Encore: When Bad Teams Happen to Great Leaders: Why Smart Executive Teams Underperform

1 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:07,200 SPEAKER_00: Hi, and welcome to Executive Land. 2 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:11,119 I'm Elizabeth Friedman, and this is where top leaders go off 3 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,880 script to share straight talk and the unwritten playbook about 4 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:16,239 life in the C-Suite. 5 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:20,239 For more ideas, visit East SuiteLeader.com. 6 00:00:20,399 --> 00:00:23,120 Now let's dive into today's episode. 7 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:24,960 Hi, everybody. 8 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:26,640 Welcome back to Executive Land. 9 00:00:26,719 --> 00:00:29,039 And today we're talking about one of my favorite chapters in 10 00:00:29,039 --> 00:00:32,479 the Unwritten Playbook, leadership teams. 11 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:36,240 You know, you cannot have a great organization without great 12 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:37,119 teams in it. 13 00:00:37,439 --> 00:00:41,520 Teams really are the backbone of great companies. 14 00:00:41,679 --> 00:00:45,439 And, you know, what I've learned after years of working with 15 00:00:45,439 --> 00:00:50,079 senior leaders and teams is that even very, very smart, talented, 16 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:54,479 capable leaders can easily become part of teams that are 17 00:00:54,479 --> 00:00:56,719 not nearly as good as they could be. 18 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:58,640 And why does this happen? 19 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:04,079 I mean, I think teams are really just very complex systems. 20 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:06,640 They're not simple things. 21 00:01:06,799 --> 00:01:12,000 And so being able to work well in a setting like that, it is 22 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,799 not something that they teach in executive school. 23 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:18,239 I just don't think most teams are really ever taught 24 00:01:18,239 --> 00:01:22,400 explicitly how to operate like a high-performing team. 25 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,040 And so let's talk about that today. 26 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,719 And what I want to share with you are the patterns that I have 27 00:01:28,719 --> 00:01:32,959 seen working with teams for really over a couple of decades. 28 00:01:33,519 --> 00:01:37,359 But, you know, something new that I'm seeing right now is 29 00:01:37,359 --> 00:01:42,799 that teams are really under extraordinary pressure in 2026. 30 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,359 I am finding the teams I'm working with, they are being 31 00:01:47,359 --> 00:01:50,959 asked to do some very, very big things inside their companies. 32 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:55,040 Things like driving a level of transformation that might take 33 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:56,719 out billions in cost. 34 00:01:57,519 --> 00:02:02,719 I'm seeing teams needing to launch some must-succeed 35 00:02:02,719 --> 00:02:06,719 offerings and new nascent areas, let's say related to aspects of 36 00:02:06,719 --> 00:02:07,359 AI. 37 00:02:07,599 --> 00:02:10,560 I'm seeing leaders have to restructure major parts of 38 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:14,960 organizations, really accelerate performance in the meantime 39 00:02:15,039 --> 00:02:17,280 while we've got a new leader and a new mandate. 40 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,319 And I mean, I could go on, and you're probably thinking, yeah, 41 00:02:20,479 --> 00:02:23,280 but like, isn't that the job, Elizabeth? 42 00:02:23,439 --> 00:02:25,599 Isn't that what senior leadership is? 43 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,919 And of course, yes, but that doesn't mean it's easy for 44 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:34,240 teams, because I do see that teams are working hard to do 45 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:38,479 these things in environments that just don't naturally create 46 00:02:38,479 --> 00:02:39,759 a lot of optimism. 47 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,599 So, for example, I'm seeing a lot of tension between teams and 48 00:02:43,599 --> 00:02:46,879 their corporate leadership, where teams are saying things 49 00:02:46,879 --> 00:02:50,159 like, hey, you keep changing the goals, you're adding priorities, 50 00:02:50,319 --> 00:02:53,840 we don't have the resources to actually achieve these things. 51 00:02:54,159 --> 00:02:57,919 Teams will talk about the matrix structures they're in, the level 52 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,039 of complexity that they add, and they'll say, you know, it's just 53 00:03:01,039 --> 00:03:04,479 impossible to get alignment and really get work done around 54 00:03:04,479 --> 00:03:04,800 here. 55 00:03:05,039 --> 00:03:08,639 And even within the teams themselves, you'll hear leaders 56 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:12,960 talk about how they also are not necessarily aligned or unified, 57 00:03:13,199 --> 00:03:16,159 how they don't feel like they have the real conversation often 58 00:03:16,159 --> 00:03:16,479 enough. 59 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:18,719 You know, nothing changes on the team. 60 00:03:18,879 --> 00:03:22,479 So it can feel rough for teams right now. 61 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:27,360 And listen, if that's not your reality, I'm happy for you. 62 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:28,800 I mean, that's a great thing. 63 00:03:28,879 --> 00:03:32,639 But, you know, just consider this might be the case for some 64 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:36,639 of the folks you work with, other teams that you may be 65 00:03:36,639 --> 00:03:40,000 interacting with, and maybe it is true for others on your team. 66 00:03:40,159 --> 00:03:44,000 And so I want you to just start with a couple of obvious places 67 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,719 to look if you're wondering about your own team. 68 00:03:52,639 --> 00:03:55,759 And the first place to begin, I always say, are your own 69 00:03:55,759 --> 00:03:57,439 leadership team meetings? 70 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:00,240 I, you know, if you want to understand a company, its 71 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:04,800 culture, just check out how teams have meetings. 72 00:04:05,039 --> 00:04:08,400 I'm talking about any kind of meeting, your weekly, 73 00:04:08,639 --> 00:04:12,080 touch-base, update meeting, the kinds of meetings where 74 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,280 strategies get developed, where decisions are supposed to 75 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:15,759 happen. 76 00:04:15,919 --> 00:04:20,240 You know, so again, you want to improve how a team leads or how 77 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:23,680 a team communicates, improve the meetings. 78 00:04:24,319 --> 00:04:28,879 So, what I've found is that even really good teams can fall into 79 00:04:28,879 --> 00:04:32,879 some pretty predictable traps when it comes to their meetings. 80 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:36,879 And when that happens, it's just so frustrating for teams. 81 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:41,600 Like the conversations never get to the right level of dialogue. 82 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:46,319 Teams leave without feeling like we have no clarity, we didn't 83 00:04:46,319 --> 00:04:47,199 make any decisions. 84 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:51,279 And so the result for everybody feels like a big waste of time. 85 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,560 And this is a common thing that I see. 86 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:58,879 So I'm not just talking about your once-a-year big type of, I 87 00:04:58,879 --> 00:05:00,800 don't know, leadership team off-site. 88 00:05:00,959 --> 00:05:04,480 I'm talking about the kinds of meetings that teams have 89 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:05,600 routinely. 90 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:09,439 And so no wonder I'm hearing about these kinds of 91 00:05:09,439 --> 00:05:10,480 frustrations. 92 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:14,800 And I have to tell you, I hear a lot about this from very senior 93 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:15,600 leaders. 94 00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:19,600 They'll tell me how they're involved in team meetings where 95 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:21,040 honestly they're virtual. 96 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:23,120 These meetings are not engaging. 97 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,399 Many leaders are multitasking, they're checking email, they're 98 00:05:26,399 --> 00:05:28,639 working on stuff, they're slacking their other team 99 00:05:28,639 --> 00:05:31,439 members, thinking, oh my God, like, can you believe what this 100 00:05:31,439 --> 00:05:32,319 person just said? 101 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:36,000 And you and I know none of that is the kind of, shall I say, 102 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,920 mature behavior we'd expect or want to see from a senior 103 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:40,399 leader. 104 00:05:40,639 --> 00:05:44,000 But bad meetings drive teams crazy. 105 00:05:44,319 --> 00:05:45,360 They really do. 106 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:51,279 And uh allow me to say, dear executive land listeners, not in 107 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,079 any world would I want to lead a meeting like that. 108 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:58,079 And certainly in the meetings I facilitate, those are not the 109 00:05:58,079 --> 00:06:00,800 kinds of experiences that certainly I create. 110 00:06:00,959 --> 00:06:02,480 But I want to tell you, right? 111 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:05,600 Any team can quickly elevate in this area. 112 00:06:05,759 --> 00:06:08,480 You can absolutely go from good to great, or I would say great 113 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:09,120 to amazing. 114 00:06:09,199 --> 00:06:10,720 It is possible. 115 00:06:10,959 --> 00:06:15,120 And so I want to share some ideas, whether you're on a team, 116 00:06:15,199 --> 00:06:18,959 you're leading a team that you can easily adopt. 117 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,240 And these are the kinds of things that make a big, big 118 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:25,839 difference in terms of the performance and really just the 119 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:28,399 engagement you're gonna see across a leadership team, 120 00:06:28,639 --> 00:06:30,639 starting with idea number one. 121 00:06:30,959 --> 00:06:34,879 Really want you to be careful about any kind of meeting that 122 00:06:34,879 --> 00:06:37,120 is about team building. 123 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:42,160 Now, I am not saying that team building is a negative thing and 124 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,600 the kinds of things we associate with team building meetings, you 125 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:47,839 know, growing trust, candor, they don't matter. 126 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:49,199 They matter deeply. 127 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:52,879 But the best teams do not get better by sitting around talking 128 00:06:52,879 --> 00:06:53,519 about trust. 129 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:58,079 They get better when they work on real things together in a 130 00:06:58,079 --> 00:07:00,959 structured, guided, safe way. 131 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,800 So instead of holding a meeting where maybe the goal is we're 132 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:09,519 going to improve trust, make the goal, we're going to actually 133 00:07:09,519 --> 00:07:12,959 work on a real business challenge, something 134 00:07:12,959 --> 00:07:17,759 substantive, real things that make a material difference in 135 00:07:17,759 --> 00:07:18,800 our business. 136 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:21,360 You know, we're going to work on things where we have to make 137 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:24,720 real decisions and real trade-offs because what happens 138 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:26,399 along the way when you do that? 139 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:29,199 Trust actually is built. 140 00:07:29,439 --> 00:07:33,120 That's where things like trust, candor, accountability can 141 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:33,600 improve. 142 00:07:33,759 --> 00:07:37,279 And it's not because you demanded it or you created some 143 00:07:37,279 --> 00:07:39,040 sort of contrived exercise around it. 144 00:07:39,199 --> 00:07:41,519 You actually built it through real work. 145 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:46,480 Second idea I want you to consider when it comes to the 146 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,839 way you and your team meet and interact is really think about 147 00:07:49,839 --> 00:07:54,000 your agenda in a strategic way because your agenda becomes 148 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,800 really a mirror for the performance of the business, 149 00:07:56,959 --> 00:07:57,920 meaning what? 150 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:02,800 You know, often agendas are copy and paste, right? 151 00:08:02,879 --> 00:08:07,120 We kind of repeat or recycle the same agenda or we overload our 152 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:08,160 meeting agendas. 153 00:08:08,319 --> 00:08:10,959 We say, well, we don't meet often enough, we've got a lot to 154 00:08:10,959 --> 00:08:14,800 do, but we all know you try to do too much in too little time, 155 00:08:14,959 --> 00:08:15,920 what happens? 156 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:20,319 We rush, we never get past a surface level of dialogue. 157 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:24,399 And so the rule is, right, if you want to kill productivity, 158 00:08:24,639 --> 00:08:26,560 just try to do too much in a meeting. 159 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:31,600 If you want strategic thinking and real outcomes, we have to 160 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:32,480 create some space. 161 00:08:32,639 --> 00:08:36,399 We have to let the ideas in the dialogue be productive and 162 00:08:36,399 --> 00:08:37,360 breathe. 163 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:42,240 So this is really fewer better in action. 164 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,159 Fewer better, less is more when it comes to that agenda. 165 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:47,840 But I want to say one thing. 166 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:54,080 Yes, less is more, but I caution you against what I call over 167 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:59,759 talking in the spirit of wanting to have a deeper conversation. 168 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:02,720 I have to tell you, if you're a team that's worked with me, you 169 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:06,480 know who you are, you know that at a certain point, chances are 170 00:09:06,639 --> 00:09:08,240 I'm going to interrupt you. 171 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:10,639 I will cut off the conversation. 172 00:09:10,879 --> 00:09:15,519 Now, I really try to be gracious about this, but you know, there 173 00:09:15,519 --> 00:09:18,480 are always people on a team who really want to keep discussing 174 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:21,840 an issue, even after we understand the problem, we've 175 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:24,799 aligned on a solution, we're done discussing. 176 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:29,200 And you know, on senior teams, this happens a lot because we 177 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:32,720 all want to say, and leaders want their voices heard. 178 00:09:32,799 --> 00:09:33,759 But you know what? 179 00:09:33,919 --> 00:09:39,120 Leaders also want to weigh in on and influence other people's 180 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:39,600 decisions. 181 00:09:39,759 --> 00:09:40,879 But you know what? 182 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,080 Sometimes on a team you don't get to weigh in. 183 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:48,000 Sometimes you have to trust the other people on your team to 184 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,960 make decisions that best serve the team, and you just got to 185 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:51,840 move on. 186 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:59,039 The third idea: great meetings require great preparation, but I 187 00:09:59,039 --> 00:10:02,720 see a lot of prep that we do for meetings is wasted. 188 00:10:03,519 --> 00:10:07,279 Now, I'm talking in particular about maybe your less frequent 189 00:10:07,279 --> 00:10:11,600 meetings where we spend a lot of time building pre-read materials 190 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:14,799 that may or may not get read by members of the team. 191 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:16,159 Maybe they'll skim them. 192 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,039 And it's not because people don't care, but you know, team, 193 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:20,799 team members are overloaded. 194 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:22,480 You are too, probably. 195 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:25,679 And you know what happens is we get a lot of information from 196 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:29,840 our colleagues, but people aren't clear about what is the 197 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:31,200 purpose of this pre-read. 198 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,720 How does the information in the preread connect to what we're 199 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:36,960 trying to accomplish in the meeting? 200 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:39,919 So, what actually matters here? 201 00:10:40,639 --> 00:10:43,759 And you know, because that doesn't happen, because we 202 00:10:43,759 --> 00:10:48,399 really don't absorb or retain those prereads, so many meetings 203 00:10:48,399 --> 00:10:50,080 start with are you ready? 204 00:10:50,399 --> 00:10:53,360 A retelling of the preread. 205 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:54,720 It's so ridiculous. 206 00:10:54,799 --> 00:10:57,279 I mean, we have to ask ourselves, why do we even bother 207 00:10:57,279 --> 00:11:00,080 with pre-reads at all if we're just going to review them again 208 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:01,440 in the meeting? 209 00:11:01,919 --> 00:11:05,840 So make that preparation purposeful. 210 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:09,200 I always like to say reward the right kind of activity in 211 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:12,159 advance of a meeting, not necessarily a lot of pre-read 212 00:11:12,399 --> 00:11:13,039 material. 213 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:18,960 One more aspect of how we prepare for a good meeting is we 214 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:22,399 collect the right type of information and data in advance. 215 00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:25,840 And when it comes to team performance, we have to collect 216 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:28,720 that kind of information because even good teams have blind 217 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:29,279 spots. 218 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:33,279 And the best teams always take time to evaluate their own 219 00:11:33,279 --> 00:11:33,840 performance. 220 00:11:33,919 --> 00:11:39,039 But the mistake that I often see, teams evaluate themselves 221 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:42,320 without that outside in perspective. 222 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:46,639 Because, you know, getting the team to think about, hey, what's 223 00:11:46,639 --> 00:11:47,840 our trust like on the team? 224 00:11:47,919 --> 00:11:49,120 How are we communicating? 225 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:50,480 How do we handle conflict? 226 00:11:50,639 --> 00:11:51,600 That's important. 227 00:11:51,759 --> 00:11:54,000 But honestly, I think we're missing the point. 228 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,519 The point is that if you're on a leadership team at a senior 229 00:11:57,519 --> 00:12:00,879 level, you exist to serve the company and create value for 230 00:12:00,879 --> 00:12:01,840 your company. 231 00:12:02,159 --> 00:12:04,559 I mean, that's the that's the reality. 232 00:12:04,639 --> 00:12:08,399 And so part of the pre-work has to be about assessing the degree 233 00:12:08,399 --> 00:12:12,000 to which the team is in fact creating and delivering that 234 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:12,639 value. 235 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,879 So when we look at collecting data on the team, it's not just 236 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,519 does this team believe they communicate well with each 237 00:12:19,519 --> 00:12:19,679 other? 238 00:12:19,919 --> 00:12:23,440 We have to look at is this team actually producing results? 239 00:12:23,759 --> 00:12:27,360 Did they achieve the commitments that they signed on to? 240 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:31,039 What does the CEO think about this team's performance? 241 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:33,279 What do stakeholders have to say? 242 00:12:33,679 --> 00:12:36,879 So if you're gonna meet and you're gonna evaluate your 243 00:12:36,879 --> 00:12:40,960 performance, your work in any way, assess that performance 244 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:43,600 through the lens of value, and then bring that data into the 245 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,720 meeting and of course share and discuss it together. 246 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:51,519 Idea number four, when we talk about meetings, and remember, 247 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:54,240 meetings are where we create teams. 248 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:58,639 We've got to be able to get to the right level of dialogue. 249 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:03,600 And that means, one of my pet peeves, is we cannot have 250 00:13:03,919 --> 00:13:06,559 reporting out and updating meetings. 251 00:13:06,799 --> 00:13:11,519 We've got to eliminate those or do our best to minimize 252 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:13,039 updating. 253 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:14,080 Why? 254 00:13:14,399 --> 00:13:17,039 It's just such low value. 255 00:13:17,519 --> 00:13:20,399 If all we're going to do in a meeting is update each other on 256 00:13:20,399 --> 00:13:22,559 what we're working on, we don't need a meeting. 257 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:24,000 Just email me. 258 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:24,720 Right? 259 00:13:24,879 --> 00:13:28,559 So that updating environment creates really a passive 260 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:29,519 culture. 261 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:33,759 It allows for you to have a team that has a lot of passengers 262 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:38,080 where we just spend time sort of engaging with each other, 263 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:42,559 talking about what we're working on, talking about activity, and 264 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:43,919 really that's not important. 265 00:13:44,399 --> 00:13:48,639 It's how that activity translates into performance, 266 00:13:48,879 --> 00:13:50,799 value, and results. 267 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:56,399 Senior teams are really there to debate, to discuss, to make 268 00:13:56,639 --> 00:13:57,600 decisions. 269 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:00,480 That's really what they're there to do. 270 00:14:00,879 --> 00:14:05,360 And then finally, when we talk about helping teams, we have to 271 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:09,519 not just create a great meeting, great agenda, strong dialogue, 272 00:14:09,759 --> 00:14:13,840 thoughtful, insightful pre-reads, but really we have to 273 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:16,399 think about what happens after that meeting too. 274 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,720 And so I want to suggest you think about your off-ramp. 275 00:14:21,039 --> 00:14:23,200 Create an off-ramp. 276 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:27,360 You know, one of the biggest reasons why I see teams struggle 277 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:31,759 with accountability and sustaining commitments is what 278 00:14:31,759 --> 00:14:32,399 happens? 279 00:14:32,559 --> 00:14:34,080 A team has a good meeting. 280 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,919 And then, you know, it's just back to work, real life hits. 281 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:41,200 And so we have these sort of abrupt transitions. 282 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:44,639 And so all of that good work, those decisions, those 283 00:14:44,639 --> 00:14:48,159 commitments that we made in the meeting might evaporate. 284 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:52,399 At a minimum, they're certainly difficult to sustain because 285 00:14:52,399 --> 00:14:56,639 there's no off-ramp or structure when it comes to implementation. 286 00:14:56,879 --> 00:14:59,679 And actually, we need to start to build that off-ramp, of 287 00:14:59,679 --> 00:15:01,600 course, while we're still in the room. 288 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:04,799 And I think this goes beyond just deciding, hey, what are the 289 00:15:04,799 --> 00:15:07,600 actions we're going to take after this meeting? 290 00:15:07,759 --> 00:15:08,720 That's fine. 291 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:11,360 But for instance, if you're going to create a strategic 292 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:14,320 plan, it's not just about agreeing to it or agreeing to a 293 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:15,360 set of activities. 294 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:19,840 I always like to say start pressure testing that plan when 295 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:20,639 you're in the room. 296 00:15:20,879 --> 00:15:24,480 Practice selling it, run a mock QA with each other, right? 297 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,360 Really kind of put each other in the hot seat. 298 00:15:27,519 --> 00:15:32,480 And yes, of course, build that simple, that practical 30, 60, 299 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:33,840 90-day plan. 300 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:38,559 Yes, with owners, with timing, with a measure, but also, right, 301 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:41,200 who are you going to have to communicate this plan with? 302 00:15:41,279 --> 00:15:44,720 You know, what does that kind of rollout or engagement look at? 303 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:49,360 All of these things are aspects of an off-ramp plan that you can 304 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:51,679 create so that you can sustain progress. 305 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:03,279 Now, look, we all know if you're on a great team, it makes a huge 306 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:07,440 difference, not just in the performance of a company, but in 307 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:09,279 your own career. 308 00:16:09,919 --> 00:16:13,919 It's really one of the biggest reasons that keep people in 309 00:16:13,919 --> 00:16:19,039 roles and that they say creates the most happiness for them at 310 00:16:19,039 --> 00:16:19,279 work. 311 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:21,200 It's those relationships. 312 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:28,159 And that's why companies simply can't leave team performance to 313 00:16:28,159 --> 00:16:28,639 chance. 314 00:16:28,799 --> 00:16:32,399 I mean, the do-it-yourself teams will figure it out approach, 315 00:16:32,639 --> 00:16:35,679 it's such a waste and it leaves money on the table. 316 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:39,200 And then, of course, organizations can be surprised 317 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:42,399 when not a lot changes when it comes to team performance. 318 00:16:43,519 --> 00:16:47,600 So I want to give you just a couple of other things to think 319 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:47,840 about. 320 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:52,000 When you think about simple things that you can do to make 321 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,919 your own experience on a team even better, first thing, and I 322 00:16:55,919 --> 00:16:58,480 want to go back to everything we've been saying, you've got to 323 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:02,000 evaluate your meetings, the meetings that you sit in and the 324 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:02,960 meetings that you're part of. 325 00:17:03,039 --> 00:17:05,920 And for those of you that are leading meetings routinely, 326 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:10,000 again, I just want to ask you, are they effective in the ways 327 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:11,039 we've been discussing? 328 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:14,960 If you work with me, you know I love the term car wash. 329 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:20,960 As in, give your meetings a car wash, clean them up, get rid of 330 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,119 the meetings where no one's showing up prepared or where 331 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:26,240 everybody's checked out in multitasking, change the format, 332 00:17:26,319 --> 00:17:29,680 create more accountability, leverage information, data 333 00:17:29,759 --> 00:17:30,799 pre-work differently. 334 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:34,160 So this leads to a more productive conversation and 335 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,319 ultimately better outcomes. 336 00:17:37,039 --> 00:17:40,079 The other thing I want to say is if you're on a high-performing 337 00:17:40,079 --> 00:17:43,839 team, you really have to think about the impact to the company. 338 00:17:44,079 --> 00:17:47,279 What is the enterprise impact that you're having? 339 00:17:47,519 --> 00:17:50,640 Many of you know I teach a course called E-Suite Impact, 340 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:53,839 and we spend a lot of time talking about this idea because 341 00:17:53,839 --> 00:17:57,920 it's easy to be on a team where you're generating ideas, you're 342 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:01,359 looking at activities that serve your team, your business unit, 343 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:04,319 but not necessarily the broader company. 344 00:18:04,799 --> 00:18:07,279 And, you know, this makes a lot of sense because teams are 345 00:18:07,279 --> 00:18:11,119 expected to produce results, you know, and so they have to really 346 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:13,599 be thoughtful about what are the things we're gonna do to achieve 347 00:18:13,599 --> 00:18:14,240 those results. 348 00:18:14,319 --> 00:18:18,880 But, you know, I've worked with the team, you know, who needed 349 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:23,680 his organization, a leader, to really come up with the types of 350 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:26,799 strategic imperatives that are gonna create enterprise value. 351 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,759 And so the leader asked the team to create this, and the team 352 00:18:29,759 --> 00:18:33,440 came back with a list, but a lot of these initiatives weren't 353 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:35,119 enterprise priorities. 354 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:37,119 So the leader asked a question. 355 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:40,160 He said, you know, what would the CEO say about where you're 356 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:42,960 focusing our time, our energy, and resources? 357 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:47,279 You know, if the CEO looked at this plan, would that CEO say, 358 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:50,319 yeah, this is this is exactly what we need right now? 359 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:53,359 Would they say, I can see how these actions are going to 360 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:54,240 create value for us? 361 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:58,079 Or would they say, why are you spending time on this? 362 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:04,960 Last point I want to make is that sometimes, and maybe you've 363 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:08,400 been there, you're on a team, and the team is struggling. 364 00:19:09,039 --> 00:19:13,759 And it's not because necessarily the team is weak, but maybe the 365 00:19:13,759 --> 00:19:14,960 conditions are weak. 366 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:17,920 And by that I mean the leader of the team. 367 00:19:19,279 --> 00:19:23,119 The biggest factor, you know, connected to the performance of 368 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:24,640 the team is the leader of the team. 369 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:28,880 And sometimes you might have a leader who is indecisive, who 370 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:30,960 may not be experienced at this level. 371 00:19:31,599 --> 00:19:35,839 Maybe this team is bringing in some legacy behaviors that don't 372 00:19:35,839 --> 00:19:36,720 work on the team. 373 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:40,400 Maybe they're not assimilating well, they're not respected by 374 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:41,039 the team. 375 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,759 But you know, you might have one or two members of the team who 376 00:19:45,759 --> 00:19:47,359 have been around forever. 377 00:19:47,759 --> 00:19:50,960 They've been in the same role for ages, and maybe they resist 378 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:52,000 new ideas. 379 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:56,160 They're not including maybe new ways of thinking. 380 00:19:56,319 --> 00:19:59,440 And so all to say no team is perfect. 381 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,440 As I said before, teams have blind spots, and so the best 382 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,240 teams always take time to take a step back. 383 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:10,640 They get input so they can take an objective look at their own 384 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,599 performance and really have the courageous conversations. 385 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:16,880 And so, if you're on a team, I gotta tell you, this is just so 386 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:20,640 important because the organization is only as strong 387 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:22,079 as the team that's leading it. 388 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:24,640 And so I want to encourage you to make sure that you're 389 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:28,319 regularly taking a step back, whether you're a member of a 390 00:20:28,319 --> 00:20:32,960 team or you're leading a team, and really listen to that 391 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:33,680 feedback. 392 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:38,559 Be willing to hear it and make changes to improve your 393 00:20:38,559 --> 00:20:40,400 performance and your leadership. 394 00:20:41,519 --> 00:20:44,319 Because, you know, I have to tell you, the best leaders I've 395 00:20:44,319 --> 00:20:46,640 worked with, they really do have the best teams. 396 00:20:46,799 --> 00:20:49,759 It just does not happen by accident, though. 397 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:52,640 Great teams don't just happen on their own. 398 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:55,680 I find the leaders that are leading them, they're not 399 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:56,160 waiting. 400 00:20:56,559 --> 00:20:58,400 They're not waiting for the right time. 401 00:20:58,559 --> 00:21:03,279 They really build a great team and they build it often before 402 00:21:03,279 --> 00:21:04,240 they even need it. 403 00:21:05,039 --> 00:21:08,319 So I want to encourage you to really improve your team 404 00:21:08,319 --> 00:21:10,160 experience in 2026. 405 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:12,480 Support the team you have. 406 00:21:13,039 --> 00:21:18,960 And by the way, get a team that's gonna support you too, 407 00:21:19,519 --> 00:21:23,119 not just inside your organization, but a strong 408 00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:27,680 external team, a team of people that care about your success, 409 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:31,440 mentors, coaches, advisors. 410 00:21:32,079 --> 00:21:36,000 And if I can support your success and be a member of your 411 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:38,480 team, I'd love to do it. 412 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:44,480 And so with that, I want to encourage you to go visit me 413 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:47,359 online, see how I work with leaders and teams. 414 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:51,200 And if you're at a senior level, you're stepping into the C suite 415 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:56,160 soon, and you want to test your own readiness for what 2026 is 416 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:57,200 going to demand of you. 417 00:21:57,440 --> 00:21:59,759 I want to encourage you to take my C suite readiness. 418 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:00,880 Assessment. 419 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:05,119 It's quick, it's practical, and it's going to give you a lot of 420 00:22:05,119 --> 00:22:09,279 clarity right now on where you're strong, maybe where you 421 00:22:09,279 --> 00:22:12,480 have some opportunities to improve and what to focus on 422 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:16,480 next to increase your own performance over your team and 423 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:17,680 over your own impact. 424 00:22:17,839 --> 00:22:20,160 You'll find it linked in the show notes. 425 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:21,599 Thanks for listening, everyone. 426 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:24,160 I'll see you next time in Executive Land. 427 00:22:25,519 --> 00:22:27,839 Well, that's all for today in Executive Land. 428 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:28,799 Thanks for listening. 429 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:31,440 And if you're looking for more, check out my website, 430 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:35,680 esweetleader.com, where you'll see all kinds of free resources 431 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:38,960 and take the free executive readiness assessment. 432 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:42,000 It shows you exactly where you're strong and where to focus 433 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:43,680 next in your own leadership. 434 00:22:43,839 --> 00:22:47,920 And don't forget, subscribe to this podcast so you never miss 435 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:48,640 an episode. 436 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,200 I'll see you next time in Executive Land.