You know why most senior leadership teams have such a hard time finding success operating as an actual team?
My observation is that being part of a winning team is actually harder than winning on your own. Winning on your own requires immense talent in your craft. Winning on a team requires that same talent, plus the ability to be an incredible teammate, which is it’s own skill.
In my experience as a leader and in coaching teams, the practice of setting your teammates up for success feels just as (if not more) kick ass than being recognized for your own accomplishments.
Yesterday, I was leading an offsite retreat for a c-suite team and were talking about what it takes to be a great team. And one of my favorite methods to utilize to for killer teamsmanship is improv.
Outside of being in the trenches of war, there are few places where one person would rely on another like an improv stage. We are putting our (psychological) lives in the hands of our fellows and trusting them inherently to take good care of us and provide us with what we need. If they don’t, we are left in the lurch of public embarrassment.
So what do we do? Well, I’ve had the luck of being trained by some of the worlds best improvisors and one of my favorite take-aways is this: Make your partner look like a rockstar!
Stop trying to be clever or get a laugh, and focus wholly on making sure that your partner on stage comes off smelling like a rose!
The same is true with your c-suite teammates. If we approach our time together with that simple premise of: how can I make my teammates look like rockstars, then you will make magic happen. Not only does it relieve the crushing weight of self-centeredness, but your mind and heart will start to operate with a lightness of being that is visible to everyone in the room. You will move from straining to being in flow because you’re no longer obsessed with how you’re being perceived, you’re just focused on being of service to others.
“Well how will my needs be met?” I know, this is a common fear. If we spend our time and energy helping others, how will we possibly get what we need? And here’s where you can either trust me, or go experiment for yourself and see if this works or not.
I believe there is a spiritual or universal law that says when we try to set others up for success, we end up getting the benefit of what we’re trying to give them. There’s an old saying in the 12-step world: You can only keep what you have by giving it away. Meaning, we can only maintain our sobriety if we are actively working to be of service to others.
The more you do for others, the more you will be rewarded. Not to mention the reputation you will build for yourself in the office as someone who genuinely wants the best for their teammates. Being on a high functioning team requires trust and vulnerability. I think it’s fair to say we’re all a lot more trusting of someone if they have gone out of their way to make us look good in one way or another.
Yesterday at the offsite retreat, when I mentioned this little nugget of wisdom from the improv world, I noticed every head in the room shaking up and down. Every pen in the room went down to write down those words: Your Main Job Is To Make Your Teammate Look Like a Rockstar.