I consistently rely on Simon Sinek’s work to add depth and dimension to conversations in many settings. Seat mates on airplanes to professional consulting engagements receive some mention of Simon’s frameworks.
Two assessment points come to mind when evaluating intentions. First, does the enterprise embed its core values into its work without fail? Second, are the choices made consistent with the story it is telling?
Watching and listening to the things that matter can tell us a lot about a cause’s status.
Why do we gather, and when should we assemble? According to a Harvard Business Review article, there is a flow chart to review before calling a meeting. Dan Martell proposes the 1-3-1 method of decision-making for a one-on-one meeting. Simon Sinek has an online course dedicated to meetings. Seth Godin breaks down different types of meetings.
I rarely get excited to schedule a meeting. However, when it has a purpose that intersects with my purpose and is facilitated to elevate our best ideas and insights, I can leave feeling better about the organization than when I arrived. Leading a meeting is a skill. Anyone can call a meeting, but few can conduct a great session.
How might we ensure the best person on our team is leading our meetings, even when they may not have the title (or seniority)?
Somebody already accomplished their 2024 goal! Somebody already failed to achieve their 2024 goal.
If we take an infinite mindset, still being in the game is the goal. We may have the most, least, or occupy the busy middle, but we are still playing the game, and that is the work that matters.
What is something you are grateful for every decade of your life (e.g. age 0-10, 11-20, 21-30, etc)? Simon Sinek facilitated this moment with Omar Brownson at the end of his recent podcast and it was remarkable. It is a new icebreaker that I am adding to my tool kit.
Might we represent teamwork in a four panel graphic? How fundamental are accountability and collaboration to measuring the effectiveness of a team?
What if we first define the team’s core values? A set of behaviors we will not sacrifice except under extreme duress (the building is on fire). What if we commit to hold those values as the highest priority for the team, above any metric or external evaluation? Does record growth on the balance sheet outweighs complete discord among a team? Can we be a team if a single individual does the majority of the work and takes credit for each victory?
Measuring a team’s unity and alignment is challenging, it requires us to take a human-centered approach. In the spirit of Simon Sinek, if we measure the numbers, we are managing. If we care for the people, we are leading.
Do you have a definition of team? What mindset do you use to measure a team’s success and engagement?
What if the we spend time thing about the world in thirds. The third that is uniquely us. The third that is fundamentally others. And the third where we overlap. At this moment, the us and other third are lighting up narratives across the world. Mask wearers vs freedom breathers. BLM vs All Live Matter. Open vs shut communities. Democrats vs Republicans. Science vs personal freedoms. Rights vs responsibilities.
What if we committed to looking at the middle third. The third that connects us and creates combinations. The reasons Simon Sinek’s Start With Why approach is so powerful, is when know a person’s purpose, we can connect with them at the headwaters of their existence. We can share a journey down the mountain stream that becomes a creek and then transforms into a river. If we only encounter the river at A major rapid, we might dismiss their ideas as dangerous, loud, and volatile. However, if we understand where the journey started, we have a greater perspective about why the rapid exists. It does not mean we let the current takes us blindly downstream. We look for points of confluence. We seek connections, not diversion.
What if the middle third is our focus? How might our work be amplified by seeking the middle third, instead of populating the outer thirds? US vs others is dates back to antiquity. US and other is challening and runs into historical barriers but it is the work that matters now.
*** Jud Abumrad came to our commuity for a speaking engagement. My wife remarked that numerous audience members were looking for something they could purchase (a book) that he could sign. He did not have books for sale but rather just his presentation and ideas. Perhaps the legacy of his visit is a transformative idea, one that we cannot read and store on a bookshelf. Rather it is now a way of being that we must decide to embrace or say ‘not yet.’
The responsibility of leadership is not to come up with all the ideas. The responsibility of leadership is to create an environment in which great ideas can thrive. -Simon Sinek
If there is trust, our best ideas come forward. We share both our most passionate thoughts and those that sit precariously not fully formed teetering on the edge. Best ideas originate when the aperture opens and we see more. Creating this way of thinking requires consideration and preparation. When it happens we are transformed into thinking about the future instead of glancing backwards into the past.
What-if-concepts 