The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive

1. Build and maintain a cohesive leadership team through trust and vulnerability

The essence of a cohesive leadership team is trust, which is marked by an absence of politics, unnecessary anxiety, and wasted energy.

Trust is the foundation. Building a cohesive leadership team requires extraordinary levels of commitment, courage, and consistency. The key to achieving this is creating an environment of trust where team members can be vulnerable with one another. This involves:

• Getting to know each other on a personal level
• Sharing strengths, weaknesses, and personal histories
• Admitting mistakes and apologizing when necessary
• Engaging in constructive conflict without fear of repercussions

Vulnerability breeds trust. When leaders are willing to be open and honest about their own shortcomings, it creates a safe space for others to do the same. This level of transparency eliminates politics and allows the team to focus on what really matters – achieving results for the organization.

2. Create organizational clarity by answering fundamental questions

Organizational clarity is not merely about choosing the right words to describe a company's mission, strategy, or values; it is about agreeing on the fundamental concepts that drive it.

Clarity drives alignment. To create organizational clarity, leadership teams must answer six critical questions:

1. Why does the organization exist?
2. What are our core values?
3. What business are we in?
4. How do we differentiate from competitors?
5. What are our short and long-term goals?
6. Who is responsible for what?

Agreement is key. The process of answering these questions forces the leadership team to have difficult conversations and make clear decisions. This clarity allows employees at all levels to make decisions and resolve problems without constant supervision, empowering them and creating a sense of unity throughout the organization.

3. Over-communicate organizational clarity to align the entire company

Even the best teams have moments when members need to hold one another accountable for their attitudes or actions. Holding back during these times is a sure sign of future problems for the team.

Repetition reinforces clarity. Once the leadership team has achieved clarity, it must be communicated repeatedly throughout the organization. This involves:

• Consistently sharing the organization's purpose, values, and goals
• Using multiple channels of communication (meetings, emails, one-on-ones)
• Ensuring that all leaders are aligned in their messaging
• Encouraging employees to ask questions and seek clarification

Avoid assumptions. Leaders often underestimate how much communication is needed to truly align an organization. What may seem like over-communication to executives is often barely enough for employees to internalize the message.

4. Reinforce clarity through human systems and processes

Culture lives in the way things get done.

Align systems with clarity. To truly embed organizational clarity, it must be reinforced through human systems and processes, including:

• Hiring and onboarding practices
• Performance management and reviews
• Compensation and rewards
• Training and development programs

Consistency is crucial. These systems should consistently reflect and reinforce the organization's values, goals, and priorities. For example, interview questions should assess candidates' alignment with core values, and performance reviews should evaluate employees' contributions to organizational goals.

5. Prioritize organizational health over intelligence for sustainable success

No one but the head of an organization can make it healthy.

Health trumps intelligence. While most leaders focus on making their organizations smarter through strategy, marketing, and finance, organizational health is often neglected. However, a healthy organization:

• Makes itself smarter over time
• Is more resilient to challenges
• Attracts and retains top talent
• Achieves sustainable success

Leadership responsibility. Creating and maintaining organizational health is the primary responsibility of the leader and cannot be delegated. It requires ongoing attention and commitment to the four disciplines outlined in this book.

6. Embrace conflict and passionate debate within the leadership team

Cohesive teams fight. But they fight about issues, not personalities.

Productive conflict is essential. Healthy leadership teams engage in passionate debates about important issues. This involves:

• Encouraging diverse perspectives
• Challenging assumptions and ideas
• Focusing on issues, not personalities
• Moving on quickly after conflicts are resolved

Create a safe environment. Leaders must create an atmosphere where team members feel comfortable expressing disagreement and challenging one another's ideas. This leads to better decision-making and stronger commitment to the outcomes.

7. Avoid politics by resolving issues at the highest level

Politics is the result of unresolved issues at the highest level of an organization, and attempting to curb politics without addressing issues at the executive level is pointless.

Address issues head-on. When leaders avoid confronting each other about potential disagreements, it creates ripple effects throughout the organization:

• Employees waste time and energy trying to resolve unresolvable issues
• Top talent becomes disillusioned and may leave
• The organization becomes less efficient and effective

Lead by example. By addressing conflicts and resolving issues at the highest level, leaders set the tone for the entire organization. This eliminates the need for politics and allows everyone to focus on achieving results.

8. Focus on a few core values and adhere to them without exception

The healthiest organizations identify a small set of values that are particularly fundamental to their culture, and adhere to those values without exception.

Quality over quantity. Instead of trying to embrace every positive value, organizations should:

• Identify 2-3 core values that are truly fundamental to their culture
• Ensure these values are deeply ingrained in the organization's DNA
• Use these values to guide decision-making at all levels

Live the values. Core values should be more than just words on a wall. They should be evident in the behavior of leaders and employees, and should influence every aspect of the organization's operations.

9. Clarify roles and responsibilities to ensure accountability

Without clear ownership, accountability becomes difficult, even within the best teams.

Ownership drives results. To ensure accountability, organizations must:

• Break down goals into specific components
• Assign clear ownership for each component
• Avoid assumptions based on titles or job descriptions
• Have difficult conversations about who is best suited for each role

One owner per goal. Even when multiple people are involved in achieving a goal, designate one person as the ultimate owner. This clarity ensures that someone is responsible for driving progress and results.

10. Conduct regular, focused meetings to maintain team cohesion

The key for a leader is to remind team members why difficult times are worth tolerating, and what the rewards will be.

Consistency is key. Regular, in-person meetings are critical for maintaining team cohesion. These meetings should be:

• Frequent and consistent
• Focused on important issues
• Engaging and sometimes challenging
• A forum for holding each other accountable

Avoid the temptation to cancel. Even when schedules are busy, it's crucial to prioritize these meetings. Canceling or rescheduling too often is a sign that team cohesion may be slipping.

11. Use simple tools and exercises to build trust and understanding

No single method is enough, but none is specifically required. What is most important is that team members get comfortable letting their colleagues see them for who they are.

Leverage proven methods. While there's no one-size-fits-all approach, several tools and exercises can help build trust and understanding within a team:

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
• Personal history sharing
• The Five Temptations of a CEO exercise
• Team-building activities that push comfort zones

Combine approaches. Use a mix of structured exercises and informal activities to help team members get to know each other on a deeper level. This understanding leads to greater empathy, better communication, and ultimately, a more cohesive team.

Last updated: October 14, 2024