Surviving Success and Watching Failure

Have you ever seen a problem coming and not done anything to fix it? Was it someone failing at a project? Perhaps someone was ruining a relationship? A project where the team was not resolving the main issues? Someone was in great pain?

Too often we see cultures in organizations where everyone stays in their own “box” very tightly. When they see an issue or problem coming, they do not say anything. (This is the “it’s not my job” or “not my area” or “I don’t lead that team” syndrome.)  Some of the most important, easy, and valuable ways to share with each other is to help people see what they may not see and to act when action is needed. However, many organizations are not proactive and preventive. We need to move from a culture of watching failure to a culture of sharing wisdom and resources for success.

As this change occurs, part of what we need to not do is attempt to overly control or micromanage what’s happening. There is a fine line between providing guidance through a process and mandating how an adjustment is made. A great relationship with others, open communication, and confidence that we can gracefully handle disagreement/different perspectives is very important. One option is to ask a question. In other cases, a short article on the subject might help a person or team. Or, you could point out someone with experience that can provide feedback on the topic. It could simply be that you listen to them and gently encourage them to continue progress even if they have fear. There are numerous non-invasive tools to help someone in incredible ways that are not controlling or causing undue harm.

In working with teams, especially those at the very top of an organization, it is critical to develop this not just in the individual skill sets, but also as a team skill set. We had an organization with a dozen team members who had produced unprecedented results as individuals. Until they learned how to do this as a team and get their culture to learn these skills, it was uncertain that they could “survive” their success.

Once they learned effective team skills and how to perform at a high level, the individuals now produce more effectively than they ever believed possible, and as a team they are now believers that they have a solid, sustainable culture for many years of success.  They know they can survive and thrive, regardless of changes in the economy or their industry.

Moving from a culture of watching failure to a culture of sharing wisdom and resources is not only an opportunity for growth and for better relationships and results; it is also something we owe each other. It is a responsibility. It develops better teams, people, processes and environments!

To effectively shift your culture to one of action, contact us at 800-786-4332. We can begin with an assessment to confirm what you know and identify blind spots and priorities.  See more about culture on our website in the “Services” section.

In addition to Culture, we also work with leaders to become more effective and leadership teams on strategy and execution. Visit our website for a scorecard to start the process and email it to dhadley@appliedvisionworks.com to have a better future.