In a previous blog post, I discussed the idea of focusing on team identity rather than worrying about the difficult issue of culture. The efficacy of this approach is based on Social Identity Theory, which basically suggests that when I consider myself part of a group, I begin to think and act like a group […]
Most management theorists and leadership experts agree that high performing teams are built around a compelling and engaging mission (sometimes called a vision or purpose). This mission is the core purpose for the existence of the team and dictates the team’s methods and goals. As Jim Collins suggested, “ provides guidance about what core […]
Building a culture is complex, but this simple approach is so much more powerful and accessible for team leaders
For many companies, developing a high-performance culture is both a quest and a challenge. There are many books and articles about both the importance and process of how executives deliberately creating culture. But what about individual teams? […]
In one of my leadership workshops, I begin by conducting a simple exercise where participants are asked to gather in small groups and come up with the definition of a team. It sounds simple, and the groups inevitably come up with very similar definitions. It goes something like this, “A group of individuals working together […]
We polled almost 50 CTO’s and VPs of Engineering, at prominent software companies, about their attitudes and plans regarding technical leadership in their organizations. What we found was both interesting and troubling.
Trust is an interesting thing. We all know what it is, and we know when we have it (and when we don’t), but if I ask you to actually define it, things get a bit more tricky. Furthermore if I ask you why you don’t trust someone, you might be able to pinpoint to a […]
