The Art of Balancing Team and Individual
Pack or Lone Wolf?
Picture the mindset required to forge a group of superstars into a team. Phil Jackson, the coach who delivered the record 11 NBA league championship victories did just this. He did this with not one but two separate teams: the Chicago Bulls (1989-1998) and Los Angeles Lakers (1999-2004). Some of the game’s all-time best players were on these teams.
How did he sum this mindset up? The following quote may help:
“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”
So clearly the answer is not all or nothing at either end of the spectrum, so how do we find the balance?
False simplification
I am a big fan of keeping things simple. In fact, I view being able to simplify a situation or message as a worthwhile assessment of someone’s performance in a domain.
There is a balance. Simple is not simplistic.
Not everything can be condensed down to one-word answers.
Take us as individuals for example. We all have a number of labels, of identities. That number is not one. We cannot be easily characterised by a single word or concept. We are more complex and definitely more dynamic than that.
We evolve. We grow. We change.
We also have days when our performance, perspective and choices vary.
We are complex beings. So are our teams. More so in fact as they’re made up of multiple complex beings.
So, it is simple in the face of varying complexity. No wonder our leadership needs coaching - this is an uncertain situation!
Action in the face of uncertainty
Complexity creates uncertainty. If we were able to embrace the full situation fully, we would not label it as complex. So, an implied parallel to complexity is uncertainty.
How to navigate that uncertainty? Are you ready for a nudge towards developing a superpower to gain perspective on this uncertainty and complexity?
The most important action to understand in the face of uncertainty is silence.
Well, it is listening, but you need to be silent to listen. Our beings cannot process broadcasting as well as receiving. Yup. no multi-tasking myth claims here. Do one thing and do it well (with all of your being).
When you listen, deeply listen, to the words and meaning of whatever you are hearing (or reading - let’s not be exclusive here) you will gain new insights. Something you will hear will trigger a cascade that will unlock your solution. In fact, if you are really good at listening, you will find that your team come up with the solution and all you have to do is observe and support.
Like a proud parent when their child takes their first steps. Yes, you are there, yes, you are encouraging and yes, they have to do it on their own.
As leaders then, our role becomes one of creating the space for solutions to flow. Being of service to the team. Creating the space may be facilitating a meeting, it may be blocking time in busy schedules, it may be authorising the fees for an off-site. Facilitating is an act of service.
Silence means accepting that it’s okay to not have all the answers all of the time. Because it is okay. In fact, it’s more than okay because listening to your team helps them feel heard.
Shutting up
So, the solution to managing complex situations is simple - we just need to shut up and get out of the way. The perspective we gain by doing so reveals more than just the solution. It reveals insights into team dynamics and the potential of individuals, the potential of the team.
Would you rather not know?
Back to the pack
So, where are we with the answer to the question posed at the start? Pack or lone wolf?
It is both, of course, and our job as leaders is to nuance that balance through the insights gained by listening.