Nothing of significance can happen without the aid of other people. Part of me is getting exhausted with founders, CEOs, politicians, celebrities, and others who get spotlight attention on their work. Sometimes it feels like we are a bit too starstruck. Great, you raised a bunch of capital for a new company. Great, your company grew at a remarkable rate. Great, you got some legislation signed. I get it. Now, let’s look at the reality. Nothing of significance can happen without the aid of other people. The person with the big idea will only have the big idea unless she can enlist others to turn that idea into reality. The people who join us on the journey–our teams–deserve way more credit than they get. Yes, the leader sets the vision. Yes, the leader builds the team. Yes, the leader keeps the team moving toward the bigger mission. It’s the team, however, that is executing on the work everyday. Here’s one way we can honor them: Increase their visibility. When you have meetings with the people above you, spotlight one of your team members. When you are meeting with clients, talk to them about individual team members and note their strengths. In essence, find opportunities to make members of your team more visible. Everybody enjoys a little spotlight attention.
With your teams, don’t get out of the way, do this instead
"Get out of the way!" I often hear some version of this sentiment when talking about building a culture to incentivize high performance teams. "You have to find the right people, equip them, and then get out of the way." People who talk about getting out of the way...