It's The Little Things That Matter

As many who read this article will already know, I’m a rugby league man. A man who’s been fortunate enough to scale the heights of international rugby league as Performance Coach to the Kiwis! It’s an engagement that’s left me with more than a passing interest in happenings within the game – and more than a passing interest in the men entrusted the responsibility of leading young men to their ultimate playing performance.

And so, - with this as my driver - I’ve been intrigued by the apparent conjecture and plight surrounding two of the Australian NRL’s most notable players who have progressed into coaching assignments. Brad Fittler (Sydney Roosters) and Ivan Cleary (New Zealand Warriors) are at the helm of significantly underachieving teams at the time of my writing. For Fittler, the vultures are circling and the pundits predicting his reign will soon by other, whilst Cleary has a team stumbling from one poor performance to another. Both are very young men assigned the task of leading only slightly younger men, and neither appears comfortable with their present predicaments.

To the best of my knowledge (and you’ll have to remember I’m slightly more removed from it than I once was) neither have anything in their background to indicate formal training in the demands of inspiring and motivating men. I suspect herein lies their problem. I have little doubt both men have an intricate knowledge of the “X’s” and “O’s” that constitute playing the game, but in sport – as in business – it’s the little things that matter! Little things that transcend performance beyond what could realistically be achieved through a mere knowledge of the game – little things that have people trust your insights and revel in your initiatives. In both sport and business, the list of possibilities that constitute the “little things” can be endless, but coming to grips with them might just distinguish the glory days from the failures.

Welcome to the people business! It’s a business where the ability to read and interpret mood and behaviour in others is paramount - a business where suddenly the technical knowledge and executions that got you there somehow don’t matter quite so much. It’s a business where the more proficient of us are able to transition from an absolute understanding in one dimension of an industry into a (seemingly) unrelated second industry where the inspiration and motivation of others is the principal determinant of success. To many, promotion to leadership signals the replacement of a company’s best technician with its poorest manager – but it doesn’t have to be that way!

The people business is as much about awareness as it is about skill – although the more successful of us are able to find equilibrium between the two. In the first instance however, newly appointed leaders must first and foremost make a commitment toward the affiliation and understanding of those under their care. It is a fact that almost everything in leadership comes back to a leader’s ability to build high quality relationships. It is my experience that the level of loyalty between two people increases exponentially as the level of trust between the two rises – and it is loyalty that matters most when the odds are stacked against you. The only way you can possibly generate a loyalty in others is to understand them better - and the best way to understand them is to get to know them through the leadership strategies you employ.

Moreover, lasting success in business involves more than simply building relationships between the leader and the other members of the team. That is to say, connections must be formed among all members of the team. Every member of the team must feel the existence of a strong bond between themselves and the other members of their team – a strong bond that ultimately culminates in the kind of trust that founders commitment, loyalty and pride on the shop floor. And the only way to accomplish this within any team is through leadership – through leadership that appreciates its importance and commits to ensuring its occurrence.

Leaders who immerse themselves in the business of people are better positioned to interpret what members of their team are thinking and feeling throughout the journey of their working day. It’s a great challenge – but a challenge that is prioritised, met and conquered by the truly great leader! Obviously, there are occasions when even the most diligent observer of human behaviour may be mistaken in their interpretation – but if a leader has built a strong relationship based on loyalty and trust the chances are they’ll be accurate on the vast majority of occasions. The people business is about getting to know your staff well enough to confidently implement a method of operation most likely to be effective for each individual member of your team.

Whilst it is a key ingredient of a functional and dynamic team culture that all in the group are given voice, there is little doubt that the most powerfully emanating voice of any group is that of the leader. Without question, the appointment of a title carries with it a prestige of position and voice that others within the group must work increasingly harder to possess. It is a circumstance of privilege, and one that infers on the leadership a responsibility to ensure all that is expressed is carefully considered and accurately conveyed. When leaders speak, others listen is not simply a statement of fact, for it is all so much more. When leaders speak, others listen is an edict of purpose within the world of a business leader, who must give it the credence and respect it engenders.

Astute leaders acknowledge that those under their employ will emulate the actions and words of those perceived to be in a position of influence, and are therefore conscious of the need to model only desirable behavior and practice. They are aware of the significance their words are likely to carry within the group, and always ensure deliverances are well prepared, comprehensively considered and articulately expressed. Because of their enhanced commitment to diligence, leaders of quality are comfortable in the knowledge that subsequent discussion will most likely centre round the words they speak, and therefore take personal pride in ensuring the accuracy of these words.

And no greater forum exists for a leader to create a verbal resonance than that involving the facilitation of a team’s meeting. For this is the time when a business leader must be at their best, delivering their most compelling performance, captivating their audience and leaving them spellbound through the affection of their delivering. No environment offers quite the opportunity and occasion for capturing a business leader’s audience than that created through the meeting, with all its potentials for exquisite drama, critical inflection and inspiring anecdotes. And yet, for most, the opportunity is tragically lost. A bumbling delivering attributable to an inadequate preparation! As a thespian relies on the power of their script, the playwright depends on the influence of the actor’s performance - and both of them recognize the stage as their frontier. It is a fact not lost on many a significant sport team, whose leadership has ventured into the world of the script writer, appointing the aid of professionals in pursuit of the performance that might inspire their players to an ultimate performance.

And yet, for some untenable reason the business world has continued to miss its calling. Meeting management tends to be a skill that is frequently overlooked by business leaders. Conducting meetings devoid of a trickle of enterprise – and wondering why their message remains unembraced by their audience! Conducting quality meetings is as important a part of a leader’s day as any activity to which they’re likely to engage. No forum exists (quite like the meeting) for providing opportunity to convince your people - no arena avails itself of the opportunity to emanate improvement!

Commencing a meeting with a pre-determined objective (and a vehicle for arriving there) is an essential first step – an appropriate agenda sets the environment for accomplishment, whilst also ensuring greatest opportunity for a smooth flow. Astute business leaders are cognizant of the fact that meetings do cost money, and are therefore diligent in ensuring only those with a contribution to make are welcome to attend - thumb twiddlers and doodles need not apply! I am constantly staggered by the high frequency of meetings in which a virtual company-wide attendance appears compulsory, regardless of attendee potential engagement. Effective meeting managers are prepared to hold multiple meetings, comfortable in the knowledge that all in attendance will find each convention’s content relevant and fulfilling. It’s amazing what efficiency can be achieved when engagement is the order of the day – and meetings gain a reputation amongst staff members as a mechanism to gain insight and direction!

Commence meetings on time! It’s a strange irony - experience tells me sport teams (supposedly devoid of business acumen) run considerable more punctual meetings than most workplace conventions. Commence the meeting with a vivacious agenda review – remember, attendees cannot be something you’re not! Demonstrate your understanding of a “no egos” philosophy. Ensure your facilitation welcomes the contribution of others. Allow others the passage to speak, and always ensure it’s not the law according to the Chair. Establish proposed participant actions and achievements derived from the meeting. Identify timelines in which specific designated tasks should be completed. Gain a final sign-off from those ascribed responsibilities for achievement, confirming their acceptance of an accumulated list. And (wherever possible and applicable) endeavour to discreetly monitor the accomplishments of attendees post-meeting.

Of course, whilst meeting behaviour and performance matter, so to does induction – induction into a role and induction into a strategy. This past sporting week has been littered with examples of coaches and players alike blaming their inability to “follow the game plan”, whilst those on the positive side of the result are quick to attribute their success to the exact opposite. In truth, the best and most diligently created game plan matters little if it is backed by an ineffective or poorly articulated deliverance. Whilst the loser may lament an inability to follow the game plan, the truth is that no game plan existed if the group’s leadership was incapable of expressing it  - a game plan is only a game plan when everyone it is intended to direct fully understands and interprets each intricacy of its content.

The ability to regulate and drive the performance of others is critical to the long-term success and sustainability of any organization – and it is a trend that needs to commence from inception. Commitment to the induction of staff should be a priority for all business leaders, who must ensure they minimise the time taken in settling staff wherever possible. By following a more formal process of induction that includes familiarity to the broader vision of the organization, it’s culture and the individual’s specific role within it, leaders can promote a significantly enhanced clarity of thought that is paramount to the creation of a peak performing team. It is an undeniable truth that when people don’t understand their role and don’t grasp the purpose of the process to which they are apart, the confusion this creates reduces work effectiveness and productivity to no more than seventy percent of a person’s actual potential. People can only expend themselves into the depth of their true talent when they experience the inner clarity that can only come from a directed immersion and focus. And the effectiveness of a person’s induction goes a long way to determining whether such a climate becomes prevalent or not.

It is a fact that in many instances staff induction has been conducted without intention and purpose, striped of the essential personalization that might otherwise generate a much more endearing outcome. This is a shame, primarily because it signals a lost opportunity to appropriately welcome and integrate a staff member, whilst also condemning the organization to costs that might otherwise be avoided. Astute leaders are cognizant of this fact, and therefore take pride in ensuring the induction of staff becomes a principal priority across the organization. By assisting incumbents to better appreciate the culture of the group and driving a more concise appreciation of key objectives within the specific role, these leaders are invariably rewarded with a staff member who eases into the organization and produces immediate results far beyond what might otherwise be expected.

Finally, all associated with the art of leadership must come to recognize that leadership is a work in progress – both leadership in sport and leadership in business! It is definitely not a finished product!  It is a vision built and developed over several years, all devised to accomplish that ultimate endeavour to one day create the perfect performance environment. Doing your time is a common trait amongst most of history’s great leaders, be it in politics, business or sport. The greatest sport’s leader of them all (arguably!), Vince Lombardi’s path to Green Bay glory was far less spectacular than his eventual achievements. He was a forty-seven year old rookie Head Coach when the National Football League’s worst performing franchise secured his signature. Lombardi was thirty-one when he became Head Coach of St Cecilia Parochial School, and was forty-four when his star first shone in an assistant role to a professional team, the New York Giants. It was a long and arduous journey, which culminated in the most significant coaching record in the history of American sport. It was an apprenticeship of excellence!

Leadership is more about perseverance than any other quality. You need to know where you’re heading, but (more than anything) you must persevere to get there. It is driven by a passion, and complemented by a commitment – a commitment to develop, modify and adapt.  It is about experiencing enough of the variances life and business present, in order to shape the frame of what will ultimately be you the leader.

Through a process of reflection and a commitment to continuous improvement, leaders of quality begin to emerge. It is their dedication to identifying the strengths they bring to a leadership role that enables them to gain a complete understanding of what it takes to be a truly effective leader. Learning how to play to their strengths culminates in a comprehensive frame from which to base a successful career in leadership - and it is this frame that enables them to forge a professional pathway that is uniquely theirs. Whilst a less savvy leader might devote themselves to the replicating of business managers they’ve known, more astute leaders are able to identify the characteristics that most suit them. Simultaneously travelling a path that is uniquely them and exactly right!

Kiwis’ coach Brian McClennan didn’t win every game in which he coached the Kiwis – but there was never a game he didn’t believe he could win! Certainly, as both the 2005 and 2006 tri-series campaigns evolved, we grew progressively more confident about our prospects. And I definitely believe this confidence was founded on the depth of self-knowledge acquired through lengthy apprenticeships – Bluey’s in the game of rugby league and mine in the vagaries of various international sport and business campaigns. I can only say that my approach to performance enhancement is significantly more sophisticated and systematic today than ever it was in the past. Sure, I’d experienced success in the past, but two decades of immersion have left me considerably more worldly-wise in the intricacies of both people and performance. Mine has been an apprenticeship of trial, error, modification, refinement and advancement – the very same apprenticeship experienced by most high achieving leaders in business and sport.

Leaders serving an apprenticeship are in a constant phase of learning, developing their strategic appreciation, their systematic thinking style and their approaches to people management as they go. Theirs is an endless pursuit of the ultimate leadership style – all built on an apprenticeship of self-knowledge and self-improvement. Encompassed within this learning is an education around conducting great meetings - meetings that inspire participation and fulfil a need for engagement. It’s about having each team member completing work projects in a positive manner, utilising their given talents and being prepared to take calculated risk without fear of reprisal. It’s about the ability to articulate strategy to others – and articulate it in such a way as to promote familiarity and confidence. That’s the goal in leadership – and that’s the point in time when we can surmise the great “player” has transitioned into an even greater “leader”.