotivating

themselvesandoneanother.Motivationislikefoodtoourbodies!Ifwedidnoteatforthreedays,

wewouldsaywearehungry,notthatfooddoesn’twork.Motivationisthesame;wemust

refilldaily.Knowledgecreatesconfidence,andwhenweareconfident,wearemoremotivated.Motivated

playerswithtalentandskillwillalwaysoutperformthosewithoutmotivation.Moraleisnot

aboutaction,itisaboutfeelings,anditrequiresacoachtodirecttheteammembersto

changetheirperspectiveandfeelgratitudewhenthefeelingsarebad.

Chapter 6“BUILDYOURBENCH”: RECRUITTHE BESTPLAYERS

Getting better doesnot always comefrom hiring thosewith experience.

Anengineeringclientofminewashavingtroublewithoneofhiscompany’s

leaders.Thisleaderhadahugejobwithenormousresponsibilitythathewasnolongerdoingverywell.Myclientknewheneededachange.“Nathan,”hesaid,“I’vegottoreplacethisguy,butIcan’tfindenoughengineeringexperienceinthisindustry.Thereisnooneout

therewiththatexperience.”“Igetit,”Isaid.“Sowhy

notgooutandfindsomeonewithgreatskillsandengineeringexperienceoutsidetheindustry?”Myclientlookedconfused,soIexplained,“Lookfortheattributesyouwantfirst,suchasreliability,trustworthiness,drive,energy,positivity,andmotivationtosucceed.Thesethingsarehardertoteachthan

industryspecifics.Trustme,youcanteachsomeoneyourbusiness,butyoucan’tteachsomeonetowanttobesuccessful.Let’sfindthebestpersonandturnthatpersonintothebestinyourindustry.”

“Thatwilltakeatleastthreemonthstodo,”hesaid.

“That’sfine,”Itoldhim.“Itwillbehardforthosethreemonths.Businessmay

alsobealittlerockyduringthattime,butyou’rebuildingsomethingverypowerful:thebestplayerfortheteamthatyouneed.Inthreemonths,youwillstarttoseeexponentialgrowthyearoveryear,becauseyouhavetherightperson.”

Myclientwasn’tinitiallysold,butthat’sbecausewhatIwassayingfliesinthefaceofconventionalmanagement

hiringwisdom.

Hire the RightPeople, Not theRight Experience

Thesinglebiggestmistakemostleadersmakeasmanagersistolookonlyforindustryexperience.Leadersseesomeonewithindustry

experienceandarewillingtogiveupalltheotherthings,suchasfocusandattitude.Wedismissthingssuchashavingapersonalconnection.Weineffectsay,“Ilikeyou.YouhavethepassionandenthusiasmIneed,butyoudon’thaveenoughexperience,soI’mgoingtogooutandfindapersonwithmoreexperiencewhomIdon’tlikeverymuchbecause

they’llhitthegroundrunning.”Typically,thismethodresultsinabadhire,andwhenitdoes,westartmakingexcusesasmyclientdidthat“allthegoodpeoplearetaken.”Butthat’sbecausewekeepfishinginthesamecrappyindustrypond.Ifothercompanieshavefishedoutthewholepond,whatisleft?Thefishotherpeoplethrewback.

Theeasiestway isnotalwaysright,even ifit looksthatway.

I’mnotsayingdon’thireforskillsetoravoidhiringforexperience.I’msayingdon’thireonindustryexperiencealone.ThisiswhatIcalla“fruitsand

roots”situation:Leadersareusuallysofocusedonthefruitsofthetree,weforgetthatitistherootsthatgrowthefruit.Experiencecountstoo,butweneedtorememberthatattributesandskillsarethekeystosuccess.Yes,industryexperiencecanshortenaramp-upperiod.Yes,thethree-monthlearningcurve

wasdifficultformyclienttostomachinourinstantgratification–basedworld—andreallyitcantakeuptosixtotwelvemonthsinmostsituations.Yes,intheory,duringthethreetotwelvemonthsthepersonfromoutsidetheindustryislearningthebusiness,thatpersonwillunderperformsomeonewithexperienceandconnectionsintheindustry.

Butifyougooutofbusinessbecauseyoubackfilledthatonepositionandneededtotrainthenewpersonlonger,youweregoingoutofbusinessanyway—nomattertheshort-termresultssomeonewithindustryexperiencemighthavedelivered.

Attheendoftheday,acompanyneedsrevenuetosurvivebutneedsgood

peopleevenmorethanrevenue—becausepeoplemakeandgrowrevenue.Thisiswhyprofessionalsportsteamshaverebuildingyears.Wecan’tallspendmoneyliketheNewYorkYankeesanditdoesn’talwaysworkevenwhenwedo.(Andlet’sfaceit;themostrecentYankeedynastywasacoreofhomegrownplayersandroleplayersthatfittheteam,not

superstars.)Inbusiness,itisthesame,onlyonatightertimeline.Weneedtorecruitforthebesttalentandfit,notjustforexperience.That’swhyweneedtobeconstantlyrecruitingthetalentandbuildingourbenchesascoaches.

Build Your Bench:

Find Talent beforeThere Is a Need

ManyoftheleadersIworkwithgetthebench-buildingconceptwrong.Buildingthebenchisnotaboutfillingopenpositions.Itisaboutfinding,meeting,andinterviewingtoptalentbeforethere’sanopenposition.Remember:Coachesactbeforethereisaproblem.

Professionalsportsteamshavescoutsallovertheworldlookingfornewtalent.Can’tyouatleastlookaroundtown?

Isaidanddidthesamethingforyearsuntil,oneday,someoneinHRaskedme,“Whyisindustryexperienceimportant?”Istartedwithmyusualanswers:

industryiscomplicatedandcanhavealongramp-upperiod.Iwantanewemployeetocomeinand

hitthegroundrunning.Iwantapersonwithindustrycontacts,abletoconnectwithotherleaders,

tobringoversomefutureclients,orpossiblytoaddmoretalentedteammembersto

improveourteam.And,honestly,itiseasieronme.

SoItoldHRtokeepindustryexperienceasarequirement.ButasIthoughtmoreaboutit,Istartedtosee

adifferentsideofthosereasons:

Justbecausepeopleunderstandanindustrydoesnotmeantheyaregoodat

theirjobsorareexperts.Justbecauseapersonknowshowtorundoesnotmeanheorshe

willrun.Whoistosaytherelationshipstheyhavewithotherleadersandpotentialclients

andemployeesaregoodones(orthatthosepeopleareevengoodemployees)?Whyisbeing

selfishalegitimateexcusefornotdoingsomethingbetter?

Attheendoftheday,howmanytimeshadIhiredpeople,nottomentionjustifiedpayingthemahighersalary,becauseoftheir

experienceandcontactsintheindustry,andafterallwassaidanddone,noneofthatyieldedanythingofanyvalue?MorethanIwantedtoadmit.ThisishowI,likemostleaders,endeduphiringpeoplewiththebadattitudesIdiscussedinPartOne.IassumedtheypossessedalltheskillsandexperienceIwouldlaterfearlosingiftheyquit,becauseIhadmade

industryexperiencesuchanimportantfactorwhenIhiredthem.Forme,Iassumedthesepeoplehadcontactsthatcouldbecomemyteam’scustomerbase;forleadersinotherdivisions,itmightresultinconnectionstovendorsandsuppliers,politicians,governmentworkers,technologyandIT,tradeassociations,nationalandlocalbusinesses,orindustry

socialnetworks.WhatIwasreallysayingthenwas,thenameofthecompanyandtheworkmywholeteamdidwasnotthesourceofthosecontacts—theindividualswere.Meanwhile,whileIhadzeroedinonthebenefitsofindustryexperience,Ihadignoredconcernsabouthowpotentialemployeesactedandmademefeelintheinterview.Iignoredthings

suchasthewaytheyblamedothersforalltheirstrugglesintheircurrentpositions,howeverythingwassomeoneelse’sfault,orhowtheirbodylanguagemademeuncomfortable.Still,IthoughtIcouldchangethem.Ireasonedthattheenvironmenttheycamefromwasbad,sowithmycool,positiveteam,environment,andleadership,theywould

Fillingopenpositionsis notbuildingthebench.It’shiring.

adapt.Notso.Fromthat

momenton,IresolvedthatwheneverIinterviewedpotentialemployees,Iwouldavoidreviewingtheirrésumésduringtheinterviewand

insteadfocusonthepersoninfrontofme.Iwilldiscusstheirpreviouswork,butonlywithaneyetowardassessingtheirskills.Idon’ttalkabouttheirresponsibilities.Iaskhowtheyhandledcertainscenariosanddiscusssome“whatif”situations.Ithenconcentrateonhowtheyanswer,theirenergy,theirattitude,and

howIfeelwhentheyanswer.Thinkaboutit:Whatdo

weusuallyhavethemostofonourteams?Industryexperienceandcompanyknowledge.Sowhycontinuetohirewhatwehavethemostof?Becausemostofusfeelthatourbusinessesorindustriesaretoospecializedorcomplicatedtohiresomeonewithoutexperience.ButIhaveworkedwith

hundredsofcompaniesoverthepasttwentyyears,acrossmanyindustries,andIhavelearnedonenear-absolutetruth:Everycompanyiscomplicated,different,andspecialized,andthereforetheyarealluniquelythesame.

Okay,everycompanyisalittledifferentandeveryindustryhasalearningcurve.Butaslongastheworkdoes

notrequireaspecificdegreeorlicense,coacheslearntheycantakeatopperformerfromoneindustrytoanotherandsheorhewillbegreat.Sowecan’thiresomeonetobeasurgeonwithoutamedicaldegree,butwecanhiresomeonewithouthospitalexperiencebutwiththeskillstorunsomethingascomplicatedasthehospitalthesurgeonsworkin.Iknow

IcouldtakethebestsalesleadersatanestablishedUSproductmanufacturerandputtheminsalesinanyindustry,inanycompany,andinanyeconomy,andtheywouldbecometopperformersinthatindustry.AndIbelievethisistrueinalmostanydepartmentorjobfromfinancetooperationstodesigntoeditorialtoconstructiontopublicrelationsandbeyond.

ItevenworkedinengineeringfortheclientIdiscussedatthestartofthischapter—assoonashesawpastthecompanyego,thatitsindustrywasmoredifficultandspecializedthanothers.

Coachesknowthatfewpeoplehavejobssocomplicatedthatsomeonewithsimilarskills,butnoknowledgeoftheindustry,can’teventuallydothem.

OneofthebestshotblockersofalltimeintheNBA,DikembeMutombooftheCongo,wenttoGeorgetownonanacademicscholarship.Healsohappenedtobe7feet2andathletic,sotheGeorgetowncoach,JohnThompson,recruitedhimtoplaycenterforthebasketballteam.HecouldteachMutombothegame.SouthwestAirlineshires

teacherswhohaveabsolutelynoairlineexperiencebecausetheyarepassionateaboutwhattheydoandareusedtohandlingcrankychildreninschool,whichiswhatwearelikewhenourplaneisdelayed.Theycanteachthemhowtorunthegateandaisle.Ijusthiredaheadbartendertorunmyoffice.IcanteachherthecomputersandQuickBooks,butwhenshe

answersthephone?Youcanfeelher.

What MakesSomeone Great

IhaveseveralclientsinthetechnologyandengineeringindustrieswhooftentellmeIamwrongaboutallthis.Theytellmetheircompanyandindustryis

moreadvancedthanotherindustries.Unfortunately,thisviewisjustabitofarrogance,self-defense,andprideusedtovalidatetheirownself-worth.Here’swhatImeanbythat.WhenIsaytotheseclients,“IfIhaveanotherclientwhomakesconcretepipes,andtheyhaveanengineeringpositionthatpaysfivehundredthousanddollarsayear,canyoudoit?”

They’lltellme,“Heck,yeah.”Sojustbecausethey’reengineersinamore“advanced”(meaningmodernorhigh-tech)industry,theycanlearnanotherseeminglylessadvancedindustrylikeconcretepipes.Butanengineerfromaconcretepipecompanywiththesameskillsanddegreecan’tlearntheirindustry?

Hereis

Industryexperienceshouldnot behow wegaugeanyone’sself-worth—includingour

whyleadersthinkthisway:Alotofushavebeendoingsomethingforsuchalongtimeinacertainindustrythatwegaugeourworthbythinking,“I’m

own.worthmoremoneybecauseIknowthisindustrysowell.I’msmarterbecauseI’vebeendoingitforfifteenyears.”ThentheyfeelinsultedwhenItellthemnottohireforindustryexperience;theythinkIamtellingthemthattheirexperienceisworthless.ButI’mnotinsultingthem.Ijust

wantthemtolookatitfromtheotherside:Whatmakesyougreatisnotwhatyou’vebeendoingforfifteenyears—whatmakesyougreatisyou.

Theonlyoneinsultinganyoneisyouforhangingyourhatonajobthatyou’vebeendoingforfifteenyearsinsteadofthepersonthatyouare.Industryexperienceisnotpersonalandthusdoesn’t

replacepersonality.Lookatitanotherway:Howmanytimeshaveourcompetitorshiredoneofourpeopleandwearerelievedbecauseitwasnotoneofourbetterpeople?Then,wegorightoutandlookfortheexperiencetoreplacethatpersonwhowasn’tverygoodinthefirstplace.Weplayagameofpassingthe“poorplayer”(manyleadershavealess

politeterm,whichIwon’trepeathere).Intheend,howmuchisthatindustryexperiencereallyworth?Iamnotsayingthatallindustryexperiencemakesforpoorcandidatesandthattheyaredestinedtobepoorperformers,noramIsayingweshouldneverhiresomeonefromourcompetitors.I’mjusttryingtohammerhomeonceandfor

allthatindustryexperienceisoftenoflessimportancethanotherskillsorexperience,andweneedtobeabletoletitgoifnecessary.

Myengineeringclientdid.Theyputasidetheirinitialfearaboutthelonglearningcurveandtheassumptionthatengineersreallyneedtoknowtheproductsandfeaturestomakethings.Theyhiredasmart

anddrivenengineervirtuallyrightoutofcollege.Hislearningcurvewouldhavebeenhighanywhere.Whatmyclientsoonrealizedisthatwithouttheindustryexperience,thisguywassogreatbecausehedidn’thaveanyofthe“baggage”thatcomeswithmoreexperiencedplayers.Hedidnotknowthehistoryofwhatdidanddidnotwork.Hedidn’thaveany

barrierstohisownentry.Hehadthedegree,buthealsohadthehumilityofthenewguyandnoneofthearrogance.Thenewengineersimplydidwhathedidbest:Heusedhisengineeringskillstobreakdownallthelearningandisnowoneofthetopengineersinthecompany.

AlightingmanufactureranddistributorIworkedwithalsoletgoofthechestnutthat

industryexperienceisessential.Threeyearsago,theyhiredapharmaceuticalreptodotheirsales.Aftersomanybadhires,myclientdecidedtohirethisrep,knowinghislearningcurvewasgoingtobealittlelongeratthebeginningbutfeelinggreatresultswouldcomefromhisskillslong-term,withpropercoaching.Theytaughthimlightswitches,and

intwelvemonths,heparlayedhissalesskillsontothelistoftheirtoptenrepsinthecountry.Sure,thefirstthreemonthswererough.Hehadtolearntheindustryandbuildhisbase,andsofromzeroto90days,hewasslowerthaneveryoneelse.Butfromday91to365,hewaspassingthemallatrapidspeeds.Today,heistheirnumberonesalesrep.

Commit the Mostto Your Rookies

Ofcourse,noneofthisworksifleadersaren’twillingtodotheworkrequired.Ifyoubuildyourbenchandthenhirethebestpersononthatbenchandyoudon’ttrainthem?That’syourfault.What’snotyourfaultistheoccasionalbadhireinspiteofyoureffortstorecruitthe

rightpeople.Iknowbecausethereisnoonewhomakesmorebadhiresthanme.Thedifferencebetweenmeandmostis,asIsaidbefore,IhirefastandIfirefaster.SaythepersonIhire,afterninetydays,turnsoutnottobetherightfit;ifIgetinvolvedinmynewhire’straining,Iwillknowwithinweeksifheorsheisnotagoodfit,ratherthanyearsdowntheline.A

Don’tsacrifice

badhire,nomattertheindustryexperience,willbringmyentireteamdown.Ineedtofindthepersonadifferentjobinmyorganizationorfindthemajoboutsideofmyorganization,andquickly.

IntheNFL,rookiesaretested,trained,prepared,

theimportantthingsfor theeasythings.

coached,andtestedagainbeforetheymaketheteam.Rookiesgothroughatoughtrainingcampforseveralweeksandthenpreseasonforafewweeks,untilfinallythedecisionismadetokeepthemontheteamorreleasethem.

Coachesinbusinessmustshowthesamecommitmenttoourbenchbuilderswhenwehirethem(andreallyanyonenewtoourteamandorganization).Weinvestourtimewiththerookiessowecanbenefitfromtheminthefuture:

Teachrookieseverything

youwouldwantthemtoknow,evenifyouthinktheyalreadyknowit.Takethetime

tosharewrittenexpectations.Beconsistentlyandconstantlyavailabletothemtohelpthemunderstandthe

importanceoftheirjobs.Createatrainingcampenvironmentsimilartoprofessionalsports,whereplaybooks

andideasaresharedandtested.Haverookiesshadowtheirleaderssotheycan

understandhowtheleadersthinkandact.Haveanindustrylearningsessionsotherookiesknowyour

versionoftheindustry.

Ihavespentalotoftimeinsidecompanyorganizationsandknowthatthosewhocommittotherookiesareabletomakebetterdecisionsaboutkeepingorremovingnewhires.

Inmanycaseswhenanorganizationdoesnothavea

leaderinvolvedintheboardingprocess,orwhatIrefertoastheTrainingCamp,theyendupkeepingthewronghirefortoolong.

So What Are YouWaiting For? MakeTalent a Priority

Beingacoachinbusiness

isgoingtoforceyourteamtostepuporstepout,sostartsearchingfortalentbeforethishappens.Don’tgetstuckthinkingyouneedtokeepthosepoorperformersbecauseyoudon’thaveanybodyonthebench.Acoachwhoalwayshasanotheroneortwotoppeopleidentifiedtofillapositionmeanstalentedpeoplearealwaysconnectedtoyoueven

iftheyarenotonyourteamyet.Don’tkeepitasecretfromyourteameither.Ifyoudon’t,complacencywillbecomelessandlessofanissue,Iguaranteeit.

Typically,thebestpeoplearetheoneshappyattheirjobsalready.Yourjobistofindthem,andseeiftheywouldalsobehappywithyou.Ifso,thenconvincethemtojoinyou.With

today’ssocialmediaandnetworkingwebsites,therearemanywaystoachieveeffectiveproactiverecruiting.Dependingontheposition,theplacetofindtalentwillvaryandmightsurpriseyou,butitwon’tcomefromthesameindustrymixersandeventseveryoneelsegoesto.Irecentlymetadriverfromthelargestindependenthotelmanagementcompanyinthe

UnitedStateswhowaspureawesomeness;hehadgreatenergy,wasveryintelligent,andunderstoodtherealmeaningofservingpeople.Theleadersatthishotelmanagementcompanyweredoingthingsright,becausethisdriverlovedhisjobeventhoughhehadhadsomemuchhigherpayingjobsinthepast.Hetoldmeseveraltimeshelovedcomingto

work.Thistypeofperson(positive,outgoing,motivated)willworkinallorganizations.

Sohereisyourcoachinghomework:Forsixmonths,conductonebench-buildingmeetingorinterviewaweek.Letprospectiveemployeesknowwhatyouaredoingandwhy.Thiswillalsoshowfutureprospectsthatitisadifficulttasktobeamember

ofyourteam,andtheywillknow,ifanactualopenpositioncomes,toseizetheopportunity.Let’sbreakdownthenumbers:Evenifyouaresuccessfulonly10percentofthetimeandtakeafewweeksoffforvacation,thisstillgivesyoufivenewtop-qualitycandidates!

TheadviceIgivemykidsisthesameadviceIgivecoaches:“Nooneisgoingto

findyouandgiveyousomething,soifyouwantsomething,youmustgooutandgetit.”

Yes,likeallcoachingskills,buildingthebenchisasimpleconceptbutdifficulttofindthetimetoexecuteandsustain.Remindsmeofmyaimtogotothegymandworkout.Scheduleit,mandateit,andmakeithappen.

Takeaways:BuildingtheBench

Identifytalentbeforeyouneedthemsoyougetwhatyouwant

andnotwhatyouwillsettlefor.Hiretheenthusiasmandskill,andteachtheindustry

knowledge—stopshootingforhitting-the-ground-runningandstartfocusingonpracticing

withpassion.Recruitandinterviewasaweeklytask:Goodemployeesarehardtofind.Commit

andinvesttimeinthenewhiresimmediately.

Chapter 7MAKETOUGHDECISIONSIf you’ve gotsomeone not doingthe job, on any leveland with any time

served, you need tocoach them up orremove them fromthe position.

“Sellyourwinnersandtakethegains;rideyourlosers

andseeiftheycanrecoversoyoudon’ttakealoss.”Ihearthisphilosophyaboutbuyingandsellingstocksallthetime.AndIthinkitisalmostalwaystheexactoppositeofwhatweshoulddo,notonlywithmoneybutalsoasbusinessleaders:Keepyourwinners,theyarewinners;dumpyourlosers,theyare

losers.Ofcourse,underperformingplayersinbusiness(andsports)canimprovewithachangeindirection(coaching)orachangeofteamorscenery.That’sifwecanmakethenecessarychanges.

Myfootballcoachwasnotalwaysthenicestguy,buthewasalwaysup-front,honest,andclear.Theseattributesarewhatmattered

tousasplayers,nothownicehewas,andweplayedhardforhim.Weknewwherewestood.Hemandatedthatwehaveapositiveattitudeorleavetheteam,andhemadesurewewerereadytoplayeveryday.Ifastarplayerwasaslackerorwasmakinghisteammatesmiserable,thecoachdirectlyaddressedhim,andiftheplayerrefusedtocomply,hefoundthebench

andthenthebleachers.Thecoachdidn’tdowhatalltoomanyleadersdoinbusiness:Rewardthebadbehaviorbygivingtheplayermoreresponsibility,thusallowingthebadattitudetoinfectmoreplayers.Hedidn’tisolatetheplayerfromtheteamsohewouldaffectonlyhimself;ateamplayerisneveralone,soitwon’twork.Hemettheproblemhead-on.He

coached.Notthatsayingthis

makestoughdecisionsanyeasierforacoach.IfyouhaveeverseentheHBOseriesHardKnocks,whichfollowsanNFLteamthroughtheirtrainingcamp,youknowwhatIamtalkingabout.Oneofthehardestpartstowatchiswhenthecoachcallsplayersintohisofficetoletthemknowtheyarenotgoing

tomaketheteam.Hedoesitwithaheavyheart;heknowsheistellingtheplayerstheirdreamsofplayingintheNFLwillnothappen,atleastnotnow.It’snevereasyforthecoachtosaythis,butitisnecessary—andwhat’smore,heknowshe’llneedtodoitnextyeartooifheissuccessfulandremainsthecoach.

CoachesintheNFL

knowtheymustmakechangestotheteamsquicklyandasneededtoensureawinforeveryone,ortheirjobsareontheline.Notsoinbusiness.Coachesmayknowpartofbuildingawinningteamistogetridofallnonwinningplayers,butherearethebiggestreasonswe’vecoveredfornotmakingthetoughdecisiontomovethemout:

Weareselfishandareworriedaboutthetimeandresourcesitwouldtake.Weavoidconflict

andprefertobenicetoourpeople,givingthemeverychanceandbenefitofthe

doubt.Weconfuseplayertenurewithplayerloyalty.Wefearlostbusinessowingto

losingthebodyandnothavingareplacementonthebench.

FollowingourfiveessentialcoachingprinciplesandtheactionsofChapter6,

allthesereasonscannowberemedied.Buttoomanyleaders,evenafterbuildingtheirbenches,stillwaitforattritionratherthanmakeplacesontheteamnow.Wemaytalktoouremployeesabouthavingtomaketoughdecisions,butweavoidthosetoughdecisionsourselveswhenitcomestotheteam,choosingnottocoachournonwinnersuporout,and

hopingagainsthopethatthesituationgetsbetteroratleastnoworse.Butbottomtotop,abadsituationrarelydoesgetbetterandusuallygetsworsewithoutaction.

Thisisespeciallytruewhenitcomestothepeoplewhoarefuntohavearoundbutwhoseworkisjust“meh.”Let’ssaysomeonehasbeenworkingforyouforacoupleofyearsandthat

persondoesanokayjob—notmakingyoufamousbutnotkillingyoueither,abitofaslackerbutmosteveryonereallylikeshimorher.Toomanyleadersacceptthatperson’smediocreworkinsteadofrememberingthatthisisstillabadbodyregardlessofthelikability.Leadersmustknowthatiftheydon’tholdthatpersonaccountable,theirtop

performerswillsay,“Ifthebossjustletsthatslackersitthere,whyshouldIworksohard?”Noweverybodyontheteamcomesdowntothebadbody’slevel.Everythingisquestioned,includingtheirleadership.Then,thetopperformerswhorefusetogodowntothatlevelquitandbecomeappreciatedsomewhereelse.Butguesswhoneverquits.The

mediocreslacker.Butslackersarenotthe

toughestpeopletodealwithwhenaleaderneedstobuildawinningteam.Whataboutthelong-timerswhoarestuckintheirwaysandhavegrowncomplacent,aswediscussedinPartOne?WhatabouttheLife-Suckerswhodeliverresultsbutwhoseattitudesbringtherestoftheteamdown?Whataboutthereally

goodguyswhomeveryonelikesbutwhoarejustinthewrongjob?Thosearethreekindsofunderperformerswe’relikelytoencounterinourbusinesses:ComplacentLong-Timers,Life-Suckers,andGoodGuys.Tounderstandthesethreetypesisthefirststepinthecoach’sjobofmakingthattoughdecisiontomovethemupormovethemout—orsufferthe

consequences.

The ComplacentLong-Timer

IwasconductinganinitialinterviewwithaclientintheenergyindustrytodecideifIwouldbeagoodfittoworkwiththecompany.TheleadersbelowtheCEOhadreadmypreviousbooks,

implementedsomeoftheprograms,andcalledtoaskifIwouldbewillingtoconductsometrainingandexecutivecoachingfortheleadershipandtheirCEO.Butinmyinitialinterview,onlytheleadershipteamwasintheroom.Theywereexcitedaboutthepotentialofcoaching,butwhenIaskedwhattheCEOthoughtoftheidea,theyalllookedatone

anotherandsaid,“Well,wethoughtyoucouldmeetwithhimandfindout.Wedon’tthinkheisgoingtoagreewithusonehundredpercent...butheneedsto.”

Despitemyapprehensionaboutthisapproach,Iagreedtothemeeting,andwediscussedtheprinciplesofmycoachingprogram.TheCEOagreedwithmostoftheideasbutone:theneedfor

accountabilitybyhisunderperformingemployees.Turnedout,thisCEOknewhehadunderperformersonhisteam,especiallyemployeeswhohadbeenwithhimalongtimeandnow,hefelt,gavehimminimumperformance.SoIaskedhimwhyheacceptedit.Hesaid,“Becausetheyhavebeenloyaltomeforovertwentyyears.”

“Nodisrespect,”Isaid,“butloyaltyisnotshowninyearsofemployment.Youpaidthemforthoseyears.Thereasontheystayedandcontinuetostayisbecauseyoupaidthem.I’mnotsayingthattheydon’tcare,orthingshavenotbeengreatformanyofthoseyears.Butloyaltyisshownthroughcontinuedcontribution,notthroughtenure.”

TheCEOseemedtoagree,soIaskedhim,“Doyouhaveaplantoaddressyourconcernsabouttheperformancetheyaregivingyou?”

“Ihavemanytimesandwillcontinuetoaddresstheissue,”hereplied.“Buttheyarenotgoingtochange.”

“Thenitsoundsliketheyneedtofindanewjoboutsidetheorganization,”Isaid.

Hedidnotagreewithme...andImeanatall.“Absolutelynot,”hesaid.“Theseguysareuntouchableandwillbehereaslongastheywant.”

Ofcourse,thisCEO’semployeeswereuntouchableonlybecausetheCEOrefusedtodoanythingaboutthem.Atthatpoint,webothknewthiswouldnotbeagoodfitforeitherofus.I

wasn’ttakinganythingfromhimortheteam,ordisparagingthepastsuccessoftheselongtimeemployees.Isimplybelievedthebusinesscouldbealotmoresuccessfulifthecompanyfollowedmycoachingprinciplesandactuallydealtwiththeunderperformingpeople.SoIthankedhimforhistimeandtoldhimthatIhadtrulyenjoyedourmeetingandI

Stopconfusingtenure

wasimpressedwithhissuccess,butthatmyprogramwouldnotworkinanorganizationthatwillnotholdallmembersaccountableforthejobthatneedstobedone.

Turnsout,thisincrediblysuccessfulCEOwasnodifferentfrommostleaders

withloyalty:Wedon’towepeopleanythingfor justshowingup.

indealingwiththeComplacentLong-Timers.ComplacentLong-Timersareemployeeswhohavebeenatacompanyforalongtimeandlostpassionforthejoband

thusnolongerdelivertheresultstheyusedto.Thereasonsforthelossofpassionandresultingcomplacencyvaryfromboredomtolaziness.Maybethehumdrumofroutinesandtasks,methodicallyrepeatedyearafteryearafteryear,havetiredthemoutandleftthemdepressedandworkingonlyforapaycheck.Maybetheydesireachangeanda

challengebutfeartakingtherisksassociatedwithlookingforadditionalornewwork.

Whateverthereason,ComplacentLong-Timerscauseeveryonetosuffer,especiallywhentheyareleadersintheorganizationandhavetheswayofseniority.Ifother,less-tenuredemployeestakethecomplacencyofthelong-timerasanexampleofhow

toactinthecompany,thecomplacencywillonlygrow.Itwillspreadlikeweedsandoveryears—yes,years!—thosesubstandardresultswillbecomeingrainedintheday-to-daycultureofthecompany.

BythetimetheleadershipisnolongerwillingtoaccepttheComplacentLong-Timers’behavior,leadersofthose

companieshaveanevenbiggerproblem:Performanceshavedeclinedandthelosstothecompany—whetheractuallossesorlesssuccessthancouldhavebeenrealized—hasbecomehuge.Ifleaderswanttheemployeestochange,andtheemployeeswanttochange,thetaskisnowenormous.Theyhavetoovercomeahugedeltaof

underperformance:astagnantmesswheretheemployeesandthebusinessandrelationshipsthey’reresponsibleforarestuck,indecline,orhavedisappearedentirely.Torestoreflow,theemployeesneedtohustlelikerookies,findingandbuildingnewrelationshipsandbusinessandworkashardasevertoovercometheperceptionofmediocrity.

Usually,theiregoscan’thandlethat,andtheylacktheconfidencetodoso.Inmostcases,theemployeesarenotwillingtodotheworkandendupleaving(oftheirownvolitionorbecausethey’refired).Attheendoftheday,everyoneloses.Theemployee,theteam,andthecompanyeachhavetostartover.Allbecauseoftheleader’sinabilitytomakea

toughdecisionaboutaComplacentLong-Timer.

That’swhatseemedtobehappeningwiththeenergycompanyImetwith.Thecompanyisstillsuccessful,buttheCEO’sstatusquostillrules.WhenIspoketomycontactontheleadershipteamayearlater,hesaidtheywereinthesamespotasbefore:OwingtotheCEO’sinabilitytoholdeveryone

accountable,thegoodemployeeswerefrustratedandlookingtoleave.Anentirecultureofunhappinesswasbeingfostered,andunlesssomethingdrasticchanged,theCEOwouldcontinuetoacceptcomplacency.Whywaitforthat?Wedon’toweanyoneajob;wejustowethemtheopportunitytoearnandkeeptheirjob.Letmebeperfectly

clear:IworkedforSprintformorethannineyears,andIgavethemeverythingIhadforthoseyears.ButtheypaidmeverywellandIlovedmyjob.Theyowedmenothingforjustshowingup.Wemustexpectouremployeestoshowupandwanttoplayeveryday.Likeprofessionalathleteswhonolongerhavetheabilityordesiretoplayfortheirteamsandcompete

atthehighestlevel,ComplacentLong-Timerscannolongerbeonyourteam.

Acoachwhostopsputtingthebestplayersonthefieldstopsgettingpaidforbeingacoachor,ifnooneisholdingthatcoachaccountable,losestheconfidenceoftheteam.Thinkaboutitthisway:Mostathletescompetefortheirjobseveryyear.Ifemployees

hadtointerviewfortheirjobseveryyear,mostwouldn’tgetrehired.Askmostleadershowmanyoftheiremployeestheywouldstillhire,knowingwhattheyknowtoday,andthey’llsayfewerthanhalf.Mymessagetothoseleadersisthis:DothoseComplacentLong-Timersknowit?Iftheydon’t,that’sourfault!Thoseemployeesdon’tknowwewanttofirethemforbeing

Anemployee’sgettingcomplacentis hisor herchoice.

bad.Theymaynotevenknowwhatthey’redoingwrong.

Allowingthatemployeetoremaincomplacentis thecoach’schoice.

ComplacentLong-Timers

arenotwithouthopeforaturnaround,butleadersreallyhavetopushthem,andtheyreallyhavetorespondtoimprovetheirattitude,findtheirpassion,andworktheirhardest.Wearedoingnooneanygoodkeepingthemaround.Awin-wincouldbetomovethemtoanotherteamorcompany.Insportsandbusiness,itusedtobethatthebestplayersstartedand

finishedtheircareerswiththesameteams.Itwasexpectedthattheydoso.Today,fewpeoplegettheproverbialgoldwatch,andprofessionalsportsarefilledwithstoriesofplayerswhoaretradedforthegoodoftheteamandtheplayer.TheComplacentLong-Timersendupthrivingonthenewteam,andtheoldteamthenhasroomtoturntoitsbenchandbringin

someone—maybesomeoneelsewhoneedsthatchange,maybearookiereadytomoveup—whowilldelivertheresultstheteamneeds.

The Life-SuckerTheLife-Suckeristhe

easiesttospotofthethreetypeswe’recoveringherebutnottheeasiesttohandle.

Life-Suckersarenotteamplayers,donotfollowdirection,andjust,well,suckthelifeoutofateam.Unfortunately,unliketheComplacentLong-Timer,Life-Suckerssometimeshaveimpressiveknowledgeanddelivergreatresults.Asaresult,Life-Suckerscangrowverypowerful.LeadersarethushesitanttodealwiththeLife-Suckerbecauseitcan

meanareallossofbusiness.Butremember:EverythingaboutaLife-Suckerispowerful.Attitudesareinfectious,andabadattitudemakesforbadbusiness.Apowerfullybadattitudeisliketheblareofatrumpet.

Sowhat’sacoachtodo?IhadaLife-Suckerlikethisinmycompanywhowasnotonlyagreatperformer—shewasmysuperstar.Butshe

It isimpossibleto be agreatemployeeandhave abad

wasalwaysbringingtheteamdown.

Thishappenedmostnoticeablyinteammeetings.Iwouldproposeachangeindirectionoralogicalgoal

attitude.likeincreasingourrevenuesharefrom15to75percent,andherimmediateresponsewas“Thatcan’tbedone”or“Wecan’tdothatandhere’swhy”or“Wehaveneverdonethat.”Thiswasoneofmytoppeople.Theteamviewedherasanunofficialsecondincommand.So,whenshesaidthosethings,

everyonelistenedandthought,“Well,ifshesaidso,thenithastobetrue.”Problemwas,shedidn’treallythinkthat.Twohourslater,shewouldcallmeandsay,“Okay,soIgotthisfiguredoutandhereiswhatwearegoingtodo....”Shewouldcomeupwithherownsolutionforhowweweregoingtoheadinadirectionasacompanyoragroup.But

whatgoodwasthatfortheactualgroupandthesixothermanagerswholeftthemeetingthinkingsomethingcouldn’tbedone,andstillthoughtso?

Understand,thispersonwasnotwavingherownflag;shewaswavingourteam’sflag,butnoonesawthat.Sheleftwithanagendainherheadandcameupwithasolutiontheotherscouldn’t

see.Instead,whattheteamsawwasanaysayerwhocontradictedmycoachingvisionandthencameupwithaplaninisolationfromtheteam.Ineededhereithertowavetheteam’sflaginfrontoftheteamortogetofftheteam.Ineededhertobesayinginfrontoftheteamallthethingsshewassayingtomeone-on-one.Ineededpeopletoseeherasaleader

oftheteam’sagendaandnotherownagenda,orIneededhertotakethatagendasomewhereelse.WhichisexactlywhatItoldherinadocumentedmeeting.

Becausethispersonhadbecomesopowerfulwithherperformance,Icouldn’tfighther.SoIdidn’t.Iempoweredher.IexplainedwhatIsawhappeningandhowmuchpowershehad:“Whenyou

leavethemeetingandthenyougoandfixtheproblem,everyothermanagerthinksthatbecauseyousaiditcan’tbedone,theycan’tdoiteither.Itdoesn’tmatterifyousolveitlater.You’remakingmyjobalotharderbycreatingdoubtwhereitdoesn’tneedtobe.Now,Ican’tfightyouandIdon’twantto.Iwantyouonthisteam.Ineedyoutobea

leaderandthatmeansbeingapartofthisteamandsupportingthisteambyliningupwiththem,oryoumayneedtogofindjoyinadifferentjob.”

Thegoodnewsformewas,shelinedup.ShewantedtobealeaderandlovedhearingthattheteamandIsawherasaleader.Shehadnoideashewascreatingproblemsfortheteam.Inher

mind,shewasjustlayingoutwhattheobstaclestosuccesswere.Shethoughteverybodyelsewasleavingthemeetingandgoingthroughthesameprocessshewas,notthatshehadherownprocessandeveryoneelsewasstuckonwhatshesaidinthemeetings.UnliketheSnowman,theLife-SuckerwemetinChapter4,thispersondidnotthinkshewasdoingthe

peopleontheteamafavorbybeinga“realist”inmeetings.Sheactuallywasatopperformer,whiletheSnowmanblamedeveryoneelseforwhyhewasn’tsucceedingmore.Shenowknewthatshehadthepowertochangeandcontrolthesituation.ShealsoknewIwouldfireherbeforeIpromotedherifshedidnotchange.Thegoodnewsis,

shechanged,andbecameoneofmybestemployees—nottomentionstartedtoloveherjob,notjustimproveherperformance,again.Thatsaid,IhadsimilarconversationswiththeSnowmanandemployeeslikehimand,unfortunately,theydidnotorcouldnotchange,soIhelpedthemtofindopportunityelsewhere.Theimportantpartistohavethe

conversations.Butthisisahugejump.

BeforewecanevenhavetheconversationabouthowtoremoveLife-Suckersfromtheteam,weshouldaskourselveswhatwehavedoneastheleadertomakethemawareoftheirissuesand,moreimportant,makethemawareoftheimpacttheyhaveontheteam.Inmanycases,likemytopperformer,Life-

SuckersarenotawarethattheyareLife-Suckers,ortheydon’trealizethenegativeimpacttheyhaveontheteam.It’seasytoblamethembeforeweblameourselves.Andyes,weshouldbesensitivetosituationsoutsidetheofficethatmightbeaffectingtheLife-Sucker.Butevenifthestrugglesaretheresultofpersonalorpsychologicalandnot

professionalproblems,wecannotbehesitantinourapproach.Byallmeansbesensitiveandconsciousofdeeperproblems,butLife-Suckershavebroughttheirproblemstoourteamsandmadetheirproblemseveryone’sproblems.Fellowteammembersandcustomers/clientsarealsofeelingitandfinditdifficulttobreathewhentheairgets

suckedoutoftheroom.Duringmyworkshops,I

askleaders,“Ifsomeonestoleonethousanddollarsfromthecompany,wouldyoufirethem?”Withoutfail,everyonesays,“YES!”Thescaryfactis,Life-Suckerswithnegativeattitudeswillcostatleasttentimesthatmuchmoneyoverandoveragain.Inbusiness,justasinlife,wearejudgedbyour

actions,notbyourwords.Leadersmustbelievethathavingagreatattitudeisimportantandthenmandateit.We’renotbeingnicetotheLife-Suckerswhenwedon’tdothis;we’rebeingmeantothosewhoaren’tLife-Suckers.

Therearerightandwrongwaystoapproachtheseemployees,butleadersmustnotbeselfishand

scared.WemustmakeLife-Suckersawareoftheirattitudes,givethemanopportunitytochange,andmakethechangeourselvesiftheyrefuseinwordandthenindeed.Remember:YoucanpracticewhattosayanddoifyoudiscoveraLife-Suckerhaspersonalproblems.Youcanworkonbeingunderstanding,butthereisnoexcuseforletting

thebehaviorjustgoon.

The Good GuyLeadersoftenthinkof

theirbademployeesandhiresasbadpeople.Theythinkaboutthepeoplewholiedabouttheirskillsandexperiencetogetthejob,whowereabusivetotheirteamsandthestaff,whosimplyup

andquitwhenabetteroffercamealong,whocommittedacrime....Anddon’tgetmewrong.Thesepeoplearebad(oratleasttheiractionsare).Butnotallbademployeesarebadpeople.Manytimes,theyarethenicestpeopleintheworldbutabadfitforaparticularjob.BadhirescanbeGoodGuysandhaveallthepositiveenergy,commitment,andpassionin

theworld,butwedidn’tfindouttheylackedtheskillsandattributesneededforthejobuntilthey“tookthefield.”

ThisiswhytheGoodGuyisthehardestofthetoughdecisionstodealwith,emotionally.ToparaphraseSallyFieldattheOscars,welikethem,wereallylikethem.GoodGuysdolotsofthingsright,giveuseverythingtheyhave,and

trulyaredoingtheirbest.Unfortunately,itisnotgoodenough.Butwhetheritisalackofskillsorthewrongjobtobeginwith,theycan’tmoveup.Whateverthereason,theyareGoodGuysbutbademployees.

AswediscussedinChapter6,I’mnottalkingabouthiringsomeonejustbecauseheorsheisaGoodGuyandignoringthemissing

skillsandattributes.I’malikableguywholovesfootball,butIwouldbeabaddraftpickfortheHoustonTexansfootballteamevenifIgaveeverygamemyall.Theywouldbefoolishtowastearosterspotonme.Truthis,weliketobelieveanddobelieve—andtellourchildren—thatyoucandoanythingyouwanttodoinlife.Butthatdoesnotmean

Noteveryoneisequalin

youaregoingtobegoodatitorthat,ifyoudevoteallyourtimeandenergytoit,you’lldeveloptheskillsandconfidencetodoit.

GoodGuyscometousinmanyways.Sometimeswearedesperateenoughtolookpastthe

everyway.

résumétofocusonlyonthepeoplewelike.Sometimeswepromotesomeonewereallylikebutwhosenewresponsibilitieslieoutsidetheircurrentfieldofexpertise.Nomatterthereason,whenGoodGuysgobad,itisusuallyobvioustoeveryone,includingtheGood

Guys.Theymaytryharder,worklater,andgiveittheirall,butattheendoftheday,theygohomedisappointedorfrustrated,inmanycasesfeelingbadnotjustabouttheirjobbutaboutthemselves.Asleaders,wedon’twanttohurttheirfeelings,sowekeepencouragingthemlongaftertheexpirationdateandtellthemtokeeptrying,butthis

leadstoourbeingfrustrated,theteamstruggling,andtheGoodGuyfeelingshame,embarrassment,andguilt.

DealingwithGoodGuysishardestwhentheyarenotnewemployeesbutlongtimeemployeeswhoarenotcomplacentbutsimplystuck.Ihaveaclientwithagreatteamofleadersandtheyall,forthemostpart,careabouttheirjobs,theirteams,andthe

company.OneoftheseleadersisoneofthenicestandmostgenuineguysIhavehadtheopportunitytoworkwithinmycareer.Mr.GoodGuy,Mr.Gforshort,hasbeenwiththecompanyformorethantenyearsandintheindustryforthirtyyears.Hehadgreatknowledgeandexperienceandhiseffortswerejustasgreat.However,therewasaproblem:No

matterhowmanyhoursheworked,orhowhardhetried,hecouldnotgrasptheconceptofleadingasalesteam...andhewastheVPofsales!

Mr.Gunderstoodthesalesprocessandtheoperationsofthebusiness,buthecouldnotgraspteamdevelopment.Mr.Gwouldprobablynotadmitthistoanyone,butIknewheknew

it.Drive,desiretodothejob,andpridekepthimgoing,butitwasnotenough.Now,youmightbethinking,“Nathan,didn’tyousayearlierthatdesire,drive,passion,andambitionareessentialattributes?”Theansweris“Yes,Idid.Butthesehavetobedirectedtowardtherightthings.”Mr.Gdoeshavethepassionforthejob,buthispassionisnotenough.No

matterhowhardhetries,hecannotdothejob.NoamountofeffortorcarewillgetMr.Gtothetopbecauseheisinthewrongjob.Anditwouldbemyclient’sfailureiftheydidnotaddresstheproblemandcontinuedtoletMr.Gstruggle,bynotmakingthetoughdecisiontoconfronthim.

Itwasn’tthatMr.Gwasn’tgoodatthegame;he

waslikealinemanbeingaskedtoplayquarterback.Itoldmyclient,Mr.G’sboss,“Youaredoinghimaninjusticebyallowinghimtostayinhisroleandgoonstruggling,andifyoudon’tmovehimsoonerratherthanlater,youwillruinhimandinturnloseagreatcontributortotheteam.Byplacinghiminabetterfit,likeVPofoperations,hewould

skyrockettostardom!Hewouldbehappierintheendandmoresuccessful,andtheorganizationwouldbenefit.”

Myclientagreed,intheory,butstillcouldn’tbringhimselftoconfrontMr.Gandmakethechange.Ifhehad,hemighthavelearnedwhatIhaveafteryearsofcoaching:TheGoodGuy’sunderperformancemaybedifficulttoconfront,butthe

resultscanbesomeofthemostrewardingtoughdecisionsinthelongrun.Afterall,someonehastohelpapersonlikeMr.Gtogetoutofhissituation,evenifitmeansofferinglessmoneyorademotion,andthatpersonishisleader.LeaderslikemyclientdoGoodGuysnofavorsbykeepingtheminajobinwhichthey’remiserableandfeelaltogether

Havetherightpeopledoing

inadequate.Mosttimes,evenwiththedemotionorreductioninpay,theyarehappierthandoingsomethingtheyreallycan’tdowell.

Manytimesinmycareer,IhavehademployeeslikeMr.G—employeeswho,afterI

therightthingsat therighttime.

becametheirmanager,hadtositdownwithmetodiscusstheirplacement.Atthesemeetings,theyweremadandupsetwithme—oneevencalledmeamonster—butalways,eachtime(sometimesdays,maybemonthslater)

theycalledore-mailedandsaidtheywerehappier.Maybepartofitwasbecausetheynolongerworkedforme—GoodGuyscanclashwithgoodcoaches—butIbelieveitisbecausetheywerenowdoingsomethingtheycouldbesuccessfuldoing.

Havingtheability,discipline,courage,andcommitmenttohelpourpeoplebebetter,evenwhenit

meansmakingtoughdecisions,iswhatleadstosuccess.Stopassessingtheproblemsbutnotmakingthechanges.Makethetoughdecisionsaboutthesetypesofemployees—andanyoneelsewhobringstheteamdownorholdsthembackfrombeingthebesttheycanbe—andeveryonewillbenefit.

Takeaways:

MakeToughDecisions

Itisnevertherightdecisiontokeepapersonwhoisnotthebestfitinthejob.

Onceyouknowapersonisnotagoodfitforajob,yourjobasaleaderisnottobe

selfishandavoidconflictbuttomakeamove.Remember:Allgreatlong-termrewards

requireshort-termworkandpain.Complacencycankillresults,morale,andsuccessfaster

thanthecompetitioninanyindustryormarket.Ifsomeonehasabadattitude,itistheir

fault,butifyoupaythem,itisyourfault!

Chapter 8TREATTHEVICTIMDISEASE

Inthe1993movieAddamsFamilyValues,PugsleyandWednesdayaresenttoasummercamp,whereWednesdaybattlesconstantly

withtheprim,privileged,andprotectedAmanda.Atthelakefront,theovereagercounselor,Gary,preparesthecamperstolearnaboutlifesavingandmakesWednesdayandAmanda“buddies.”

“Now,oneofyouwillbethedrowningvictimandtheotheronegetstobeourlifesaver,”Garysays.

“I’llbethevictim!”

Amandashoutsproudly.“Allyourlife,”

Wednesdayreplies.Alotofleaders,

includingmyself,couldhaveusedWednesday’sexpertiseinidentifyingwhoplaysthevictimforourbusinesses.Afterall,WednesdayAddamswasrightaboutAmandaandrightonadeeperleveltoo.Theproblemisthatweliveinasocietythattends

toraisevictims.Wedon’tteachourkidstofail;wethinkeveryonedeservestowinandgetamedal.Wedon’tacceptthatanyproblemmightbebecauseofus.Whenchildrenthinkteachershatethem,mostparentsgoinandcomplainabouttheteacher.Itcan’tbethekid.Somebodyiscausingourchildrentoactthisway.Blameitontheteacher,theschool,the

curriculum,theschoollunch...butnotlittleSuzieandlittleJohnny.NowlittleSuzieandlittleJohnnyhaverésumés,andchancesare,oneofthemisworkingforus.

Identifying theVictim Disease

Inbusiness,thesinglemostdefiningsymptomof

victimdiseaseisarapid,never-endingstreamofexcuses.Thosemostseverelyinfectedneverrunoutofpeopleorthingstoblame,makinganylackofsuccessbeyondtheircontrol.Victimsjustifytheirperformanceorlackofperformancebyblamingthelackofopportunities.Intheirwarpedworld,everythingisanattackuponthem.Whenchallenged

onthispoint,victimstypicallyrespondthewaytheydotomostfeedback,criticism,andcoaching—bygoingintodefensivelockdown.Allthis,ifnotrecognized,addressed,andremoved,willbecomethegreatestenemyofateam’swinningattitude.Victimscanaffectresultsandmoraleasmuchasanyunderperformer.Yettheythriveinbusinesses

A lot ofpeoplebehavelikevictimsbecause

becauseleadersallowthemtobevictimsandhavenodesiretoholdthemaccountablefortheir“victiming.”

Problemis,we’renotdealingjustwiththevictimswealreadyhave;we’rehiringthemtoworkforus.We

weallowthem tobevictims.

couldhaveavoidedhiringmanyofthoseinfectedwithvictimdiseaseinthefirstplace,butmostleadersdon’tdotheworktoidentifyobviousvictimsduringthehiringprocess.Sometimes,thisisbecausethoseleadersarevictimsthemselves,and

welikepeoplewhoarelikeus.It’snotthattheseleadersareactingmaliciously;theyareactingsympathetically,whichisoneofthereasonssympathyisnotacharacteristicofastrongleader.WhensomeonesaysIcouldn’tdothisorachievethat,theleaderthinks,Ihadthesameproblem.Thispersonneverhadachance.Iwillgivehimachance.More

often,though,wefailtospotvictimsinthehiringprocessbyfailingtoaskquestionsthatofferaprospectivehireachancetomakeexcusesandblamesomeoneorsomethingforwhytheyhavenotachievedanything.

Theeasiestthingtolistenforininterviewsareanswerstoquestionsthatfindout,rightorwrong,ifapersoncanorwillblameother

peopleorthingsoutsideoftheircontrolofanysituation.Asimplequestionlike“Haveyoueverbeenpartofaprojectthatfailedbutitwasn’tyourfault?”willfastletmeknowifIhaveapotentialvictiminfrontofme.Avictimwillanswersomethinglike“Ididmypart,butthe[editorial,marketing,engineering,art,etc.]departmentdidn’tgettheir

piece[in,right,approved,etc].”Theanswermaybetrue,buthowthepersonanswersitandmyfollow-upquestionstellmeasmuchaboutthatpersonaswhatheorshesaid:Isheorshedefensive?Angry?Resentful?Takinganyresponsibility?

Herearesomeotherquestionsthatcanleadtoaroundoftheblamegame:

Ifpeoplehavealreadylefttheirpreviousemployer,askthemwhyandthen

followupwith“Canyougoback?”and“Wouldtheyhireyouback?”—listenforhowmuch

theypointafingeratsomeoneorsomethingelseforanyreasonswhynot.Askthemto

describetheirfavoritebossandtheirleastfavoritebossandlistentohowthey

describethem—dotheynaturallyjuststartblamingtheleastfavoritebossfortheirproblems?Ask

themtotalkaboutgoodandbadrelationshipstheyhadatwork—listenforwherethey

takeresponsibilityandabdicateit.

Simplyput,victimsdonottakeresponsibilityfortheiractionsorfailures.Irememberinterviewingapersonforamanager’spositionwhomentionedhowhiscurrentboss“didnotlet

mebesuccessful,butifIcouldonlydothingsmyway,Iwouldbemoresuccessful.”Hetoldmeaboutsituationsthatfailedbecauseofothers,buthecouldn’tnameanyfailureofhisown.Byaskingthecandidatehoworwhythiswastrue,Imighthaveseentheflashingsignoverhishead,screamingVICTIM.ButIwasblind,andhehadtherésumé,andtheanswersI

waslookingfor,andheseemedlikableenough,soIhiredhim.

Onlylater,withthecoachingandhelpofmyboss,didIstarttoseethecharacteristicsofhisvictimdiseaseandrealizethenegativeeffectstheyhadonourbusinessandourleadershipteam.IfIhaddoneabetterjobofrecognizinghisvictimdiseaseandavoiding

it,Iwouldhavedoneabetterjobformyteam.IunderstoodthatIcouldnotgobackandchangethepast,soasaleader,itwasnowmyjobtotreatthevictim.

Recognizing andDealing withVictims

Sohowdowerecognizeapersonwithvictimdiseasealreadyinourbusiness?Itcanbedifficulttorecognizewhensomeoneisactinglikeavictimbecauseonethingvictimswillnotdoiscallthemselvesvictims.Inmanycases,theydonotseethemselvesthatway.Isaythisassomeonewhohasregrettablyhiredhisfairshareofvictims,missingthesigns,

whichIdidnotrecognizeatthetime.

Leadersinthepositionofdealingwithvictimsintheirbusinesses,rememberthecoachingprinciples:Embracetheconflictandfacetheproblem.Confrontingvictimsbringsconflictandalotofit,butthisistheonlywaytohelpthepersonandtheteam.Beprepared.Practiceyourmeetingwithapeerormentor

priortothemeeting.Helpthevictimunderstandwhyyouseehimorherasavictimand,mostimportant,thatbeingavictimiscostinghimasanindividualandisaffectingtheteamandtheorganization.Helpthevictimunderstandthatbeingavictimisachoice,andnotbeingavictimisachoiceaswell.

Asleaders,itisourjob

1. 1.Identifyvictims.

2. 2.Helpthemrecognizetheirbeliefsandbehaviors.

3. 3.Help

themgofromvictimstovictorsorgosomeplaceelse.

Recently,theownerofthefitnessclubwhereIworkoutbroughtmeintohelphimcoachhisteamofpersonal

trainers.Hisconcernwashowthesetrainerswerecommunicatingwithhiscustomers.Hewantedthetrainerstounderstandhowwhattheysayanddonotonlyreflectsonthembutalsoonthebusinessasawhole.Anytrainerandgymcangetresults,butgoodcommunicationwoulddifferentiatehimfromhiscompetitors,build

relationships,andgenerategreatword-of-mouth.

AsIstartedtalkingtoandworkingoutwiththetrainers,Izeroedinononetrainerimmediately.Hewasanathletewitharealchiponhisshoulder.Now,IamnotanathletenordoIhavemuchexperiencewithweightlifting.Thistrainer,whoIwouldseeacoupleoftimesaweek,becameextremely

impatientwithmebecauseIcouldn’trememberwhatapowerclean,oneofthemoves,lookedlikefromonesessiontothenext.Butitwasn’tjustme;heseemedtorubeveryonethewrongway.Heyelledatthepart-timestafftocleanupquicker.Heyelledatafriendofmineassheworkedoutbecausehefeltshewasnottakingherworkoutseriously,andhe

Victimsnevermakeanyonefeelspecial,exceptthosewho

madeherfeelstupid.Itell

everyclientIworkwithwhatItellmyself:Itisourjobtomakepeoplefeelspecial.That’snotjustforsalespeople,thehospitality

enablethem.

industry,orcustomerservice.Maybeyouhaveaproductthatmakessomeonefeelspecialorusewordsthatmakesomeonefeelspecialwhentheywalkintoyourofficeordepartment.Whateveritis,thebestpeoplemakeotherpeoplefeelspecial.Thistrainerseemed

nottoknowthatruleandhadforgottenhewastheretoserveus.

SoIpulledhimasideandaskedhimwhyhewassoangrywithmeandwhyhethoughtpeoplelikemewereeventhere.Heimmediatelygotdefensiveandevenseemedoffendedbymyquestions.“Peoplelikeyoudon’tlisten,”hesaid,“becausetheydon’twantto

getbetter.Theyjustwanttocomeinandplay.”Hewasfrustratedthathetakeshisjobsoseriouslywhileeveryoneelsecomesinjust“toplay.”Hedidn’tcarethatI,likemostofhisclients,hadbusylivesandcametohimtoescape—thathislifemightbewrappedaroundweightliftingandtraining,butforhisclients,itwasaone-hourtaskintheday.Hethought

weweren’tseriousaboutit,didn’tloveit,ordidn’tcareaboutit.Thatdidn’tmeanitwasn’tapriorityforus.Itriedtoexplainallofthisandmoretohim—toshowhimhewasmissingthepoint,thatwefoundvalueinthisescapetothegymandheneededtomakeusfeelspecialduringthattime.Iwantedhimtoseeitwaslikeowningabar.Wegotoabartoescapeour

worries;whenyouownthebar,itisyourworry.

AsIpressedhimfurtherandaskedwhyhethoughtitwasacceptabletoyell,theexcusesstartedaboutwhyhewasthewayhewas.Hisbosses?“Theyrenewedmycontract,buttheywon’tletmedowhatIwanttodo.”Itwentonandonwithlineslikethat.Itwasallaboutpoorlittlehim.Oneday,Ishowed

upandhewassittingoverinacornerpouting.WhenIaskedhimwhy,hesaid,“Well,Iwasn’tsupposedtocomeintoday.”Itoldhimtheywerepayinghimandiftheywantedhimtostandonhisheadandspinlikeatop,thenheshouldspinlikeatop.Hisjobwastomakeadifferenceforthepeoplewhopaythegymandforthebosseswhopayhim.Andthat

ledtoanentirelynewconversationfullofexcusesregardinghischildhoodandcollegewoes.

Unfortunately,thistrainerhadaterminalcaseofvictimdiseaseandeventually,afterninetydays,myclientfiredtheguy.Acoupleofweekslater,someonetoldmetheyhadlunchwithhimandtheytoldmehesaid,“Well,theywantedmetobefired.”He

saidtheyputhiminsituationswherehewouldlosehistempersotheycouldfirehim.Everythingfromwhathewasrequiredtodo,tohisattendance,towhathegotpaid—someonedidsomethingwrongtoputhiminthatspot.Unfortunately,he’llprobablyplaythevictimtherestofhislife.

Change the Victimto Victor or Changethe Player

AtSprint,myteamssupportedcompanies,suchasRadioShackandBestBuy,thatsoldourproductsandservices.Once,whenItookoveranewmarket,oneoftheexistingsalesmanagerstoldmethereasontheteamwasstruggling:“Wecan’tsellour

productouttherebecauseitdoesn’tworkwellenough.”Howwasthispersonavictim?Onthefaceofit,thiscertainlysoundedasiftheteamhadlegitimatereasonforfailingtobuilditsbusiness.Itwastruethatwelaunchedaproductwithnetworkcoverageinferiortothatofsomeofourcompetitors...threeyearsbefore.Inthethreeyears

since,ourcoverageandproductshadgottensignificantlybetterandworkedaswellasanyoneelse’sinthemarket.Bymaintainingtheexcusethatourproductsdidn’tworkwellenough,thissalesmanagercouldrationalizeanylackofsuccess.

Ihearsimilarcomplaintsfromleadersandteamsineveryindustry:Myproductor

servicejustisn’tcompetitivewiththeotherproductsoutthere.Victimsacceptthisasfactandthusaninsurmountableobstacle.ButashappenedatSprint,factscanchange,andsometimesthoseobstaclesaren’tinsurmountableatall.Lookatthetopperformersonthesameteamasthevictim:Aretheystrugglingtoo?Aretheyfocusingonhowbadthings

areorworkinghardtoovercomethem?WhatreallydidnotworkwellenoughatSprintwasmysalesmanager.Obstaclesinlifeandbusinessarefacts;badthingshappenandpeopledobadthings.Butbeingavictiminresponsetothoseobstaclesoractionsisachoice.Weallfaceobstacles,butvictimsdon’tknowthedifferencebetweenanobstacleandanexcuse.

Obstacle—Excuse

—Solution

Anobstacleisafact:

aproblemwemust(andCAN)overcome(competition,industryissues,economy,markettrends)

Anexcuseisaresult:areasonwedidnotovercometheobstacle

toachieveourgoal—whywelostorarelosing“thegame”

Asolutionisaresult:howweovercametheobstacletowinor

pushforwardonachievingourgoals

Becauseofhisperformanceandbecausehestillfeltitwasnothisfaultandthatthecompanywasthe

onetoblameforhisfailure,Iencouragedmysalesmanagertogooutandhaveafreshstart.ItoldhimthatthisteamwasnotagoodfitforhimandhewasprobablyrightthatthecompanyandIhadfailedhim—butnotforthereasonhethought.IhadfailedhimbecauseIwasunabletohelphimtreathisvictimdisease.That’sbecauseIdonotbelievevictimdiseaseis

terminalandallvictimsareworthlesstoacompany.Ibelievepeoplecanchangetheirbeliefsandbehaviorsiftheydecidetodoso.Leadersshouldhelpvictimsseethepowerthatnolongerblamingotherpeopleorcircumstancescangivethem,andhowitmakesthembetterpeople.

Leadersmusthelpthosewhomakethechoicetobeavictimtomakebetterchoices,

orwehavetohelpthemmoveoutsidetheteamorcompany.That’sourchoice.Itisnotenoughtohelpvictimsfighttheirdisease;leadersmustcontinuetocoachthem,becausethediseasecanreturn.Ascoachesandleaders,wecannotchangethosewhodonotwanttochange,sowemustbeabletorecognizethesignsofarefusaltochange

Winningis notaboutskill—it’saboutmind-set.

andremovethosevictimsfromtheorganization.

Ifmyclient’strainerandmysalesmanagerhadlistenedtowhatweweresayingandrecognizedtheirproblems,wecouldhave

workedwiththem.Buttheybothacceptednoresponsibilityoraccountability.Theykeptblamingeveryoneandeverythingandinnowaysaid,“Helpmegetbetter”or“LetmeknowwhenI’mdoingsomethingwrong.”Victimswhodothatopenthemselvesuptofurthercoachingactivities,suchas

scrimmaging.That’showvictimsbecomevictors.TheydowhatItellmykidsallthetime:“Don’tgiveanypersonorthingpowertodetermineyoursuccess.”Wecontroleverythingwedoandhowwedoit.Leadersmusthelpvictimsunderstandthatacceptingresponsibilitydoesnotmeanweakness—itmeansstrength.

Takeaways:TreatingtheVictimDisease

Likesomuchincoaching,theeasypartisidentifyingthisproblem;thehardpartis

addressingitandfixingit.Mostvictimsdonotknowtheyarevictimsordon’tseethemselves

asvictims.Recognizethediseaseandmakepeopleawaretheyhaveit,thenremove

thevictimdiseasefromthepersonorremovethepersonfromtheteam.

Knowthatleaderswhoarevictimscancreatemorevictimsbecausetheysympathizewith

themandtheyenablethemtoremainvictims.Lookfortheblamegamewheninterviewing

prospectivenewhires.

Chapter 9AVOID THEBIGGESTMANAGEMENTTRAPS

DespiteallIknowaboutturningmanagersinto

coachesandstrivingtobeacoachmyself,Istillfallintomanagementtrapsthatkeep

greatleadersandmanagersfrombeinggreatcoaches.Iknowwhatthetrapsareandevenseethemcomingsometimes,butIhavetoworkhardtoavoidthem.Andunlesswemakeconsciouseffortstoavoidthesetrapsorhaveanexitstrategywhenwedon’t,wewillstaysnaredandstruggleinthemandeventuallygiveuponsome,ifnotall,ofthecoaching

skillsandprincipleswehaveworkedonsofar.So,beforeIletyougofromtheactivitiesandactionsofcoachingtothecultureofcoaching,Iwanttocoverthefivebiggestmanagementtrapscoachesfallinto.

TheFiveBiggest

ManagementTraps

1. 1.Trap#1:Coachingisdifficultandredundant.

Trap#2:Myteamisalreadygreat.

3. 3.Trap#3:Checkingthebox

4. 4.Trap#4:Allowingbottomperformerstoleaveontheirowntimeline

Trap#5:Notbelieving

Trap #1: CoachingIs Difficult andRedundant

Coachingisatime-consumingandoftenrepetitiveactivity.Welovetosay,“Focusonthebasics,”butittakesconstanteffortforouractionstomatchthesewords.Thetrapisrationalizingthetimeanddifficultyofsustainingaculturewhenwesay,“Idon’thavethetimetocoachanymore,”andthatexcuse’suglystepsisters“Ourpeople

alreadyknowthisstuff”and“Wehavealreadypracticedthistopic.”Tostayoncourseandstayoutofthistrap,remindyourselfandyourteamthatalthoughwehavealreadyworkedonskillsordisciplinesandknowandhaveimprovedthem,wecannotstoppracticingthem.Aprofessionalbaseballplayerwillpracticecatchinggroundersandpopfliesfrom

teeballuntilheretires.Heneverbelieveshe’sperfect.Thepracticeisrarelynewandexciting,butthedesiretobecomeabetterprofessionalandkeepgettingbetteris.Thesameistrueinbusiness:Ifwekeepfocusingonbeingbetterateverythingwedo,thenourbusinesswillgetbetter.

Sure,it’seasiertostartthansustain.Oftenleadersget

pumpedoutofthegateandstartdoingalltherightthings—scrimmagingonceaweekasateam,conductingcoachingone-on-onesessions,andreallyfocusingongrowingeachteammember.Butthen,likeachildwithanewtoy,wefeelthenewnessandfunstarttowearoff,andsodoestheexcitement.Thereshouldbenoexcusesfornotseeingand

anticipatingthis.Weknowthiswillhappen,sometimeswithinweeks.Itwillhappen,andwemustbepreparedtoavoidthetrap.

ThebestexitstrategyfromTrap#1istostaycommittedtothingslikescrimmagingandteamrecognitionandrewardprogramsbygettingyourteaminvolvedmoreandmoreinplanningandexecuting

them.Becarefulnottocopoutanddelegateyourcoachingactivities:Don’tdelegateactionstosomeoneelsebecauseitboresyou.Dothat,andyouripoffyourteam,deprivingthemofwhattheydeserve—yourtimeandcommitment.Andthen,evenifyouthinkyourteamisgreat,don’tstopdoingtherightthings.

Trap #2: My TeamIs Already Great

Ihavefourchildren,andIcanhonestlysaytheyareallperfect.Myoldestiswickedsmart.Myeleven-year-olddaughterhasoneofthebiggestheartsandgeneroussoulsofanyoneyouhaveevermet.Mythree-year-oldhasthemostmagneticenergyandapresencethatmakes

youloveher.Mytwo-year-oldisbeautifulandthestrongesttwo-year-oldgirlIhaveeverseen.Ifmypraisesoundsfamiliartoyou,youareprobablyparentssayingthesamethingsaboutyourkids,orthefriendofthoseparentswhowishestheywouldshutupabouttheirkids.Eitherway,youknowwhatImean:Sometimesleaders,likeparents,takethis

hyperbolicsee-no-imperfectionsattitudetowardtheirteam.Maybewefeelobligatedtosingtheirpraisesinthewayparentsdotheirkids.Ormaybewethink,“Well,duh.They’reonmyteam.Ofcoursethey’reawesome.”

Theremaybekidsouttheresmarterandmoregiftedthanmykids,prettierthanmydaughtersandmore

handsomethanmyson,butmykidsaremyfamilyandIcan’treplacethem.Unlikewithfamily,asabusinessleader,youcannotgetattachedtoanidealizedversionofyourteam.Wemustask,“Whoonmyteamisnotperformingtotheteamstandards?”Thenweneedtomovethemuptothestandards.Thenraisethestandards.

Inprofessionalsports,teamsdraftnewandmoretalentedplayerseveryyear,notbecausetheyhatetheircurrentteamordon’tthinkthey’reanygoodbutbecausetheirjobistofindthebesttalentandplacethemontheteam.Inbusiness,wemustremember:Everyoneisreplaceable.Yes,thisisaharshreality,butitisarealone:Everyoneisvaluablebut

notnecessary.Bewillingandabletolookatyourteamsubjectivelyandasksomehardquestionsregularly:

Canthispersontakeourteamtothenextlevel?IfIleftthe

company,whichofthemwouldIwanttotakeovertheteam?

Itisnormalforleaderstorespectandcareabouttheirteams,especiallythosewhohavebeenwithusforalong

time,buteverybodymuststillearntheirrosterspoteveryyear.Don’tallowpersonalemotionstokeepyoufrommakingthebestprofessionaldecisions.Doingtherightthingissometimeshard,butneverwrong.

Trap #3: Checkingthe Box

Thistrapcouldalsobecalledthegoing-through-the-motionstrap.Itistooeasytodoataskandchecktheboxmerelytosaythatwehavedoneit.Wemaynotevenrealizewe’vefallenintothistrap.Buttheconsequencesfortrappedcoachescanbeespeciallydrasticiftheteamfollowslikelemmings.

Whatarethesignsofthistrap?Westarthaving

scrimmagesjusttohavethemorgiveagameballjusttodosomething.Westopplanningevenforthemostimportantactivities.IrecentlyhadaclientcallmeonaFridaymorningtotellmehewasabouttohavehisweeklypracticeandwastryingtothrowtogetherhisagendarealquick—justminutesbeforethemeeting.Weallhavedonethisatonetimeor

another,butwecannotstopgivingthesameamountofrespectanddedicationtothecoachingofourteamsthatwewantourteamstogivetous.That’scheckingthebox,andoftenthefirststeptostoppingtheseactivities.

ThisisnodifferentfromwhathappenseveryspringwhenIbringourboattothehouseforspringcleaning.My

kidslovethisday(not),andeveryonehasajob.Afterabouttwentyminutes,myoldestdaughter,whoistaskedwithcleaningtheseats,says,“Daddy,I’mdone.”

“Nowayyoucleanedallofthoseseatsthatfast,”Itellher.Sheveryconfidentlyresponds,“Yes,Idid;lookforyourself.”Turnsout,shedidexactlywhatshethoughtwasright:Sheputcleaneron

oneoftheseatsandwipeditontoeveryseat.Everyseatwaswipedbutfarfromclean,andsomeweredirtierthanothers.Itookthisasateachablemoment.Itookthecleanerandstartedtocleanoneofthefrontseats.Isprayedandscrubbedandsprayedandscrubbed.MyseatwasreallycleanandIaskedmydaughter,“DoyouseeadifferenceintheseatI

cleanedandtheonesyoucleaned?”Shesaid,“Yes,butthatisbecauseyouarebiggerandstronger.”Isaid,“Notreally,honey;thereasonisthatourintentionsaredifferent.Iamcleaningtheseatwiththeintentionandgoaltomakethisseatlookbrand-new,andyourintentionorgoalwasjusttogetitdone.”

Theonlywaytoavoid

checkingtheboxistomakesureweareinvolvedasmuchaspossiblesothatweholdourselvesaccountableinfrontofourteams.Recommittocoachingtheteamwiththeintentionthatyouwillmakethembettereveryweek,everymonth,andeveryyear,withthegoaltohelpthemgrowandgrowtheircareers.Coachwithgreatintentandyouwillgaingreatplayers.

Trap #4: AllowingBottom Performersto Leave on TheirOwn Timeline

We’vetalkedalotaboutfocusingontopperformersanddealingwithdecentperformerswhohavebadattitudes.Butthatdoesnotmeanleaderscanfocusonlyonthesepeopleandletour

poorestperformersdecideontheirowntoleavethecompanyratherthanourtakingtheinitiativetousherthemoutthedoor.Takingthateasywayoutandlapsingbackintotheselfish,conflict-avoiding,unaccountablemanagementculturewhendealingwithunderperformerssendsamessagethatismoreimportantthantheaction.Italsoleadstoacrisisofsorts:

Bythetimeunderperformingemployeesmakethedecisiontoleave,they’llmostlikelyhavetakentheirqualityofworkdowntorockbottom,andtheotherteammemberswillhavenoticedit.Thissendsamessagetoothersthatwedon’tvaluethosewhogobeyondanddotheirbest.Nowit’sthecompany,nottheunderperformingemployee,wholookssuspect.

Ifpoorperformersareleavingoftheirownvolition,thensomethingmustbewrongwiththecoachandtheorganization,notjusttheperson:“Shemadethedecisiontoleave,notherboss,soIbetshe’sright.”It’sgoodtogiveunderperformersachancetoimprovebeforeshowingthemthedoor,butwhatwecannotdoisallowunderperformancetobecome

acceptableandturnintothestatusquo.Don’twaitforanyonetoleaveofhisorherownaccord.Hirefast,firefaster,andholdeveryoneaccountablenomatterhowmuchconflictensues.

Trap #5: NotBelieving

Thistrapcanbethecause

ofmuchheartbreakandbringsusbacktowherewestartedandintothefinalpartofthebook.Icallthistrapthe“Idon’tbelievewecan,butIdon’tbelievemyteamknowsthat,soit’sokay”trap.Here’showitgoes.Leaderssetlogicalgoalsfortheirteamsandtelltheteammembersthattheycanachievethem,buttheydon’treallybelievethemembershaveitinthem

todoso.Thentheleaders’interactionsbetraytheirinfidelity:Beliefcan’tbefaked,notlong-termatleast,andnotinthedynamicofteaminteraction.

Trustme,justasourkidsknowwhenwearenotbeingtruthful,sodoourteams.Asleaders,wenotonlyneedaplay-to-winmentalitybutalsohavetobelieveit.Ifwelackfaithin

ourteamstowin,thenweshouldn’tbeleadingthem.Nomatterthebusinessorsport,noteamorathletecanshowupexpectingtolose.That’sasmuchareflectionofthecoachasanythingelse.Inbecomingcoaches,leadersaregivengreaterchallengesthantheyhavefacedinthepastand,atfirstglance,canfeeloverwhelmedandhavedoubts.That’sokay,but

remembertobelogical,notrealistic,evenwhenitcomestotheactofcoachingitself.Noneofwhatwehavecoveredinthisbookiseasy.Someofitmayseemfarfromrealisticattimes,butIassureyou,theonlythingthatkeepsanythingfrombeingpossibleincoachingisnotbelievinginyourteamandnotmakingthatteambelieveinthemselves.

Don’tignoretheobstaclesortheenormouschallengesyouarefacing;strivetoovercomethemandyouwillachievegreatness.Remember:Anobstacleinbusinesscanbeaseasytogetaroundasaclosedstreetinyourhometown,orasdifficultaskeepingyourkidsoutofharm’sway.Beliefisachoice—theessentialchoiceincoaching.Sowhatis

yours?

Takeaways:AvoidingtheBiggestManagementTraps

Alwaysmandatecoachingactivitiesandskillsofcoaching

foryourteamandyourself.Sustainthecoachingactivitiesandactionsyouhaveputin

place.Beproudofyourteambutdon’thaveanidealizedvisionofthem.Hirefast,fire

faster.Alwaysbelieveinwhatyoupreachanddo.

PARTTHREECreate aCoachingCulture

Chapter 10THEDESIRE TOWINTo succeed ascoaches, leadersneed a culture thatsupports the

activities ofcoaching.

clientaskedmetheother

day,“What’smoreimportant,winningornotlosing?”Atfirst,Ithought,Winning.Then,Iansweredsomethingdifferent:“Thedesiretowin.”Yes,IwantthepeoplewhoworkformetothinklikeDaleEarnhardt,whosaid,“Secondplaceisjustthefirst-placeloser.”Iwantmyteamtosay,“Wearegoingtowineveryrace,andifwelose,wejustranoutoftime.”But

coachesknowthisdesiretowincomesfrommorethantheactivitiesandactionsofcoaching.Nocoachorsuperstarathletecanwinitallalone.Theyneedateamthatsharestheirdesire,improvestheirskills,andhassomethingmore—aculturethatsupportsadesiretowinandfieldswinningteamswithwinningattitudesyearafteryear.That’showgreatsports

franchisesanddynastiesaremade:Theybuildonawinningmind-set.

Inbusiness,itisthesame.Itisnotenoughthatleadersknowhowtocoachanddeveloptheskillsandactivitiesofcoachingifthey,theirbosses,andtheorganizationdon’tembraceaculturethatsupportsthechangefrommanagingtocoaching.Understandingand

implementingtheprinciples,actions,andactivitiesofcoaching,suchasscrimmaging,peerpresentations,andlogicalgoals,havethepotentialtocreate,develop,andgrowwinningteams,buttheyareonlypartofwhatturnsgreatleadersintogreatcoaches.Winningcoaches,teams,andorganizationsmustalsohavewinningmind-setsthat,topto

bottom,mandatethebeliefinadesiretowin,holdpeopleaccountableforit,andforceleaderstogetmoreinvolvedwiththeteamstomaintainit.

Thosearetheessential,highlyintegratedcharacteristicsofacoachingculturewecoverinthispartofthebook—thedesiretowin,accountability,andgetting“onthefield”withyourteam.Leaderswhoare

coachesknowtheirnumberonepriorityistocoachtheirteams,whichmeansworkingwiththemtomakethembetterasateam.Andsuccesscomesdowntooneessentialprinciple:Leadersexpectonlywhatweinspect;ifwedon’tinspectit,don’texpectit.

I’llsayitonelasttime:Oneofthegreatestmistakesleadersmakeinbusiness

todayistolivebyaphilosophyof“Ihiregreatpeopleandgetoutoftheirwaysotheycandotheirjobs.”That’swhymanagersinmanagementculturesdon’tcoachmuch,ifatall:Thecultureoftheorganizationdoesnotsupportthedepthofinvolvementneededtocoach,letalonemandateit.Time-consumingcoachingactivities,theconstantneedto

motivatetheteamandimprovemorale,andtheinevitableconflictthatarisesfrommakingthetoughdecisionstocoachpeopleuporoutoftheorganization—andholdingourselvesaccountableforallofit?Thatcanadduptoonehugeineffectivebeatdownforleaders.

The Desire to WinStarts with a Desireto Get Involved

Once,inthemiddleofapresentationIwasmakingaboutcoachesgettinginvolvedandthedesiretowin,thefounderandCEOofthecompanystoodupandsaid,“Idon’tthinkIagreewithyou.Ipaymypeopletodotheirjobsandthinkfor

themselves,nottohavemeconstantlymicromanagingandtellingthemhowtodoit.”

“Iappreciatethat,”Isaid.“Youmakeavalidpoint.ButIwantyoutoconsideranotherwayoflookingatit.Togrowanddevelopourpeople,wewantthemtobenefitfromourexperienceandknowwesupportthem.Wewantthemstrivingfor

moreandnotbelefttowonderiftheyaredoingtherightthings.Yes,theyneedtoexpresstheirowncreativityandbeallowedtomakemistakesandgrowwithouthand-holding.Butevenleadersneedandwantleadership,andastheircoaches,weshouldbetheretoguide,encourage,andpushthem—andthenmandatethattheydothesameforthe

teamswhoreporttothem,andsoon.”

Mypointwasn’ttochallengetheCEOortobedisrespectful.Iwasn’ttellingthisCEOtohirepeoplewhowaitforhimtotellthemwhat’srightandwhattodo.Ibelieveincreatingateamofpeoplewhopushthemselvesandgooutandtakechancesandmakebigdecisions—whomaysometimesscrewupbig

butwillalwaysultimatelysucceedbig.Isimplywantedtogethimtostopconfusingthemoremicroinvolvementofcoachingactivitieswithmicromanaging.

Lookatitthisway.IfIcouldshowthepeoplewhoworkformehowtomakeamilliondollarsamonthformycompany,wouldI:

(A)wantthemto

figureitoutontheirown?

(B)givethemtheReader’sDigestversionofitandthenleavethemalone?

(C)tellthemhowtodoit,stepbystep,

andthenstayinvolvedtopushandencouragethemtosucceed?

Ofcourse,theanswershouldbeC.Whobettertodothisthanyou?Isaywegiveourteamsallthetools,direction,leadership,anddepthofourexperienceand

puttheminthebestpossiblepositiontosucceed.Asaleader,Ihavetheabilityandtheresponsibilitytoinstilladesiretowinbyputtingmyteaminthepositiontowinwithsupport,guidance,andencouragement.

Leadersmightbeconcernedifwespendallthistimecoachingthetoppeople;thosepeoplearejustgoingtoleaveandtakewhatthey

learnedsomewhereelsetocompeteagainstus.Comeon,wegiveourselveswaytoomuchcredit.Nobody’sthatsmartorthatgood.That’suselessworrying.Wewillbenefitfromatopperformer’sworkasmuchastheybenefitfromourknowledge.

Simplyput,stopthinkingthatsomeonerecruitingfromyourteamisabadthingwhen

itisactuallyagreatthing—evenifitisaclientofyoursorapotentialbusinesspartner.Themorepeoplewhoworkforusandarecoachedbyustoanewlevelwithadeepdesiretowin,andwhothengetrecruitedfromourteamsforbetterjobs,thestrongerournetworkbecomesandthebetterwecanbuildourteam’sreputationforcreating

Coachesgetinvolvedin the

winners.Thoseformeremployeesknowthatwemadethembetter,andthat’sthefoundationforextremelypowerfulrelationshipsthatneverexpire.

Orjustthinkofitthewaymyclient,KenSmith,vicepresidentofNorth

beginningandmicromanagersgetinvolvedin theend.

AmericanFieldSalesandRegionDevelopmentatGeorgiaPacific,does:“Whatifwedidn’ttrainthesepeopleanddidn’tinvestinthemandtheystayed!”

Micromanagingversus GettingInvolved

Merriam-Websterdefinesmicromanageas“totrytocontrolormanageallthesmallpartsof(something,suchasanactivity)inawaythatisusuallynotwantedorthatcausesproblems.”Afterallwehavecoveredhere,doesthatsoundlikewhat

coachesdowhenperformingtheactivitiesofcoaching?That’snotthekindofinvolvementanddirectionthatleadstotopperformanceandadesiretowin.Sportsteamsandtheirsuperstarsdon’tresenttheinvolvementofthecoacheswhohelpthemwin,sowhyshouldthepeoplewhoworkforus?Becausemanagerswhoarenotinvolvedwiththeirteams

tendtogetinvolvedonlywhenthereisaproblem.AndaswediscussedbrieflyinPartOne,wecan’tcoachateamthatalwaysviewsourinvolvementinthenegative.

Forexample,IwasleadingacoachingworkshopforvicepresidentsataFortune100financialcompanyabouttheneedtogetinvolvedtodeveloptheirteamsofagents,whenoneof

themsaid,“Idon’tworryaboutmypeople’sactivityuntiltheresultsarebad.Aslongasthenumbersaregood,Idon’tbreakdownactivity.Ibreakitdownwhenthingsarebad.”That’sexactlywhatleadstomicromanaging:gettinginvolvedonlyinthenegative.IfImanageactivitysolelyasaresponsetopeoplenotdoingtheirjobsornotachievingresults,thenallmy

involvementwillbeperceivedasmicromanaging.

Thegoalofcoachingisn’ttomakebadteamsgood;itistomakeanyteambetter.Coachesshouldneveruseactivityasaconsequence;weshoulduseactivitytoprepareourteamstowinandthengivefeedbackwhentheresultsarebadandgood.Weshouldbeapartofmostscrimmages.Weshouldgoto

meetingsandappointmentstofindoutwhatourteamsaredoing.Weshouldthengivethemfeedbackonwhatwefoundanddeveloptheskillstheyneedtoperformbetter,ormovethemoutifwethinktheycan’tperform.Inotherwords,coachinginvolvementthroughactivitymanagementisnotjustaboutwhatwedo—it’swhenandwhywedoit.Amicromanagerinspects

becausehedoesn’tthinkapersonisableorcapabletodothejobwithouthelp.Acoachinspectstohelpdevelopandpreparetheteamtodotheirjobsbetter.

To Win, CoachSkills, Not Tasks

Understandinghowtogetinvolvedcomesfrom

knowingwhattocoach.Manytimes,leaderswillpickouttasksforemployees,focuson“training”theminhowtodothosetasksbetter,andthinktheyare“coaching”theirpeople.Tasksarenotskills;tasksare,well,tasks.It’sonethingtoknowthetasksyouhavetodo;it’squiteanothertohavedevelopedtheskillsnecessarytodotheseandothertasks

well.Typically,inbusiness,whenweareteachingourpeoplehowtodotheirjobsorspecifictasks,wecallthistraining.Whenwecoach,weareworkingwithourteammembersoncommunicationskills,leadership,influence,motivation,energy...alltheskillsandattributesthatmakepeoplebetterprofessionalsandenablethemtoworktogetherasateam.Thiscan

benotonlyhardtodobutalsoharderfortheorganizationtojustifythetimecommitmentwhentheseskillsarenotnecessarilytangibleROIitems.Butthisisexactlythereasonpeopledon’tgrowanddevelopadesiretowin—thereisnoculturethatmandatesit.

Amultimillion-dollarclientofmineintheconstruction

Constructionis morethanjustbuilding.

businesshadanissuewithitssitemanageratashoppingcenterwhowasinchargeofinstallingtheundergroundequipmentfortheentireproject.Thissitemanagerkneweverythingintheworld

aboutpipesandpipeinstallation,buthelackedtheabilitytoworkandcommunicatewellwiththeothercompaniesonthejobsite.Everyonehatedhim,andmyclientwassufferingbecauseofit.Forexample,oneday,thesitemanagerneededtomakesureapipewasinstalledbeforeanothercompanydidtheirsitework.Butbecausetheother

companydidnotlikethesitemanagerandhadnoagreementwithmyclient’scompanytopartneronthatwork,theothercompanywentaheadandbuilttheirsectionwithoutlettingmyclientknow.Myclientnowhadtofindawaytoworkaroundthisissue,anditledtotwodaysindelaysandincreasedlaborandmaterialcosts.

Butasmuchasthiswasareflectionontheunlikabilityofthesitemanager,thebiggerpicturehadlesstodowiththesitemanagerandeverythingtodowithleadership,namelyaddressingthesitemanager’sinabilitytomanageeffectivebusinessrelationships.Thus,theissuewiththisprojecthadbeenmanagedasaresultbutnevercoachedsoitwouldnot

happenagain.Iftheissuehadbeencoached,theleaderofallthesitemanagerswouldhaveanticipatedsituationslikethisanddonemockscrimmagesmultipletimesonhowtobuildeffectiverelationshipsonthejobsite,insteadofwaitinguntiltherewasaproblemandthenattemptingtofixit.Myclientwouldhavesolvedaproblembeforeithappenedoratleast

knownthatthesitemanagerneededhelpsolvingit.Thatisthemind-setofacoachinacoachingculture:gettinginvolvedbeforethereisaproblem,gettinginvolvedtowinbyfocusingonwhatmattersmost—ourpeople.

Focus on theRoots, Not the

FruitsToooften,leadersfocus

onrevenue,sales,productdevelopment,customerservice,employeesatisfaction,etc.,asissuesdisconnectedfromourpeople.ButaswediscussedinChapter6,theyarefruitsofourlaborandefforts.Theycannotfullybeachievedwithoutfocusingontheroots

ofourbusiness—ourpeople.Whenwefocusonourteammembers’skills(theroots),theywillcontinuetobeargreatresults(thefruits).AndIbelieveallbusinessleaders,eveniftheywerechosenbydefault,candothisregardlessoftheirownskillset,aslongastheyhavethemind-setanddeveloptheirskillsascoaches.

Coachesdon’thave tohavebetterskillsthantheteam.

startofthisbook,Isaidthatoneofthemainreasonsleadersdon’tcoachtheirpeopleisthattheyareafraidtofindoutthatthosepeoplearenotasgoodastheythought.

Butactually,thereisamoreselfishfear:Wethink,bycoaching,wewillbe“foundout”thatwearenotasgoodassome,ifnotall,ofourplayers.Butwhatcoachis?HankHaneycouldn’thitaballfartherthanTigerWoods.BillBelichickcan’tthrowapasslikeTomBrady.Evengoodplayerswhobecameincrediblysuccessfulcoaches,suchasPhilJackson

intheNBAorPatSummittattheUniversityofTennessee,neverhadtheskillsoftheirsuperstars.Superstarsinmostsportssometimesbecomecoaches,butmoreoften,theybecomeconsultantsandbusinessboardmembers.Thegreatestsportscoaches(oreventhegoodoneswhoarenotHallofFamers)cancoachthosesuperstarswithconfidenceandawinning

attitudewithouteverworryingtheyneedtoprovesomethingastheirequals.DoyouthinkMichaelPhelpsdidnotlistentoBobBowmanbecauseBowmannevermadeitbeyondhiscollegeswimteam?BélaKárolyicompetedinthehammerthrow,notgymnastics.DidthatstopNadiaComaneciorMaryLouRettonfromlisteningtohimandgettingperfecttens?

Whatmakesleadersinbusinessthinkthisway?Acoach’sjobisn’ttobeasgoodastheteam.Acoach’sjobistomaketheteamandallitsplayersbetterthantheywereyesterday.

AtSprint,Iknewatwenty-one-year-oldwho,wefelt,despiteherage,hadthedesiretowinandacoachingmind-set.Shehaddoneexcellentworkasanassistant

managerofathrivinglargeretailstorethathadoncestruggled.SoSprintpromotedhertomanagerofanequallylargestorethatresembledhersbeforetheturnaroundandwasindireneedofanewdirection.Momentsintoherfirstdayonthejob,thatstore’sassistantmanager,whofeltshehadbeenpassedoverforthestoremanagerjob,madeitveryclearthat

shedidn’tthinkthenew“young”managercoulddoanythingbetterthanshecould.

Iaskedthenewmanagerhowshehandledthisrebuke,andshesaidthatsherecognizedthevictimdisease(whichwecoveredinChapter8)intheassistantmanagerrightaway.Feelingyougetpassedoverforajob—andusingthatasanexcusetobe

negative,unmotivated,andunsuccessful—issomethingvictimsdo.Noonegets“passedover”forajob.Thatassistantmanagerwassimplynotthebestfitandtherightpersonforthejobatthetime.Thatdoesn’tmeanthepersoncouldn’tbetherightpersoneventually,butshewouldnevergettherewithoutbeingcoachedtohaveadesiretowinthatturnsvictimsinto

victors.Sothenewmanagerconfrontedtheassistantmanagertoseeifthiswaspossible.

“Letmeaskyou,doyouthinkthisstorecanperformbetterthanitis?”sheaskedtheassistantmanager.

“Nope.Itisinabadlocation.Thereisneverenoughinventory,thestaffisnotverygood,andourcoverageisworse,”replied

theassistantmanager.“Anythingelse?”thenew

managerasked.“Thedemographicsare

allwronginthismarketandourphonesareterrible,”addedtheassistantmanager.

“Well,then,youareright.Itcan’tperformbetter,”shesaid.“Notwiththosebeliefs.”

Whatthenewmanagerhadquicklyrealizedisthat

thingswouldnevergetbetter,notbecauseoftheobstaclestheassistantmanagermentionedbutbecausetheassistantmanagerbelievedthoseobstaclescouldnotbeovercome.Now,someofthiswasobviouslyresentmentandventingbecauseshedidnotgetthejob,buttheassistantmanagercontinuedtobelievethoseobstaclescouldn’tbeovercomedaysandweeks

later.Meanwhile,thenewstoremanagerneverstoppedbelievingtheycouldbeovercomeandwaspreparedtomaketheteambelieveittoo.Shecameintothefailingstoreandsaid,“Atmyotherstore,wefacedthesameissueswefacehereandweweregettingterrificresultswhenIleft.ThatmeansthatWEcangettheseresults.”Therewouldbehardwork

involved,assheacknowledged,butshegenuinelybelievedsuccesswouldcomeandhadaleadershipplanthatincludedrevitalizingtheteam,developingeachplayer,andexpectingeveryone(includingtheassistantmanager)tohaveapositiveattitudeandadesiretowin.Shedidnotbelievethepastshouldpredicttheirfuture.

Experienceis anegativewhen it

Whathadbeengoodenoughwasnolongergood;itwasunacceptable.That’swhatsparkedachangeintheattitudeoftheentireteam.Sheresettheexpectations.

Oneofthefirstthingssheimplementedaspartofhercoachingwereregularpracticeand

limitsyoufrombelievingwhatyoucanachieve.

scrimmagingsessionstodeveloptheteambasedonwhatshefoundasshegotinvolved.Asthemanagerlearnedwhereaproblemexistedwiththestoreortheteam,thenextday,that

problemorskillwouldbecomepartofpracticesessions,weeklyscrimmagemeetings,andone-on-onemeetings.Sometimes,becauseoftheneedtosolveanurgentproblemorissuesataspecificlocationperformance,theyweredoneimmediately,offthefloor,eveninthestockroom.Theyscrimmagedsimple,basicthingslikecustomergreetings

andhowtopayattentiontothecustomeryouarewithwhileacknowledgingtheonescominginthedoor(greetingthemwithinthreesecondsbysaying“excuseme”totheexistingcustomerandtellingthenewonesyouwillberightwiththem).Theyscrimmagedhowtomakepeoplefeelwelcomeinpersonandonthephone.Soon,theyworkedupto

presentingnewinformation(plans,phones,andcoveragemaps)andanticipatingcustomerquestionssotheycouldimmediatelyunderstandthosecustomers’perspectivesandestablishtrustandinfluence.

Themanagerheldallteammembersaccountableforthesescrimmagesandthebroaderplan.Throughthescrimmagesalone,theteam

andthestorestartedtoimprove.Sheaskedthemtocommittotheteamandtoldthepoorestperformers,“Changeyourbeliefsorwechangeyou”—includingtheassistantmanagerwhohadnotbeenpromoted.Employeeswhowantedtobepartoftheteamwentfromjustshowingupeverymorningand“doingtheirjobs”topracticingcertain

skillstogether.Unfortunately,theassistantmanagerdidn’tgetanybetter.Sherejectedthecoachingeffortsofthenewmanager,tellingherthatscrimmagingwouldn’twork.Whenthemanagertriedtoimplementachange,theassistantmanagermadesuretotellherthatwasn’thowtheyusedtodoit,citingthisasareasonnottochange.

Now,youdon’tneedto

workinastoreorsalestorecognizethiskindofperson—someonewhomakeseveryobstacleanexcuseforwhatcan’torcouldn’tbedone.Everyoneofmyclients,fromthemilitary,insurance,energy,technology,manufacturing,andbeyond,hashadanemployeelikethiswhousesexcusestokeepthemandtheteamfromhavingapositiveattitudeand

achievingtheirgoals.Walkintoanystoreoranydepartmentinanyoffice,andiftheenergyisnegativeandthepeoplearen’tpolite,gofindtheirleader.Ipromiseyouwillfindtheproblem,becausethatleaderwillbejustlikethem.Veryrarelydoyouseeapositive,strong,committedleaderinchargeofalow-performingnegativeteam.Thereverseistruetoo

—youwon’tfindhigh-performing,positive,anddriventeamsworkingfornegative,unmotivated“managers,”whichwasexactlythecaseintheSprintstore.Thinkaboutthatwhenyoupicturetheperceptionofyourteams.

ItshouldcomeasnosurprisethattheassistantmanageratthatSprintstorewassoonfired.Theexcuses

neverstopped.Shewasuncoachable.Shewouldnotgofromvictimtovictor,andthemanagerknewshewouldnotgetbetter,soshehadthetoughconversation.Infact,halfthestaffleft,andittookweeksandmonthstomakeallthechangesthenewmanagerwanted.Butbyaddressingtheassistantmanagerdirectly,itmadeeveryonewhostayedrealizethatexcuseswerenot

goingtobeacceptedanymore,becausetheleadexcusemakerwasnowgone.Thoseexcuseswerenowjustobstaclestoresolveandremovebytheleaderwithherteam.Sheshowedtheteamhowtobelieveinthemselvesandthattranslatedintoeverythingtheydid.Sixmonthsin,herstorebecamethenumberoneperformingstoreinthedistrict.

Intheend,itdidnotmatterthatthenewmanagerwasonlytwenty-oneyearsold,orhadlessretailexperiencethantheassistantmanagerorotherteammembers.Shewasn’tthebestinventorymanagerorcashier.Shedidn’tneedtobe.Shesimplymadesurethepeopleresponsibleforthosejobswere,andmandatedtopperformanceandpractice

fromallofthem.Asleaders,wewantouremployeestoknowmoreabouttheirjobsthanwedoandcomeupwithwaystodothemevenbetter.Itdoesn’tmatterifthepeopleontheteamareolder,better-looking,morepopular,havemoreexperienceortenure,arebetteratcertainskills,andsmarterthanus(trustmeonthesmarterpart).Noneofthosethingsareorshouldbe

qualificationsforbeingacoachorbeingsuccessfulasacoach.

Thinkofitthisway:Itwasn’tPaulMcCartney,Sting,Bono,orPhilCollinswhowrote“DoTheyKnowIt’sChristmas?”andinvitedallthosesuperstarstocreateBandAidin1984andraisedmillionsforchildrenstarvinginAfrica.ItwasBobGeldofoftheBoomtownRatsand

MidgeUreofUltravox.Eventhoughmostoftheperformerstheyrecruitedwereprobablybetterandcertainlymorefamoussongwriters,musicians,andsingersthantheywere,GeldofandUreweretheoneswhopulleditalltogetherandmadeithappen.Theymadetheteambelievetheycoulddoit,motivatedthemtowanttobeapartofit,gavethem

thesongtodoitwith,andinspiredcountlessprojectslikeitthathavemadetheworldabetterplacefordecadessince.

Takeaways:TheDesiretoWin

Thedesiretowinandthe

beliefinwinningisessentialforacoachtosucceed.Inspectwhatyouexpect.Coachskills,

nottasks.Leadersgetspaidtocoachanddeveloptheirpeopleregardlessoftitle,department,

orindustry.Acoachdoesnothavetobebetterthantheplayertomaketheplayerbetter.

Chapter 11ACULTUREOFACCOUNTABILITYBy not holding ourpeople accountable,

we selfishly say tothem, “You’re justnot worth thetrouble.”

MyfatherandIhadjustattendedaneventanddecidedtogetlunchat

arestaurantwedidn’tknowbutwasrightacrossthestreet.Bothofusagreedthefoodwasnotverygood—ediblebutnotgood.Justthen,themanagerwalkedbyandaskedhoweverythingwasandifwewereenjoyingourmeals.Webothlookedathimandsaid,“It’sgreat.”Sound

familiar?Ofcourseitdoes.Truthis,wearereallylousyatholdingpeopleaccountableforapoorperformance,especiallywhenthestakesarenothigh.I’mnotabovethis.Icouldn’teventellamanagerIdidn’tknowinarestaurantIhadneverbeen,andlikelywouldnevergointoagain,thatIdidn’tlikethefood.Dayinanddayout,noonetellsuswesuck.

Inbusiness,itisevenworse.Whyisitsohardtoestablishacultureofaccountability,andcoachpeopletobebetter?Whydowealwayswaituntiltheendoftheyeartoevaluatesomeone,dreadingeverymomentuntilitcomes?Becauseweareselfish.Leaderssayit’sbecausethey’reniceandtrusttheirteamstodotheirjobs,but

theyreallydon’twanttodealwithallthepainofaccountabilityandgettinginvolved.That’snotnice;it’sselfish.That’snottrust;it’sabdicationofresponsibilityforthesuccessoftheteam,especiallyofourtopperformers.It’salsolazyandbeingscaredaboutwhatwemightfindifwetakethetimetocoach—wedon’twanttodealwithwhatcomesnext,so

wedon’t.Butwemustmandatethisaccountabilityifwewantcoachingtosucceedinourorganizations,becauseaccountabilitymakesgoodemployeesbetterandmakesbademployeesleave.

DemandAccountability

Let’sputthisselfishmanagementphilosophyintoasportsanalogy.TheIndianapolisColtsdraftedAndrewLuckoutofStanfordtobetheheirapparenttoPeytonManning.Luckshowedupondayoneoftrainingcampandhiscoachsaid,“Luck,IdraftgreatpeopleandIgetoutoftheirway.Sohereiswhatwearegoingtodo:I’llwalkyou

aroundthestadiumhere.I’llshowyouwherethelockerroom,trainingfacilities,equipment,andparkinggarageare.I’llgetyousetupwithauniformandequipment,giveyoutheplaybook,andthenyoucangooffandrunsomedrillsonyourowntogetready.Greattohaveyouonboard.Reallyexcitedwegotyou.I’llseeyouSunday.”

Thereisnowayanycoachinprofessionalsportswouldeverdothatwithanydraftpick,letalonetheirtopdraftpick.AndrewLuckisgoingtobeonthefieldeveryday,practicingharderthaneveryonetogetbetter,andhiscoachisgoingtobewatchinghimeveryminutetomakesureofit—justashedidwithPeytonManningbeforehim(andthatturnedoutpretty

wellforthem).ThecoachisgoingtoholdLuckaccountabletodevelophisskillsandtocommittotheteam.

Yet,inbusiness,wehiresomeonelikeAndrewLuck,trainhim,andlethim“dohisjob.”Noskilldevelopmentortalkaboutcommittingtotheteam.Wesayitisbecausewetrusthim,butreallywedon’twanttodothework.That’s

Demandingaccountabilityineverythingthat wedo andask theteam todo as

lazyandcrazy.WhenI

tellleadersthis,fromthestage,theycan’tagreemore.Theysay,“Amen,brotherNathan!”Theylovetheidea.Butwhenwe

leadersisessentialto oursuccess.

finishandIsay,“WhatareyougoingtodoonMonday?”Theysay,“Iamgoingtodoapracticemeetingandstart...”andsuddenlytheenergyleavestheroom.Theyquicklyrealizethattheeasypartofcoachingistheenergy.The

hardpartistheeffort.It’slikeraisingkids:It’samazinghowmuchloveandpassionwehaveforthem,buttheactualworkofraisingchildrenisbrutal.Yetwewillholdourkidstostandardsthatwewouldn’tevenbringupwithanemployee,especiallyaveteranone.Wewillholdaten-year-oldtoahigherstandardthanwewillholdanadulttowhomwepay

tensofthousandsofdollarsperyear.

Anemployeewalksuptoacustomerandisrude?Doesn’tdressright?Showsuplate?Wewouldneverletourkidsgetawaywiththat.Youknowwhy?Theintentofwhywearedoingit.Weloveourkidssomuch,andwearescaredtodeaththatwhentheygooutinpublicanddosomethingwrong,itisa

directreflectiononusastheparents.Andworse:Wearescaredtheywillbecomeunproductiveadultsinthelongrun.Soweholdthemaccountable.Wegroundthem.Wetakeawaytheirelectronicsorthecar,eventhoughthatonlymakesussufferbecausenowwehavetohearhowthey“havenothingtodo,”andwecan’tsendthemtothestore

becausewejusttookawaythecar.Groundingkidsismiserableforparents,butwedoitbecauseourintentistomakeourkidsthebesthumanbeingswepossiblycan.Inbusiness,toomanyleadersjustdon’tcareenoughabouttheirpeoplewhentheydothingslikethat.Wethink,They’reourresponsibility,butthey’renotourkids,sotheyarenotworthallthat

effort.Wethink,That’sahardconversationtohaveandit’sonlygoingtoleadtothosepeopledefendingthemselvesoverandoverandsayingtheydidn’tdoit.Igetenoughofthatathome.

Don’tgetmewrong:I’mnotusingparentinganalogiesinthischaptertosayouremployeesarechildrenorthatweactlikechildren.I’msayingitiseasytobea

managerwholetsperformanceslide,hidingbehindtheideathatweshouldhiregoodpeopleandstayoutoftheirway.Ifyou’relikeme,yourememberyourbestleaders,teachers,andcoachespushingyouharderthananyoneelse.Theyhelpedshapeme,challengedmetobemybestself,andheldmetoastandardhigherthanthe

standardtowhichIheldmyself.TheystoppedmeinmytrackswhenImadeasmallbutimportantmistake,becausetheyknewthatsmallmistakecouldbethedifferencebetweenwinningandlosing.Buttheytrulycaredforme—andwhattheydidtoo.Loveguidedtheirdesiretoholdmeaccountabletolearnandgrow.Iwantleaderstorememberwhatitis

liketogiveandreceivethatextrapushtodowhatweknowweshoulddo.

Considerthesequestions:

Haveyoueverbeengratefulthatsomeonejustquit

soyoudidn’thavetodealwiththepersonanymore?Haveyouevertreatedanemployee

likesomeoneyouweredatingandwantedtobreakupwith,butinsteadofdoingit,you

avoidedhimorher?Haveyoueverbecomelessattentive,institutedcertain“rules,”and

maybeevenactedalittlebitlikeajerk—butnothostile—soanemployeewould“getthemessage”

andquit?

Ifwecanansweryestoanyofthesequestions,thenwehaveactedselfishlyasleaders,avoidingconflictratherthanembracingit.Itreallyisus,notthem.Wemustcoachourteamsandholdthemaccountableinthesamewaythebestparentsandsportscoachesdo—notto

micromanage,stiflecreativity,ortaketheirauthority,buttopushthemtobebetterandwin.That’swhatIdidwiththetopperformerwhowassuckingthelifeoutofmyteaminChapter7.That’swhatthestoremanagerdidwiththestaffthatwantedtodobetterinthepreviouschapter.Anditworkedbecausewehadacultureofaccountabilityto

backusup.That’swhyaccountabilityismandatory;itmaymostoftenleadtocoachingpeopleofftheteam,butitstartswithadesiretowinandmakeeverybodybetter.Plus,thereplacementsforthepeoplelostwillmorethanmakeupforanyperceivedloss,sincethenewpeoplearecomingintoaculturethatmandatescoachingandbelievesitis

worththetimeandeffort.

Inspect What YouExpect: Grow theFlowers

Oneofmyfavoritepartsaboutcoachingleadersisaskingthemquestionslike:

Areyou

bettertodaythanyouweresixtydaysago?Howaboutayearago?Are

yourpeoplesimplymoretenuredoractuallybetter?Whathaveyoureallytaught

them?Whatcanyousaytheyhavedonethattheycouldn’tdobefore?Howhave

youmadesomeonebetter?

Noleadercananswerthesequestionspositivelyoratallwithoutaculturethatmandatesfullaccountabilityandfocusesonmakingtheteambetter.

Now,thinkabouteachpersononyourteam.

Knowingthemasyoudotoday,wouldyourehirethemyourselfforanewcompanytomorrow?Behonestandbetough.Ifyousaid“No”or“Probablynot,”thenyouhaveaproblem.Nowletmeaskyouthis:Dothesepeopleknowyoufeelthisway?Ifyousaid“No”or“Probablynot,”thenyouhaveanevenbiggerproblem.Inmostmanagementcultures,

employeesdon’tknowhowtheirleadersfeel,evenwhenwethinktheydoorshould.Sohere’smychallengetoyou:Withinforty-eighthoursfromthetimeyouputthisbookdown,meetwithapersonyouwouldnothireagain,lethimorherknowhowyoufeel,andforsixtydays,coachthispersonintotheapplicantyouwouldhiresoyoucananswerthefirst

questionabove“Yes!”Beforeyousayyoucan’tdoit,considerthis:Ifyourbossthoughtthiswayaboutyou,wouldyouwanthimorhertotellyou?

Puttogetheraplanusingtheprinciplesandplaybookfromthefirstpartsofthisbook,thenscrimmagetheconversationafewtimesbeforeyousitdownwiththeemployee.Youcanstartby

simplysaying,“UnaccountablePerson,Ivalueyouandwantyoutobehappyhere.Ihavebeenponderingeachpersononmyteam,andwhenIthinkaboutyouandyour[performance,attitude,actions],Irealizeyoucan’ttrulybehappyatthismoment,foryouarenotperforminguptothefullpotentialIneedandrequire.Ihavesomethoughtsonhow

youcangetthere,butIfirstwanttoknowfromyouifyouwanttoperformtoyourfullpotential.”Iftheemployeefailstosayyesordoesn’twanttomeetyourexpectations,thenit’stimetofirethispersonormovehimorhertoadifferentjobthatisabetterfit.

Thismightsoundhard-nosed,butitisnot.Itishard-nosedanddownrightmeanto

letthatpersonstayinthatposition.Theemployeemaybeflabbergasted.Afterall,youhaveneverheldhimorheraccountablefortheseissuesuntilnow.That’sokay.Thisisnotnecessarilyatimeforcorrectiveaction;thisisatimetodiscusshowyouseetheemployee’spositionandwhatyouwouldliketosee,movingforward.Makesureyouscrimmageandprepare

forthesemeetingswithsomeoneyoutrustpriortoeachconversationyouhave.Ifyoudothiswitheachpersonyouwouldn’trehire,hereismypromise:Youwillbeamazedattheresponse,andevenpleasantlysurprisedbysomeoftheturnarounds.Yourteamwillalwaysbebetterfortheweedsyouwouldhavepulledanyway,butitwillthrivewiththe

flowersthatgrowintheirplace.

Inspect What YouExpect: Pull theWeeds

Iusedtogointomeetingswithastrugglingemployee,planningtohaveaconstructiveconversationand

setanultimatum:Theemployeemuststartdoingbetterorhewillbeterminated.Instead,IleftthemeetingwithanactionlistofallthethingsIneededtodoforthisemployeetowhomIgavetheultimatum!ManyleaderslaughatthisstatementwhenIuseitinmyspeechesbecausetheyknowithappensallthetime.Well,hereisthegoodnews:Acoachwho

leadsinaculturethatmandatesaccountabilitywillnotletthathappenagain.

First,let’slookathowithappens.Itstartssomewhereinthemeeting,usuallyafterI’vepointedouttotheemployeeallthethingsheneedstoimproveon,andthenIsaysomethinglike“Nowtellme,Mr.-Struggling-Employee-I-Have-Never-Held-Accountable-for-

Anything,whatcanIdoforyoutohelpyoumeettheseexpectations?”That’swhenthefloodgatesofexcusesopenandalltheissuesIdiscussedwiththisemployeebecomemyissuesandarelikelyviewedasmyfault.TheemployeeleavesstillunaccountableforhisproblemsandIamleftwithato-dolist.

Forexample,Iwasina

correctiveactionmeetingwithoneofmysalesmanagers,discussinghislackofperformance,hislackofattentiontodetail,andhisunwillingnesstofocusonhisteam’sdevelopment.Ihadseveralspecificexamplesofsituationsinwhichhedidnotperformtherequiredpracticemeetingswithhisteamanddidnotholdcertainteammembersaccountablefor

theiractions.Andthenithappened.Iaskedhimthedeadlydiversionquestion,“SoyouknowwhatIexpectfromyoumovingforward;whatcanIdotohelpyoudoyourjobbetter?”Boy,didhetellme.Accordingtohim,Icouldremovethistaskandthisreport,attendtoanothermanagerwhowasn’tdoinghisjob,eliminatesomeofthepracticesessions,andsoon

andsoon.Bytheendofthemeeting,IhadpostponedtheintendedwrittenwarningsoIcouldresearchtheseobstaclesforhimandhelphimmeetmyexpectations.Hewalkedoffwithoutbeingheldaccountableforonethingonmylist.

Fortunately,Iworkedinaculturethatexpectedaccountability,andmybosshelpedmelearnfromthat

mistakebyunderstandingwhatIknownow:It’snotourjobtoremovealloranyofourteam’sobstacles;itisourjobtocoachthemtobecomebiggerthantheobstacles.

Tostopthisprocess,don’teveraskemployees,“WhatcanIdoforyou?”Meetingsliketheseareabouttheirperformance.Afterweclarifyalltheexpectationsandidentifywhatbehaviors

orresultsmustchange,askthesequestionsinstead:

Giventhisinformation,doyouthinkyouwillbeabletoachievethese

expectations?Whatwillyouhavetododifferentlytoreachtheseexpectations?

Then,lettheemployeespeak,iffornootherreasonthantoappreciateandcome

totermswiththegravityofthesituation.Theyaretheretojustifytheircontinuedemployment,notours.Don’tleavethisoranymeetingwithahandfulofvaguepromises.Makesuretheemployeehasaclearunderstandingofhowtosucceed,andbepreparedtodealwithwhathappensiftheydon’t.Accountabilitymaystartwithembracingconflict,butitfailswhenwe

don’thaveaplaninplacetodealwithwhatweareholdingtheteamaccountablefor.

Thisiswherebuildingyourbench(Chapter6)isparticularlyimportant.Ifapersondoesn’timprove,wegothroughthedisciplinarystepsofverbalwarning,writtenwarning,afinalwrittenwarning,an“Ireallymeanitnow”finalwrittenwarning(asmygoodfriend,

JimMoreland,usedtosay,“Let’sthrowuglyonthetabletoo”),andthentermination.Butnowfindingaqualityreplacementtakesadditionaltimeandresources,andgettingnewstaffuptospeedtakesyetmoreofourtime.Ifwealwayshadatop-qualitypersonreadytotaketheplaceofallourbadperformers,wouldwebemorewillingtoholdourpeopleaccountable?

Yes!Thebesttimetointerviewforfutureemployeesiswhenwedon’tneedone.Butletmealsomakeitclear:Wearebetteroffwithanopenspotthanwithabadperformer,nomatterthejob.Isaythiswiththehumbleheartofsomeonewhocontinuestostrugglewithallofthis:Knowwhatisrightandyouwineverytime.Ihavedoneitwrong.Ihave

usedallofthereadilyavailableexcusesfornotholdingpeopleaccountablemyself.AndIknowthoseexcuseswerealoteasiertomakewhentheorganizationaroundmedidnotmandatethatIholdthosepeopleaccountableandbeacoach.Sosuckitupandpulltheweedsandwatchyourflowersgrow.

Takeaways:Accountability

Don’tbeselfish:Ifapersonhasabadattitude,thatistheir

problem.Ifwearepayingthemandnotholdingthemaccountable,thatisourfault!A

coach’sjobistohiregoodpeopleandconstantlymakethembetter.GettinginvolvedisNOT

mircomanaging—itcannotbeunwanted,happenonlywhenthingsgowrong,anditmust

happenwiththeintentofhelpingateammembergetbetter.Inspectwhatyouexpect:You

can’thaveaccountabilitybyjustlettingpeopledotheirjobs.

Chapter 12GET ONTHE FIELDWe can’t coach fromour desks.

AtopenergyindustryexecutiveIoncecoached

lovedworkingwithhisteam,butforreasonsseeminglyoutofhiscontrol,hefound

himselfstuckinhisofficeorinmeetings,notoutwiththeteamwherehewantedandlovedtobe.Hehadfoundgreatsuccessgettinginvolvedwithhisteamsinthepast,butnowthathehadmovedallthewayupthecorporateladdertoCEO,hehadendedupdoingwhatmostexecutivesdo:Visitanofficeorplantwhentherewasaneventatwhichheneededtomakean

appearanceorwhentherewasamajorissuethatdemandedhispresenceandimmediateattention.Hewasnevertherejusttobethereasanongoingpartofhisjob.

Thisisafairlytypicalsituationinmanyorganizations:Thehigherwemoveupinthecorporatestructure,themoredifficultitbecomestogetoutfrombehindourdesks,notjust

becauseofaddedresponsibilitiesandtitlesbutbecausethereisnoonetheretomakeusdoit.Thisisnotjustaboutmanagementculturesversuscoachingcultures;it’saboutnoonemandatingwhatwealreadyknowweshoulddo.BoardsofdirectorsarenotgoingtotelltheirCEOstogetoutoftheirofficesand“onthefield.”Thus,inmostcases,

theCEOsarenottellingtheirVPstodothateitherandsothoseVPshavenoreasontoholdtheirdirectreportsaccountableuntilthecompanymandatesit.

Butleaderscan’tfullyinspectwhatweexpectfrombehindourdesksandthedoorsofouroffices.That’sexactlywhyoneofthefirstthingsImadethisCEOdowasgetoutofhisoffice

(andawayfromthescreensonhiscomputer,tablet,andphone)andintothefield,meaninganyplacethatworkwasbeingdonebyhisteam.Heinitiallypushedback,citingtheusualreasonsIhadheardbefore,suchasabunchofmeetingsandtheneedtoputoutsomefires,butwhatIneededhimtoseewaswhatwecoveredinchapters8and11:Thesewereobstacles

(factswemustandcanovercome,suchascompetition,inventory,toomanyappointmentsandfirestoputout)beingturnedintoexcuses(whatwesayisthereasonfornotovercomingtheobstacle,achievingourgoals,ordoingsomethingwewant).

CEOsarenotimmunetodoingthis,becauseitisprettyeasytodo:Justpersonalizetheobstacle.“Wewouldhave

donethatbut...ThecompetitiondidthissoIcouldn’t...Theeconomydidsuch-and-such,whichreallymadeitdifficultto...Youdon’tunderstand:Itisdifferentinthismarket,whichiswhyIcan’t...”Theseareallobstaclesturnedintoexcusesratherthanintosolutions.

ObstacletoNotGettingonthe

ExcuseforNot

Field GettingontheField

Peoplearespreadoutalloverthecountry.

Ican’tpossiblytakethetimetovisiteveryonespreadthroughoutthecompany,letalonethecountry.

Othertaskshavemoreimmediateimpactonthebusiness.

Ineedtofocusonthetasksathand.

Expectationsareformetofocusonthebigpictureandhandlebigproblems.

Ihaveateamofleaderstotellmewhatishappeningonthefield.

I’mtoobusyhandling

Ican’tgetinthefieldbecauseIampaidtofix

problemsandputtingoutfires.

problemsandputoutfires.

I’mnotsayingwehavetoovercometheseobstaclestobegreatleaders.I’msayingthatifleaderswanttobegreatcoaches,theyhavetoovercometheseobstaclesandgetouttheremore.Sure,thebiggerthetitle,themorepeoplereportingtous;themoreresponsibilities,

distractions,andproblemswehave;butbiggerobstaclesdon’tneedbiggersolutions—theyneedbetterpriorities.

We Can’t “Fit In”Coaching

MypointwasnottotellmyCEOclientoranyoneIworkwiththattheyarenotdoingtheirjobscorrectly.I

amtryingtogetthemtolookinthemirrorandsay:“AmIreallydoingwhatIneedtodotodevelopandleadmyteamoramIfocusingonshort-termissues,thingsthatbringinstantgratificationandpathsofleastresistance?”Itisabsolutelytruethatleadersarepaidtodotheactivitiesandactionsthatwedescribeasobstaclestocoaching.Butthat’snotallwegetpaidto

do;that’sonlypartofourjob.Fromthebottomofan

organizationtothetop,everyoneispaidtodomultiplejobs.Thepeopleatthereceptiondeskarepaidtogreetandsigninvisitorsandanswerthephones,buttheyalsocleanthecounters,directdeliveries,callformessengers,andcoordinatemaintenanceandotherbuildingactivitiesforthe

office.Togetitalldone,thispersonmustprioritizewhatmattersmostandwhen.Forleadersinbusiness,itisthesame:Ifwewanttobecoaches,whatmattersmostmustbecoachingandthecoachingactivitiesthatmakeourteamsbetter.Coachesgetpaidtodevelop,grow,andleadtheirteams,nottoattendtothepublicitypeople,reporters,recruiters,team

manager,teamowner,affiliates,brandingspecialists,administration,orrehabdepartments,unlessthoseareoneoftheteamstheyareleading.Coachessetthethermostatformorale.Theymotivate,scrimmage,reward,peer-present,andreviewthegameplans.

Weneedtoprioritizeandmakecoachingthecoreofourleadership

Makethetime tobe outthere—prioritizecoaching.

sothateverythingelsefitsaroundit—andthecultureoftheorganizationmustmandatethatpriority.Hereisagoodruleofthumb:Ifyoumanagemanagers(i.e.,ifyouare

CEO,president,VP,ordirectorlevel)andyouaspiretobealeaderandacoach,thenyouneedtobeoutthereanywherefrom40to80percentofyourtimeperformingtheactivitiesofcoaching,andmandatethatthosewhoreporttoyoudothesamewiththeirteams.

Yes,theinstantgratificationofclearingourin-boxordeskfeelsgood.

ButitispartofamanagementtrapwecoveredinChapter9thatwemustavoidascoaches:checkingthebox.Whatwouldhappenifwedidn’tcheckoure-mailfirstthinginthemorningandinsteadcheckedinononeofourtopperformersorteamleaders?Facetimeisfieldtime!Evenifyouleadacompanyordivisionofthousandsofpeople,that’san

obstaclethatonlyseemsbiggerthanitreallyis.Ofcourse,noonecanpossiblycoachthousandsofpeopledaytoday.Butyoudon’thaveateamofathousandpeople;youhaveacompanyofathousandpeople.Youhaveateamofvicepresidentswhoreportdirectlytoyou,eachofwhommanagesateamofdirectors,eachofwhommanagesateamof

supervisors,andondowntheline.Wecangetsowrappedupinthesizeofthecompany(intermsofbothpeopleanddollarsandcents)thatwefailtoseethattheproblemsbigcompanieshavewithleadershipareoftenjustscaled-upversionsofsmallcompanies.Weexaggeratethesizeofthecompanyobstacletomakeitabetterexcusefornotcoaching.

Thesolutionisnottocoachathousandpeoplebuttogetoutthereandcoachthepeoplewhoanswertousdirectlyand,inturn,mandatetheydoitwiththeirdirectreportsandpayitforwardondowntheline.Thatway,ourcoachingcreatesmorecoachesandmorecontrolofwhatishappeningonthefield—whereverthatfieldis—wheneverthereare

consequences.FortheCEOIworkedwith,thisrequiredvisitingplantsaroundthecountry,andhefinallygaveinandscheduled“marketvisits”tohisplantmanagerstwotimespermonth.Afteronlyninetydays,hetoldmebeingoutofhisofficeandworkingwiththeteammadehimmoreawareofwhatwastranspiringinhisbusinessthanhehadbeeninthepast

tenyears.Henowmakesitapriorityforhimselfandhisdirectreportstobeinthefieldwiththeirteams.Hewentfrombeingagreatleaderwhowassuccessfultoagreatcoachwhowasmakinghisteambetter—andmakingmorecoachestocoachtheteamsthatreportedtothem.

Myclientnolongerfeelsdisconnected—unseen,

unheard,andatadistancefromhisteamandhiscompanyasawhole.Henolongerfeelssofaraway,andhenotonlyseesproblemsbeforetheyhappenbutalsowhatheneedstochangefromthetop.Otherleadersmaynotfeelthiswayandthusnotfeeltheneedtogetonthefieldattheirorganizations.Thecompanymaybedoingjustfinewiththeirmanaging

thewaytheyhavebeen.ButIguaranteethatiftheyarenotcoachingandonthefield,theyarenotbeingaseffectiveastheycouldbe.Theyareunawareofproblemstheywouldnevertoleratethoughseeminglydobecausetheyarenotmandatingthattheyoranyonewhoworksforthemgetonthefieldtoholdanyoneaccountable.

Ofcourse,leaderscannot

knoweverythinggoingonintheirbusinesses,butthatcan’tbeanexcuseforknowingverylittle.Comingdownfromtheskyboxforthedogandponyshowafterabigsale,event,ormeetingandgivinghighfivesjustwon’tcutit.

Insales,wetalkabouttop-downselling;incoaching,theprinciplesarethesame:Toensurea

successfulcoachingcultureandreinforcetheimportanceofbeinginthefield,startatthetop.BecauseifIamnottheCEOandmybossandmyboss’sbossdonothavetimetocoachmeortogooutonthefield,thenmostlikely,Iwillnotmakethetimeeither,andIwon’tbemotivatedtomakethetimebecauseithasnovalue.Butif,fromthetopdown,theydoit,thenIbet

myweek’sgasmoneythatIwillbeoutthereaswell.

Wereallyshouldn’tneedthistop-downapproach,sincefieldtimeisusuallythetimemostleaderssaytheyenjoyedthemostbeforetheymadeittotheC-suite.Butbecauseit’sthepartofthejobeasiesttoeliminate,weneedtheextraincentive.Sowhynotrememberthat?Let’sspendmoretimedoingthepartsof

ourjobwelovethemost.We’llloveourworkallthemoreandwe’llgetbetterresults.

Coaching MeansNever Having to GoUndercover

MorethanadozenCEOsatmajorbrandshavelearned

theimportanceofgettingonthefieldinaverypublicwayontheCBSTVrealityshowUndercoverBoss.Theshowfollowschiefexecutivesfromcompanieslike7-Eleven,Hooters,andWhiteCastleastheyslipanonymouslyintotherankandfileoftheircompaniestoseehowtheyarereallyworking.LarryO’Donnell,CEOofWasteManagement,wasfirstup.A

familymanandall-aroundniceguy,O’Donnell,likemanyoftheCEOswhofollowedontheshow,notonlyperformedtheworkpoorlybutalsobecameirritatedbysomeoftheruleshismanagersenforcedandbyhowtheyenforcedthem—rulesheostensiblyputintoplaceandleadersheindirectlyhiredinhisroleasCEO!Hewasfiredfromhis

undercoverjob.IamsureLarry

O’DonnellandeveryoneofCBS’sundercoverbossesusedatleastoneofthemanyexcusesfornotgettingonthefieldregularlybeforesubmittingtothebeatdownoftheshow.Thus,everyoneofthemissurprisedbyallthegoodstuffandbadstufftheyfindgoingoninthecompanyandrealizetheirdetachment

wasamistake.Considerthatthenexttimeyou’reinclinedtoblamesomeoneorsomethingelseforafailureintheranks.TheseareCEOsofsomeofthemostsuccessfulcompaniesintheworld!AndwhileIknowrealityTVlikethisisnotcompletely“real,”considerthisaswell:Itdoestaketimetomaketheshow,andintheweeksittooktosetupandshootUndercover

Boss,notoneCEOcomplainedaboutthetimeawayfromtheoffice—theveryexcusesomanyleadersusefornotcoaching.Sure,theshort-termpublicityvaluewasenormousforthecompaniesbutmyhopeisthattheseCEOsalsorealizethatgettingonthefieldandcoachingcanhaveevenmoreenormouslong-termbenefits.

IknowIdidwhenItook

overtheSouthernCaliforniamarketforSprint.RemembertheSnowmanandhisteamfromChapter4,whoresistedmypushtosetlogical,notrealistic,goalsandbecomethebestmarketinthecountry?Turnsout,Sprint’sproblemsinCaliforniawentevendeeperthanIthought,asIfoundoutwhenIgotonthefieldwiththeteamandwentwiththeSnowmantooneof

hisstores.ThemanagerofthestoretoldustheyknewthingshadimprovedwithSprint,buthiscustomersdidn’t;heknewhecouldsellmorephonesandplansiftheyhadthenewcoveragemapsandtherightcollateralmaterialaboutSprint’sservice.Icouldn’tfigureoutwhyhedidn’thavethem.Iknewwehadcreatedthosemaps,soIaskedtheSnowmanwheretheywere.

Sincehisteamhadnoaccountability,theSnowmandidn’tknow,sohecalledtheaccountexecutiveinchargeofthestore,whotoldhimtheyhadbeenoutofthemformonths.

Icouldn’tunderstandhowamultimillion-dollarcompanyinamajormarketcouldbeoutofthisessentialsalestool,butnotwantingtodoubtmynewteam,Icalled

thecorporatemarketmanagertocomplain.Hetoldme,“You’renotoutofmaps.Youhavetwenty-fivethousandincasesinyouroffice.Here’swherethey’relocated.”Hewasright.Igotagiantstackofmaps,wenttotheSnowman’soffice,tossedthemontohisdesk,andwentbacktomyofficetowaitfortheSnowmantoseethem.Whenhedid,hecametomy

officeandsaid,“Boss,youareagenius,youareawesome.Wheredidyoufindthesemaps?”

“Withtheothertwenty-fivethousandintheoffice,”Ireplied.

Now,IcouldhavebeennicetotheSnowmanandlethimthinkIwasagenius,butthatwouldbevalidatingbadbehaviorandshyingawayfromconflict.Ididnotplay

nice.Iconfrontedhimdirectlytoseehowhewouldreact.Iwasn’tgoingtolethimpacifymewithcomplimentsordeflecttheblame:“Ihavetwoquestionsforyou,andonlyoneofthesequestionsapplieshere:DoIhaveamanagerwhoisaliarabouthavingthetoolstosucceed?OrdoIhaveamanagerwhoisincompetentanddoesn’tknowwhere

twenty-fivethousandmapsareinhisoffice?”

Iknowthatsoundsbluntandevenaggressive,buttheSnowman’sbehaviorandincompetencewarrantedit.Hehadalreadyresistedcoachingandateveryturnhadtriedtopreventmefromholdinganyoneaccountable.Bytakingthataccountabilitytothefield,Iturnedhisworldupsidedown.Underprevious

management,hewasabletocoverhisyou-know-whatateveryturnwithliesandpersonality,andhecreatedcircumstancesinwhichhecouldlooklikethebestandblameeveryoneelseforhisnotsucceedingmore.But,really,hewasjustlazyandthislazinesswasexposedwhenIgotonthefieldwithhim.Thinkaboutit:Howoftendoesithappenthatafter

amanageroremployeeleavesthecompany,wedigintomattersandrealizehowmessedupthingswereandthattheformeremployeewasdoingtheexactoppositeofwhatwehadthought?Iknowithashappenedtomemorethanonce.IhadlearnedtonotletithappenwithpeopleliketheSnowman,whoneverhavethedesiretogetbetterandwin.

Coaches Need toSee the Plays UpClose

WhenIgointhefieldwithmyteam,everythingIdoistohelpensureoursuccess.Imakesuretheyaredoingthingscorrectly,recognizeajobwelldone,andhelpdeveloptheirskillsandbetterapplytheirattributes.Igetinvolved,not

totakeover,butrathertoparticipate.Ifweareconductingproducttrainingsforclients,Iwanttoknowthatweareteachingthewaytheclientslearnandgivingtheclientsvalue,notwastingtheirtime.Imaydiscussstrategiesandscrimmagewithateammemberpriortomeetingwithourclient.Wemayscrimmageseveraltimes,andifIseeanissue,I

don’tignoreit;Ibringitupandaddressit.

Iwasveryfortunateearlyinmycareertolearnfromaleaderwhotaughtmetomakebeinginthefieldmynumberonepriorityandmandatedfieldtimeformymanagersandmyself.Mygoalwastospendatleastthreedaysperweekinthefieldwithmymanagers,salesreps,marketingteammembers,

andclients.Often,Iachievedfourdaysperweek.Myworkdidnotsuffer;infact,itgotbetter.Ibecamebetteratdelegatingadministrativetasks,notgettingtooinvolvedinsimpleissuesthatothershadbetterabilitiesandskillstohandle,andmanagingmytimesothatIcouldfocusonwhatwasmostimportant—developingmyteam.Iallowedmyselffourhours

everydaytodomyadministrativeworkattheoffice;IscheduledadministrativetasksfromseventhirtytoninethirtyA.M.andthentwohoursintheafternoon.Therestofmytimewaswithmyteam,workingwiththem(notforthem).

Inlife,standingonthesidelineoftenmeanssomethingnegative:inaction

onthepartofsomeonewhoshouldhavetakenresponsibility.Inbusinessandsports,it’stherightplacetobe.Coachescan’tandshouldn’tplaythegameordotheworkfortheteam,buttheyneedtobeascloseaspossibletothefieldtogetinvolvedwhenrequiredandhaveatruesenseofhowtheteamisactuallydoing.Bybeingpresent,weareableto

observeourtalentandmakequickerandmoreaccuratedecisionstohelpprotectandgrowourbusiness.Evenifyourteamisinoneofficetogether,thisprinciplecanapplyifyousimplygetupfromyourdesk,leaveyouroffice,andsitdownwiththeteaminsteadofwaitingforthemtocometoyou.BeforepressingSENDonanothere-mailortexttotheteamdown

thehall,getupandimaginethehallwayislikethetunneltotheirballfield:thegame—meaninganythinginbusinessthathasconsequences—isoutthere.

Remember: BeProud, Not Prideful

Intheend,leadersmustdoeveryjobwiththeintent

ofdoingourbestandnotmerelygettingitdone.Whenwedoajob,nomatterwhatthejobis,wewanttobeproudofourwork.Butwealsomustnotletouregosgetinthewayofourcoaching,especiallywhenweareonthefieldwiththeteam.Wemustbehumbleinourabilitytocoachandlearn,andconfidentinourstature.Atthesametime,wedon’twant

tobesopridefulthatwearethreatenedeverytimesomeoneisgivingusfeedbackorgettinginvolvedinourbusiness.Thiskindofpridecausesustobedefensiveandunwillingtolistenandgrowasleaders.Asateam,ourgoalistobethebestteam,andastheircoach,ifIamnotbeingprideful,thatteamshouldnotbeoffendedorupsetwhenIamhelpingus

EvenSuperman

achieveourgoals.Remember:Ourteamsunderstandandappreciateacoach’spresence.TheonlytimeIwouldfeelthreatenedbyacoachinspectingwhatIwasdoingwasifmyteamandIwerenotdoingourjobs.

Thebestleadersinbusiness,likethebestcoachesin

can bepushedto flyhigher.

sports,didnotgetthatwaybecausetheythinktheyknowalltheyneedtoknowandhavedevelopedtheirskillsasfarastheycanbedeveloped.Butitcanseemthatwaywhenwelosetouch.Spendingtimewithourteammembers,especiallyintheserviceof

coaching,isoneofthegreatestthingswecandoforthem—andforus!Itshowsrespect.Itshowswecareaboutourteamsandappreciatetheirefforts.Itgivesustheknowledgeweneedtoleadourteamsandhelpleadourcompanies.Itshowsthemourdesiretowin.

Nowputdownthisbookandgetonthefield.Orbetteryet,takeitwithyouandshare

itwithyourteamasyoustartpracticingandbecomingacoach.

Takeaways:GetontheField

Stopturningobstaclesintoexcuses;getout

ofyourofficeseveraltimesaweek.Workingwithanddevelopingyourteamonthefieldmust

becomethecoreofacoach’spriorities—anythingelseisjustcheckingofftasks.Size

doesnotmatter:Leaderscannotcoachonethousandpeoplewithoutturningtheleaderswho

reporttothemintocoaches.Don’twaitforaTVshowtocomecallingtoreconnectand

understandhowyourteamperforms.Beingonthefielddoesnottakeawayothers’authority;

itgivesthempower.

POST-GAMEWRAP-UP

yfinalchallengetousascoachesisthis:Try

andremembertobegratefulnomatterthebusinesssituationorpersonalsituation.Toooftenin

business,thepowerofG.L.A.D.(Gratitude,Love,Attitude,andDesire)islost,becauseitisintangible.“WhatistheROIongratitudeandlove?”theysmirk.“Herewegowiththatfeel-goodstuffthatdoesn’tdoanything.”Manyorganizationsthustendtoskipthemeaningofwordsandfocusonlyontheresultsofcoaching.Butthese

It is ourgratitude

guidingprinciplesshouldcontrolacoachingcultureasmuchastheyshouldcontrolallthingsinlife.Theydetermineoursuccessandsustainabilityasmuchasanyresultthatcanbemeasuredonaspreadsheet.

BeingGRATEFULmeansappreciatingthat

thatwillgive usgreatfortitude.

everythingwehaveisablessing.Whenwearegratefulforwhatwehave,wearenotenviousofwhatothershaveandwearenotjealousoftheirsuccess;insteadweareintriguedbyhowwemaybeabletoachievesimilarsuccess.

Coachesshouldadmireratherthanresentthesuccessesofothers.Theyneedtofocusonobtainingmoresuccessfortheirteamwithouteverlosingsightthatmakingateambettercannotbeattheexpenseofbeingbetterpeople.

Wecan’tbefullysuccessfulascoachesorteammatesifwedon’tLOVEourjobs.Lovemotivatesus

tokeepgoinginspiteofthebaddays.Whenweloveourjobs,wearehappierand,consequently,everyonearoundusishappier.That’swhyIinsistthateverybodyonmyteamlovehisorherjob.Thishascausedsomecontroversyovertheyearswithmybosses,employees,andsometimeswithHR.Despitethiscontroversy,myinsistencehas,inthelong

run,alwaysproventobetrueandeffective.Toleaderswhotellmeitisanunrealisticexpectationtohaveateamonwhicheverybodylovestheirjob,Isaytothem,“Youmightberight.”Theirbeliefmightmakeittrueforthem.Notme.Mybottomlineisthis:Ifweareunhappy,stressedand/oranxiousascoaches,ourteamscanfeelit.

Teamscanalsofeelabad

ATTITUDE,whichisoverallabiggerdeterminerofsuccessthaneducation,money,parents,orfamilytree.Iunderstandthatnoteveryminuteofeverydayispositive,buthowwespendtherestofthosedaysisourchoice.Thismeansmuchmorethantryingtobehappyorsmiling.DreamandthinkbigasacoachandyouwillbecomeBIG—especiallyin

theeyesofyourteam.Whensomeonetellsyouthatyoucan’tdoit,laughitoffanduseitasfuelasyouflytowardyourgoals.Ibelievesomeonehastobenumberone,sowhynotme?Orifsomeonecandoit,thensocanI.Somemaycallthisnaïveorevenignorant,yetIstillbelieveittobetrue(andithasprovenitselfoverandoveragaininmyworldand

forthoseIcoach).Afterall,manyteams

havewongamesbyluckorchanceandhavelostgamesinwhichtheydideverythingright,buthavingtheDESIREtofighteverydaytoachieveourgoalsmeanswewillbewinnersevenwhenwelose.Desireiswhatweneedtotakeactiontosupportthatattitude.Itisthedrivetodowhatittakestoachieveyour

goals.Desiregivesasalespersontheabilitytocallanotherprospectaftergettingrejected,anoperationsmanagertheabilitytokeepfocusingonthesolutionwhenherdepartmentfacesadversity,oradesignertheabilitytoremakeaprojectwhenthefirstmodelgetsdestroyed.Asacoachoraleaderinbusiness,wemustbeabletohelpourteamfind

thisdesire.Otherwisetheywillbecomediscouragedwhenfacedwithadversity,orcomplacentintimesofcomfort.

Simplyput,G.L.A.D.makesusgreat,andifweignoreit,ourteamswillstarttoignoreittooandweareleftwithactionswithoutemotionalattachment.Imaginelifewithoutanemotionalconnectionand

drive—itbecomesfruitlessandempty.Weknowtheimportanceoftheseguidingprinciples,buttheygetlostinthecrazinessoftryingtomaintainthem.

Tokeepmyfocus,Icarrymy“PowerandProsperity”coinwhereverIgo.Youcanuseacoin,arock,abutton,apicture,oraleafforallitmatters.Thepointistohaveatooltohelpyoufocuson

whatmattersasacoach.MycoinhelpsmetofocusonG.L.A.D.everyday.BeingGratefulforwhatIhaveandwhoIam,LovingmyselfandwhatIdo,havingtheAttitudetoknowandbelievethatIcanbenumberone,andfuelingtheDesiretodowhatittakestoachieveit.

IACKNOWLEDGMENTScan’tbelievethatIhavebeenblessedwiththisgreatopportunitytosharemythoughtsandexperienceswithsomanypeople.IthasbeenhumblingandrewardingandneverwouldhavebeenpossiblewithoutthemanyblessingsIhavebeengiven

andtheloveandsupportofmyfamily.

Mywife,Shannon,whoisthegreatesthumanbeingIhaveevermet,hasnotonlygivenmefourbeautifulkids—Anthony,Nyla,Paige,andSavannah—butisthepersonwhomakesallofthispossible.Icouldfilltenpageswithhowgreatsheis,butshewouldjusttellmeto“shutupandmoveon.”Iloveyou,

baby,nowandforever.Andmyparents,who

havebeenthemostinfluentialpeopleinmylifeand,nomatterwhat,lovedmeandsupportedme,evenwhenweallknewIdidn’tdeserveit.IcanonlypraythatIhavebeenandwillbeasgoodaparenttomykidsastheyweretomybrothersandme.

Thankyou,JoeCalloway,forstillaccepting

mycallsaftereightyearsandalwaysbeingwillingtohelpandguidemedowntherightpath.IalsowanttothankmymanyclientswhohaveallowedmetoworkwiththemandhavetaughtmesomuchmorethanIcouldeverteachthem.

Thankstoallofmypastleaders,teammembers,andbusinesspartners,becausewithoutyourguidance,

knowledge,andadvice,Iwouldnothavehadanyideasorexperiencestoshare.

ToWendyKeller:Iamsograteful.Withoutyourreachingouttome,askingmetowriteanotherleadershipbook,andyouradviceandpartnership,thisbookwouldnothaveevenstarted—nottomentionmyimmensegratitudeforintroducingmetoJimEber.

Jimwastheonewhoputitalltogether.ManydaysandnightswerespentSkypingwithJimtoassemblethisbook(or,morespecifically,hetookmyjumbleandmadeitmakesense).Youaretheman!

Lastly,thankstotheteamthatmakessureeverythingisdonerightandatthehighestquality:thePenguinRandomHousepublishingcompany.

ToLaurenMarinoforallofherinsightandtoughlovetomakesurethebookisthebestitcanbe,andtotherestoftheall-starPenguinteam:FarinSchlussel,AnneKosmoski,LisaJohnson,andeveryoneofthehard-workingindividualsbehindthescenes.Itisanabsolutehonortoworkwiththebestinthebusiness.

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