Lead a Fertile Ground for Failure & Conflict
"Do we stop production on the latest product that will save this company?"
Have you ever been faced with the opportunity of a lifetime to build a product and see it meet customer needs so well AND transform your company's future? It's thrilling! What if that same product that's about to launch and change the world has a fatal quality issue or even one that while not terrible will hurt your organization's brand?
All of us are challenged regularly with the thought, "What if my team knows something I need to know?"
The solution to this dilemma comes through the culture you establish.
In his documentary of the rebound of Ford Motor Company circa 2006, journalist Bryce Hoffman documents the extraordinary leadership of Alan Mulally. In it, he documents how Mr. Mulally made transparency and a fertile ground for failure allow for critical discussions to take place. I highly recommend Mr. Hoffman's, "American Icon" as a real life story on building culture.
What does it take to have the foundation to lead past a failure?
It does not start with culture. It begins within the leader's Personal Foundation.
A Personal Foundation is developed so that you have a balance that gives you the courage to invite healthy conflict and have a healthy sense of accomplishment even when failure looms. This might seem counterintuitive especially if you are an amiable leader who often seeks harmony.
A Personal Foundation is found in having these three things:
- Physical & Emotional Health
- Sources for Wisdom & Input
- Margin in Time and Calendar Leadership
In short, your personal health (low fear/anxiety + physical strength), input sources, and availability are the three starting points.
You know that when your stress is high, options seemingly go away. When your energy is low, so is will-power. Then if we have decreased our willingness to seek inputs of others we lose the opportunity of other perspectives. Finally, when we believe we have "little time to give" or we are "just too busy" we lock ourselves in a self-fulfilling prophecy.
A Personal Foundation, like a stage allows for an 'act' to be everything it can be. Any good 'act' also has drama. Leaders allow and encourage strong disagreement that never gets personal. Leaders will set the stage with which others around them can disagree openly, display their personal or organizational flaws and have no risk of penalty. The end result - a confident and resolute team that believes in the future.
However all of this must start with our own Personal Foundation. If we are not high in hope, full of energy, seeking input of others, and available our teams cannot be transparent.
The more hope we breed, the stronger the cultures we lead.