Character—the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life—is the source from which self-respect springs.
—Joan Didion
My family and I have frequently enjoyed taking rafting trips down the Ocoee and the Chattooga rivers in Tennessee and South Carolina. Both provide wild and scenic rides down stretches of challenging rapids as well as respites of recreational rafting. Those who brave the currents witness spectacular rock formations and a wide variety of flora and fauna. I have often leveraged these adventures to casually teach my kids about teamwork. Much can be learned while rafting on the river, as long as you keep your paddle in the water and your rear in the raft. If you don’t, then there are a lot of lessons to be learned about survival.
Maybe you remember the following children’s nursery rhyme lyrics you sang during childhood:
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
It’s a memorable little ditty, filled with powerful life lessons in the chorus alone, that sticks with you for a lifetime. It’s by no means an exhaustive taxonomy on leadership. Nonetheless, contained within its short rhyme are some profound insights that serve as reminders of basic principles that can guide leaders in evoking strong individual and team performance. Let me expound.
Row, Row, Row
For teams to be effective, everyone must row. Not only must everyone row, but they must row, row, row. And they must row in cadence with one another. Rowing can be fun, but it is frequently hard. Those who row must work together to create momentum. In addition to propelling your craft, rowing also aids in setting the course. Pulling together is the only way to navigate the river while avoiding the hazards. When it comes to teams, there can be no slackers. Each person must do their part if the whole is going to be successful. And, they must row in a coordinated fashion. If one person chooses not to row with the rest, it can be disastrous. When rowers are synchronized, they can be extremely efficient and effective in maneuvering the vessel down the river while maximizing each stroke.
If their cadence is off, or someone willfully chooses to stroke independently, it can quickly put everyone in a precarious situation. Not only must everyone row, but they must also have a rhythm to their rowing. If their cadence does not coordinate with their effort, then they waste energy and confusion abounds. The leader, through clear communication, must establish the rowers’ rhythm. In sculling, the person responsible for setting the cadence is the coxswain. In a raft, the guide typically mans the helm at the aft and calls the commands to provide safety, speed, and direction. Both must communicate clearly to all onboard if they are to navigate the river or race successfully. The same holds true of a team leader. Roles and responsibilities must be designated clearly before the adventure begins. And the role of the leader is to coordinate everyone’s efforts.
Instructions must be given and expectations clarified before an oar or paddle touches the water. Once the team is on the water, signals must be clear and concise. Without clarity in the cadence, teams flounder. Without clear vision, people can perish. It’s the responsibility of the leader to guide and protect all who are on the vessel by giving clear direction and providing the cadence that allows everyone to pull together. The responsibility of the leader is to give direction and provide protection.
Clarity and unity are both necessary for there to be productivity. If either is missing, then teams will flounder for lack of momentum and direction.
While this may sound a bit elemental, the reality is that you can and only should seek to row your own boat. You cannot row someone else’s boat for them. It is a huge mistake for someone to assume responsibility or make excuses for someone else who is acting irresponsibly. While we have talked about the need for leaders to provide strong coaching and developmental opportunities for their team members, some people simply will not row and you cannot will them to row if they do not want to. Simply put, you cannot help people who do not want help. And some people just do not want help. They are either unwilling to receive it or refuse to assume personal responsibility for making the personal change necessary to be a productive team member.
This is where boundaries come into play. You can instruct. You can seek to inspire. You can provide resources for personal and professional development. But at some point, every person must make their own decision as to how they intend to row their own boat. Leaders cannot and must not assume responsibility for team members who refuse to row. To do so enables bad behavior. If their role is to man a solo craft, then they must assume responsibility for the pace and direction of their own boat. If they are part of a team, then they must be held accountable to row in a synchronized fashion with others. Not to do so can jeopardize the success of the journey.
If a person refuses to put their oar in the water, then it’s the leader’s role to address the situation and hold that person accountable. At some point, a good leader must have the sense to say, “Hey, that’s not my boat.” At times, it’s necessary to cut someone loose and let them drift if they have tied their boat to yours or their presence is impeding progress. As Peter Drucker has said, “Executives owe it to the organization and their fellow workers not to tolerate nonperforming people.”1
Good leaders seek to inspire elevated performance. They encourage, reward, and recognize positive movement. They provide resources for personal and professional growth. They create environments conducive for collaboration and innovation. And, when necessary, they make hard calls to provide security and protect the integrity of their teams. They do this by ensuring that everyone rows and that they row their own boat effectively.
Gently Down the Stream
It is always easier to row when you are floating downstream. But the reality is that you rarely drift to a desired destination. Occasionally you do experience long stretches of lazy river that allow you to kick back and relax, enjoying the sun and scenery. During these times, you can rest and recuperate while planning for the big water that you know lies just around the next bend. But on the river, and in the marketplace, oftentimes everyone is called on to muster their full energy to paddle against the current and maneuver the vessel to avoid harm or reach a particular destination. These are the times when the team is tested, when the true nature of the team is revealed. Tough times reveal what good times conceal. The challenges of the adventure will show clearly who possesses grit and determination. Difficult times will also expose those who prefer to paddle only in a downstream direction.
Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily
It’s no secret that happy people are more productive. The challenge lies in the fact that it’s extremely difficult to make unhappy people happy. But leaders try to do it all the time. They think that by giving certain people perks and privileges they are somehow going to be able to turn a sour person into a soaring performer.
This rarely happens. People who are unhappy by nature are very difficult to reform. Rather than try to turn a frog into a prince, why not just hire princes? Quit wishing and hoping while you are kissing frogs. Start doing a better job of selecting new team members whose values, beliefs, and behaviors mirror those you want reflected in the organization. Then, and only then, will you be able to build stellar teams of people who enjoy rowing together.
Happy teams have high engagement. Happy teams collaborate, innovate, and celebrate together. Happy teams believe the best in one another, want the best for one another, and expect the best from one another. Happy teams engender loyalty, experience higher morale, and garner discretionary effort. Happy teams produce!
Life Is but a Dream
In an attempt to provide good coaching and consultation to executives, I used to ask them, “What concerns keep you awake at night?” I thought that if we could resolve the issues that caused them to lose sleep, then we were offering a valuable service. It was not altogether a bad approach. However, over time I began to realize there was a far more powerful question that could navigate us into better water. So, I switched my leading question.
Now, the first question I typically ask a leader is, “What are you so passionate about that it causes you to spring out of bed in the morning?” Their answer becomes their North Star. It gives direction and guidance to all subsequent conversations.
The North Star, also known as Polaris, is the most important star in the sky. Because it’s the most important, many might think it’s also the brightest. But it isn’t. In fact, it pales in comparison to many other stars, coming in at forty-eighth in terms of brightness. Polaris is so important because Earth’s axis points almost directly at it. This means that during the course of the night, Polaris remains in virtually the same spot above the northern horizon year-round while the other stars circle around it. It neither rises nor sets, providing a constant point of reference by which to navigate. It can always be found in a due northerly direction. Likewise, an individual’s passion serves as their personal Polaris, giving direction to all their decision-making. Passion is the pivotal point around which all other considerations revolve.
If you are wondering how this relates to leadership, it’s quite simple. Passion always shows someone’s priorities (what one values). And one’s priorities are the surefire path to productivity. If you want to help people shine their brightest, then try fanning the flame within them rather than constantly trying to light a fire under them. The greatest act of leadership is to help people connect their personal passion to corporate objectives. When you do that, you produce passionate performance. Excitement will mount when people are encouraged to leverage their passion and strengths to solve problems. That is when people begin to spring out of bed in the morning, energized by what they do. And that is when leaders can sleep soundly through the night because they have drafted and crafted dream teams. When you lead dream teams, life becomes a dream.
Make Sure Everyone’s OAR Is in the Water
When it comes to building dream teams, one of the most critical concerns is making sure everyone’s OAR is in the water. By OAR, I am referring to elements that must be present for team members to bring their best effort to each endeavor. OAR is an acrostic, which stands for ownership, accountability, and responsibility. These three essential elements ensure that the third prong of a remarkable culture—expecting the best from one another—becomes a reality. When these three elements are present, leaders spend less time micromanaging people and more time releasing and resourcing them to reach extraordinary levels of customer service both internally and externally. Let’s talk about why all three of these elements are necessary to produce elevated performance.
Ownership empowers people to take responsibility for creating value. An owner has a far greater vested interest in the outcome of any endeavor than someone who has merely been tasked with the responsibility of managing it. When someone feels as if they own the process, they become much more emotionally attached to the results.
We have two teenage boys still at home, and our house tends to be the hangout of choice for their friends, which we love. The only downside is that our fridge and pantry are constantly raided, necessitating frequent runs to the store to replenish supplies. Because of our heavy travel schedules, my wife and I share household responsibilities. When I do the grocery shopping, I try to time my trip to our local market to coincide with when I know Wanda is working her checkout counter.
Let me describe Wanda. She is a delightful woman in her midsixties, with a thick mane of greying hair that she usually braids and a smile that could light up Times Square. She is one of the happiest people I know, and she makes shopping a pleasure. Her checkout lane is always busy with customers, but no one seems to mind waiting a little longer to linger in her presence because she has an uncanny way of making your day just a little bit better. She knows many of her customers by name and is familiar with their family members, having met them on previous visits. She engages each person in meaningful conversation and truly expresses interest and concern about not only their shopping experience but also them personally. She is quick to reach into her drawer and pull out coupons so each patron can save a few bucks. More importantly, she has this ability to reach into a person’s heart, providing just the right word of encouragement to bring a smile to their face. She knows how to connect with others. And she does so with one purpose—to brighten their day.
I once caught Wanda when she was on a break and asked her about the source of her extraordinary customer service. Her reply was nothing short of remarkable. She looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Life can be tough. But when people come into my lane, I want them to forget, for just a moment, all their concerns and to feel cared for. My mission is to put a smile on their face. If I can do that, I’ve done something good—and that makes me feel good.”
Wanda “owns” twelve feet of counter space at our local grocery store. It’s one of thousands of supermarkets across the country that bear the same name. She does not own the store. She does not own the cash register, or even the candies and periodicals that adorn the counter. But she owns the relationship with every single customer she encounters. When they come through her lane, she owns their experience. She is on a mission to make their day. And she does it with unswerving devotion. As a result, her managers leave her alone to do her thing. They sit back and marvel at how she earns the loyalty of customers. If they could bottle her enthusiasm, they would. But what she does cannot be multiplied through process. Process can never replicate passion. Process may ensure quality and consistency, but passion is personal.
When individuals are allowed to assume ownership of their work, it becomes personal. They are free to bring the best of who they are to the endeavor. If they are given the freedom to be creative, they can develop deep emotional attachment to their work by putting their own fingerprints all over the process. Rather than working by rote, they can make it relationally rich. And when it becomes relationally rich, it also becomes emotionally rewarding. Value is created and problems are solved as they take more personal pride in the fact that the work is a reflection of them. Work becomes a form of personal expression. How we work shows who we truly are. Healthy people want to grow and make a meaningful contribution to a worthy endeavor. They want to make a positive wake in the world. The key to good leadership begins by empowering people to take ownership of the process.
Accountability
If you want people to take ownership of the process and be responsible for the results, then you have to empower them with the authority to make the decisions necessary to make it happen. To give responsibility without authority will lead to frustration. If the individual entrusted with a task or project has to continually come back for permission to pull the trigger, then you haven’t delegated with authority. Authority simply means the person is acting with full authorization to move forward as they deem best. With authority comes accountability.
To be accountable for something means that a person is obliged to report, explain, or justify their actions. They are answerable for the results their actions produce. Accountability in some circles has gotten a bad rap. For some it implies micromanagement or heavy supervisory oversight. Neither need be the case. Accountability is not a dirty word. It simply means you are willing to submit yourself to checks and balances and the reporting necessary to keep any endeavor on course. It means you are willing to play ball in such a way as to not fumble your responsibilities.
When everyone is held accountable, details are thoroughly covered and deadlines are met because actions are coordinated. Gaps are closed. Information flows freely and collaboration is encouraged to maximize the talent of the team. Accountability breeds awareness. And awareness creates synergy because each person knows what others are doing and is able to leverage their strengths effectively.
Many have endured the mind-numbing corporate torture of death by meetings. Poorly conducted meetings are not only a waste of time, they are an atrocity. A general team meeting serves only three purposes. The first is to clarify strategic direction. Where do we want to go? What is the big picture? Tactics, objectives, and initiatives all flow from strategy. These tactics, objectives, and initiatives can be handled either individually or in huddles of subgroups. Do not bore everyone and bog down the process by enumerating details that only a few team members need to know.
The second purpose of a meeting is to assign responsibilities. Who is going to be in charge of making sure any given base is covered? Roles need to be clarified so that there are lines of demarcation regarding the work. Thirdly, a general meeting should be used to enhance accountability. This provides each person or team an opportunity to give an update on the progress they are making. The updates do not need to be exhaustive. This is simply an opportunity to provide assurance that those elements of the project that are under each team’s purview are being responsibly addressed.
Accountability keeps everyone on course and encourages the communication necessary to coordinate efforts. This efficiency helps everyone accomplish tasks in a timely manner. It also intercepts entropy at its earliest stages so as to avoid wasting energy.
Accountability flows from a sense of ownership. When people own the process, they are accountable for the results.
Responsibility
Ownership and accountability require people to act responsibly to get the work done. When someone is responsible, they are entrusted with the power to control or manage the process. Because they are accountable for the results, they seek the resources necessary to make whatever they are entrusted to do happen.
Acting responsibly is a sign of maturity. When someone acts responsibly, it means they can be counted on to accomplish the task. When everyone acts responsibly, all the bases are covered and much can be accomplished. However, if one person does not do their work or does not do it well, then that person’s irresponsibility becomes someone else’s responsibility. When team members are forced to carry the load meant for others, morale tends to wane. Of course, there will always be times when the team is called to rally during a crisis or an approaching deadline. However, if an additional ask becomes commonplace, then the burden may quickly become unbearable.
One of the first signs of poor leadership is taxing good team members with picking up the slack for someone else’s poor performance rather than holding the individual responsible accountable to do the work and do it well. When this becomes the pattern, good people tend to leave the organization in droves. While it may be easier to ask someone else to make up the deficit, this shortsighted solution can lead to long-term negative consequences. If people do not act responsibly and are not willing to be held accountable to take ownership of the process and produce stellar results, then strong developmental conversations are required to maintain team integrity. If these conversations do not move the needle toward mature and responsible activity, then leadership needs to make changes in personnel.
Though the Row, Row, Row Your Boat chorus is familiar to many, most do not recall the last stanza. The last few lines are actually a bit of an oddity. After having expounded upon some of the many benefits of rowing and the virtues of those who do, the last verse concludes the childhood ditty with a conundrum. It says:
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Ha-ha, fooled you all.
I’m a submarine.
Occasionally, while trying to get teams to row together, you may discover that not everyone is on board. You may come to the realization that someone isn’t in the boat at all. If they have fallen overboard and are in peril, then do everything within your power to save them. But if they never got on your boat and you discover they’re actually in a submarine, that’s another situation altogether. If that is the case, by all means, do not allow them to torpedo your efforts. As a leader intent on preserving the safety and protecting the integrity of your team, you may be forced to take evasive action. And, if necessary, go to DEFCON and eliminate the threat before you see a bubble trail in the water.
››GAINING TRACTION: Questions for Consideration & Application