We are inspired by watching members of our community week in and week out work extremely hard and accomplish things that are many times against the odds. This post was inspired by you and is a quick reflection on come of the characteristics we see time and again our some of the highest performing leaders, advisors and teams.
It’s easy to get skeptical these days around the topic of leadership. We see so many lousy examples from the field of politics to sports to business. It doesn’t help that the media loves to amplify the negative.
One of the common denominators we see in all high performing teams is that the leaders and participants are ALL IN. What exactly does this look like and not look like? Here are some highlights to inspire you and your teams to level up where possible.
1. The team is working for something bigger than themselves. There is a mission and it overshadows all individual accomplishment. It’s a cliche, but it really is a “we” effort and not a “me” effort. If members arent bought into the mission, they need to adjust or step out. You cannot win without everyone being all in. This includes effort. It includes reputation. Teams that leave something in reserve are not likely going to be the winners at the end of the race.
2. There is a sense of daily improvement. As John Maxwell likes to say: “The notion that wisdom comes with age is nonsense. Wisdom comes with reflection.” In other words, we are self-aware enough to recognize our shortcomings and work to improve…individually and as a team. The more intentional there is around this improvement loop, the more likely there is forward progress.
3. The vision compels you to greatness. This often gets reversed, but your individual or collective greatness does not precede the vision. Parallel to this is the reality that high performing teams are not ok with average. They strive to be above average at every turn. The late George Steinbrenner, owner of the NY Yankees used to talk about the idea that his teams were winners because every department was competing against the similar departments of the other teams. Winning was not just about having the best 9 players on the field. The legal team, the scouting team and the janitorial team each had to be the best. In the aggregate, they were winners. It was a winning mind-set and philosophy.
4. Get er Done – There may be a cultural sense over the last decade that appears to favor “lifestyle” and “balance”, but these are not antithetical to getting crap done. High performing teams set deadlines and hit them more often than not. No excuses. Where do the teams you are part of measure in these areas? The goal is not to introduce criticism. The goal is to inspire improvement. No team, like no person, is perfect. The highest performing teams in our community are intentional about self criticism and constant learning/improvement. We also know most all of you score high in most or all of these areas because we see so many examples of leadership and success amongst you.
Speaking of winners, not everyone gets a trophy in real life. The same is true in our community. It’s time to get your Best of 2022 startup nominations in. We have several categories: Digital Health, Diagnostics, Cardiology, Orthopedics and Oncology. Nominate your own company, or a company you Advise HERE.
It’s easy to get skeptical these days around the topic of leadership. We see so many lousy examples from the field of politics to sports to business. It doesn’t help that the media loves to amplify the negative.
One of the common denominators we see in all high performing teams is that the leaders and participants are ALL IN. What exactly does this look like and not look like? Here are some highlights to inspire you and your teams to level up where possible.
1. The team is working for something bigger than themselves. There is a mission and it overshadows all individual accomplishment. It’s a cliche, but it really is a “we” effort and not a “me” effort. If members arent bought into the mission, they need to adjust or step out. You cannot win without everyone being all in. This includes effort. It includes reputation. Teams that leave something in reserve are not likely going to be the winners at the end of the race.
2. There is a sense of daily improvement. As John Maxwell likes to say: “The notion that wisdom comes with age is nonsense. Wisdom comes with reflection.” In other words, we are self-aware enough to recognize our shortcomings and work to improve…individually and as a team. The more intentional there is around this improvement loop, the more likely there is forward progress.
3. The vision compels you to greatness. This often gets reversed, but your individual or collective greatness does not precede the vision. Parallel to this is the reality that high performing teams are not ok with average. They strive to be above average at every turn. The late George Steinbrenner, owner of the NY Yankees used to talk about the idea that his teams were winners because every department was competing against the similar departments of the other teams. Winning was not just about having the best 9 players on the field. The legal team, the scouting team and the janitorial team each had to be the best. In the aggregate, they were winners. It was a winning mind-set and philosophy.
4. Get er Done – There may be a cultural sense over the last decade that appears to favor “lifestyle” and “balance”, but these are not antithetical to getting crap done. High performing teams set deadlines and hit them more often than not. No excuses. Where do the teams you are part of measure in these areas? The goal is not to introduce criticism. The goal is to inspire improvement. No team, like no person, is perfect. The highest performing teams in our community are intentional about self criticism and constant learning/improvement. We also know most all of you score high in most or all of these areas because we see so many examples of leadership and success amongst you.
Speaking of winners, not everyone gets a trophy in real life. The same is true in our community. It’s time to get your Best of 2022 startup nominations in. We have several categories: Digital Health, Diagnostics, Cardiology, Orthopedics and Oncology. Nominate your own company, or a company you Advise HERE.
