The Leader's Journey: Phase 2
October 2008

The Leader's Journey

Phase 2: Your Core Team

Once you have discovered the passion, purpose, and wisdom in your own heart (Phase 1), you realize your vision is so big that you can not do it alone.  People start asking to help out.  You begin to look for the best and the brightest.  There are a lot of wonderful people out there, so it can get confusing.  How do you determine who is really ready, willing, and able to take the journey with you?  The second huge learning curve of a great leader is the ability to attract the perfect group of core team members who will contribute to and surrender to the vision in your heart.  These people may be your direct reports, but often they include colleagues inside and outside of your organization that are also critical to your success.

Creating your core team is both an art and a science.  If you buy into the LionHeart model, you are looking for four key qualities in the people you surround yourself with:

· Integrity - the best people care for themselves sufficiently so that they can fulfill their responsibilities and commitments to others

· Honesty - they also respectfully tell the truth, even when it's uncomfortable or risky

· Openness - they are happy to consider new ideas and respond to corrective feedback with "thank you" as opposed to defensiveness

· Wisdom - they are able to put aside their own point of view and ego limitations in favor of what is best for everyone

In order to assess your compatibility with new or long term core team members, you will ultimately ask yourself tough questions and tell yourself the truth.  Then you trust your heart and take decisive action or settle for a compromise.  Either way, you take a risk, and either way you live with the consequences.  Your best decisions will come after assessing people in action over time.  The following questions will help you do that.  Rate someone you are uncertain about on a 1 - 5 scale (very disappointing to very excellent) on each relevant question.

1. Does this person have the technical expertise to perform their assigned responsibilities and produce the results necessary for sustainable success?

2. Is the person actively advancing their technical expertise to improve performance?

3. Does the person have strong accountability skills with you, peers, and direct reports?

4. Does this person really "get" your purpose and mission and pursue it with total commitment?

5. Does this person inspire you to focus on your values and the contribution you want to make in the world?

6. Does the person respectfully challenge you to live up to your values and best expression of leadership?

7. Can the two of you effectively work out misunderstandings and your different points of view regarding your direction and the big decisions you make?

8. Is the person willing and able to effectively coach you to develop your strategy, improve your leadership performance, and address your blind-spots?

9. Is the person open to receiving coaching from you to improve performance and address his/her blind-spots?

10. Once a full dialogue and coaching has occurred in both directions, is the person able to set aside his/her opinion and support your decision whether they agree with it or not?

11. Is the person willing to step into the role of leadership with you present when his/her expertise or knowledge warrants taking that role?

12. Does the person have sufficient loyalty to you and your purpose to weather the difficulties you foresee in reaching your goals?

13. Does the person have sufficient strength of character to leave your company and maintain a positive working relationship with you if irreconcilable differences develop?

14. Do you love working with this person?

Once you have answered these questions honestly, you will know if you have someone you want to invest yourself in or not.  If your assessment is "needs improvement" as opposed to an obvious "yes" or "no" then you both have work to do.  Your work involves improving your leadership and becoming a coach.  The #1 way to destroy a team's morale is to leave mediocre or poor performance unaddressed.  So we invite you to take the second journey of leadership by assessing, coaching, and if necessary replacing someone who is not a perfect fit.  And remember two things:

· The question is not whether or not your team member is a good person.  The question is whether they are a great match for you and where you are going.  There are many great and talented people who are not really a perfect match.

· Your success in this endeavor will depend upon how far you have progressed with the first journey of leadership: developing your heart. If you can trust what you know to be the high road and progress along it with courage and compassion, you will discover that the truth is good for everyone.

Let us know if you would like support in transforming your organization through inspired leadership - and please pass this newsletter along to anyone who will appreciate a fresh perspective on their long standing challenges.