building an exceptional team anthony butler, assistant director of leadership rosenberg center for...

Building an Exceptional Team

Anthony Butler, Assistant Director of Leadership

Rosenberg Center for Student Involvement

What does a great team look like?

Where do you start to build a great team?

• How do you find great people?• How do you recognize great people when

you see them?

What inhibits execution?

• National survey of 4,000 senior executives4. Inability to work together as a TEAM (21%)

5. Company culture (23%)

6. Economic climate (29%)

1. Holding on to the past / unwillingness to change (35%)

Creating a Culture of Teamwork

• The five values of a strong corporate culture:– Integrity: be a living example of your

leadership values– Accountability: do what you say you will do-

build trust through personal responsibility– Diligence: work hard, set a good pace,

complete projects on or before deadlines

How to Build, Lead and Sustain a High Performance Team, John Spence

Creating a Culture of Teamwork

• The five values of a strong corporate culture:– Perseverance: overcome obstacles while

maintaining a positive and enthusiastic attitude

– Discipline: do all of these things, every single day


The Seven Lessons

• The following is from a joint study of 1,500 outstanding organization conducted by the Tom Peters Group, TPG/Learning Systems and the Executive Development Center at the Leavey School of Business and Administration.

The Seven Lessons

1. Leaders Don’t WaitThey are proactive, they want to produce

victories. Waiting for permission is not a

characteristic of leaders. A sense of urgency

combined with disciplined execution is.


The Seven Lessons

2. Character CountsWe call it the first law: if you don’t believe

the messenger – you will not believe the

message! People expect leaders to stand for

something and to have the courage of their

convictions.


The Seven Lessons

3. Leaders have their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground

Not only do we demand that leaders be

credible; we also demand that they have a

clear and compelling vision of the future.


The Seven Lessons

4. Shared values make a differenceFollowers have needs and interests, dreams

and beliefs of their own. Leaders must be

able to gain consensus on a common cause

and common set of principles.


The Seven Lessons

5. You can’t do it aloneLeadership is not a solo act. Winning

strategies are always based on a “we,” not

“I” philosophy.


The Seven Lessons

6. The legacy you leave behind is the life you lead

Leaders take every opportunity to show

others by their own example that they are

deeply committed to the aspirations that

they espouse. Leading by example is how

leaders make vision and values tangible. It

is how they provide evidence that they are

personally committed.How to Build, Lead and Sustain a High Performance Team, John Spence

The Seven Lessons

7. Leadership is everyone’s business.There is a myth that assumes that when you

are on top you are automatically a leader.

This is simply not true. Leadership is

earned, not bestowed. It is not a title. It is

a responsibility.


It’s Your Ship: Building a team on USS Benfold

• Create a Climate of Trust:• Never pit dog against

dog• Even the worst screwup

may be redeemable• Welcome the bad news

messenger• Protect your people

from lunatic bosses


• Create a Climate of Trust:

“Trust is like a bank

account. You’ve got to

keep making deposits if

you want it to grow. On

occasion, things will go

wrong and you will have

to make a withdrawal.

Meanwhile, it is sitting in

the bank earning interest.”


• Look for results, not salutes• Help knock down the

barriers• Let your crew feel free to

speak up• Free your crew of top-

downitis• Nurture the freedom to

fail• Innovation knows no

rank• Challenge your crew

beyond its reach


“As captain, I was charged

with enforcing 225 years

of accumulated Navy

regulations, policies and

procedures. But every last

one of those rules was up

for negotiation whenever

my people came up with a

better way of doing

things.”

What breaks a team

• Bullies – one member speaks for all• Lack of trust – inauthentic leadership• Competing agendas – no buy-in, no

consensus• Lack of communication – everyone is

talking at once…so no one’s listening

What builds up a team

• Encouragement – fostering new ideas…soliciting input

• Shared values, shared vision – working for toward a common goal

• Clear communication – using consistent methods for keeping everyone informed

• Ownership – everyone on the team feels connected and engaged

Questions?

building an exceptional team anthony butler, assistant director of leadership rosenberg center for...

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