A former New York Yankees coach shares seven lessons on how to develop champion teams from stories and insights gleaned from some of the world’s top performers in sports, life, and business.

01  YOU GET WHAT YOU TOLERATE

How often do you find yourself adapting as a leader? I’m guessing frequently. Instead of adapting, why not create a set of standards that all company team members help develop, create, maintain, and enforce? Instead of going nuts as a leader and worrying about who’s not doing what, you can build a culture of full accountability. Your people, working alongside you, can help create the game rules and help enforce them.

02  CONNECT TEAM SUCCESS AND INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS

A company needs to win, but so do its people. It has to go beyond the paycheck. In today’s mindset of “What’s in it for me?” realize that you can get more from each team member by connecting their goals to team and company goals. As a leader, you must demonstrate to team members that they can achieve higher levels of success when both company and team win. Have a closed-door strategy session and ask team members two questions: “What does winning mean to you?” How can I help you win?” The trick is this: As the leader, you now have to help them win.

03 LEAD LIKE A COACH, NOT LIKE A BOSS

What is the most significant difference between a coach and a boss? A coach is a teacher, motivator, encourager, and inspirer. A coach makes sure the fundamentals are being focused on and practiced daily. A coach knows the fundamentals of the game and knows that perfect execution is what leads to winning. A great coach also knows when to push, and, most importantly, when to call timeout and have a heart-to-heart with players.

A boss is frequently just an enforcer who works in isolation with a hyper-focus on quarter-over-quarter growth and securing the next big deal. Yet, there are good bosses and bad bosses. The reality is, most people understand the idea of a “good boss” by what they give — time off, extra pay, pizza on Fridays — but not usually from challenging team members on what they could become. Be a coach; bring out the best in your people.

04 DO NOT LET YOUR TEAM QUIT ON YOU

When things aren’t going well, it’s easy to blame others and point a finger. It’s even easier to quit. If opportunity doesn’t present itself fast enough in your company, its another reason for employees to move on to something better. With much variety in the marketplace today, many team members keep their eyes peeled for what’s next. Their desire to grow is high, so make sure that you, as the leader, take advantage of that desire.

Instead of external staffing companies baiting your team with new opportunities, make sure that you’re encouraging them to find their next, new role in-house. Create and nurture a culture of internal advancement. When somebody advances from within, make it known to everyone. Use this as a reminder that when they’re on your team, their future is with you.

05 BE ADAPTABLE, OPEN, AND WILLING TO IMPROVE

Things are always changing, and your team must be adaptable, open, and willing to improve. Leaders must be flexible, accessible, and willing to improve. One way to do this is by bringing in outside speakers, coaches, and development experts to help your people grow. Work the entire skillset of your staff over the period of a year. Focus on their mental wellness and readiness, build their confidence through training, and improve team connectivity by exposing them to team building techniques and experiences that move them into new ways of thinking, behaving, and interacting. This takes a courageous and vulnerable leader, who is comfortable repurposing a few hours of deal-making each month toward team development. A real leader understands the importance of investing in human capital and playing the long game.

06 HIRE A TEAM THAT CAN KEEP UP WITH YOUR PACE

Do you often get frustrated that your people don’t work fast enough? Well, those who cannot keep up get frustrated with your demands, too. Many leaders make a crucial mistake when it comes to hiring. That mistake is hiring people who cannot or will not work at their pace. Some people prefer to go slower in low-pressure environments. That’s how some people do great work. Others love the pressure and enjoy moving quickly. Building the right team goes way beyond a shining resume and a great interview. Ask about the candidate’s preferred pace of work — to make sure they can keep up with you.

07 TALK ABOUT WINNING, BE ABOUT WINNING

It is OK to talk about winning in the workplace. Be excited about it. Let your team know it’s the reason they work at your company. They are here to be the best. They are here to win. They are here to dominate your category of business. It’s great to be humble in how you go about your business, but it’s equally essential to portray pride and confidence in your company’s vision and purpose. Demand excellence. Stay ahead of the competition by focusing on the details of your process and the importance of your purpose. Be a team that stands for and embodies winning. Over time, that culture of winning will help attract top talent, more sales, and the attention of your competition — making you the talk of your industry.

We’ve been taught to compete in business and life since we were young. But could a collaborative approach yield better results?

I attended a public school in Southern Rhode Island through 6th grade. We were taught that there was only one answer and only one way to solve a problem. We were told the answers lay in the back of our books, but we weren’t allowed to look or copy from others — that was cheating. Our desks were in tight rows, a few feet apart, yet we had to keep our eyes strictly on our papers only.

In 7th grade, I transitioned to a new school that was more liberal, an extension of Brown University. There, I experienced the opposite — we worked collectively in pods. By putting our heads together, we attacked challenges with greater intellectual firepower. Diversity of thought yielded more perspectives and helped eliminate critical blind spots. It unearthed different solutions and ultimately produced a better outcome and learning experience. We were collaborating.

Now, as the CEO of a major international real estate company, I see how invaluable that experience was. I consider it an important business lesson, on par with academic math and science. Collaboration in business can certainly give you a competitive advantage.

As New York Times bestselling author Sir Ken Robinson said, “Collaboration is the ‘stuff’ of growth.” We implicitly understand the creative benefits associated with collaboration. Partnering and collaborating are often discussed in separate contexts, but they can create a catalyzing effect of unequaled proportion when coupled together in a business strategy. Millennials demand and expect sharing, peering, and collaborating in today’s socially engaged world. In addition, utilizing the power of incentives to drive competition and better results has been adopted by almost every sector on the planet. “None of us is as smart as all of us,” American motivational speaker Ken Blanchard is fond of saying. It drives better business outcomes for clients, and in a non-collaborative environment, operating with a strong collaborative point of differentiation provides a competitive sales advantage. In my world, the commercial real estate market, there’s a move toward redefining what it means to be a commercial real estate advisor. Brokers and brokerage firms can no longer survive alone by being a middleman. They must evolve. They must pull the future forward. The broker of tomorrow is not a salesman for a manufacturer but an advisor for the client.

There is more value in collaboration than competition. Growth and development will follow when unique perspectives, philosophical differences, and dissenting views are seen as opportunities instead of setbacks. Positional gaps are closed by listening to all sides, finding common ground, and letting the principle of doing the right thing guide the process. 

Competition is not inherently bad, but competition that holds us back from achieving our greatest potential by being inherently divisive is bad. The latter is the stuff of a zero-sum game and is prevalent in commercial real estate brokerage. There can only be one winner. 

Collaboration, on the other hand, is about progressing as a whole. There’s no winner unless the entire group crosses the finish line together. Business models that embrace collaboration and cooperation are uniquely positioned to take market share in this era of change as client behaviors and expectations evolve.  The collaborative mindset and exponential growth concept is an idea shared by many in my Real Leaders Collaborative group too. There are seven of us, all value-aligned business leaders, who meet each month via Zoom. In this confidential environment, each member draws from the experience and relationships of their peers to power their exponential growth strategies. It’s collaboration on steroids.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance of coming together in times of crisis. Since March 2020, leaders have been asking themselves: What can we do in times like these? The answer, I believe, is to come together and share our collective struggles so that we can begin to move forward, stronger, together.  In a way, the pandemic forced us all to collaborate in new and inventive ways. Many of us had no choice but to evolve, find new ways of communicating and work together instead of apart. History has shown us that during a crisis, people often come together. The last two years serve as a poignant reminder that challenging times have a way of driving humanity forward — of placing trust, cooperation, and collective strength ahead of competition and conflict.

If we as leaders are to lead the world toward a more prosperous future, we must work together and with each other — including our clients, our colleagues, and our communities — toward a shared future.

Kevin Maggiacomo is a member of the Real Leaders Collaborative, a peer-to-peer group model designed to provide time-starved, purpose-driven CEOs with a high level of support from peers. old.real-leaders.com/Become-a-Member

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A tall, thin man in his late fifties approached me after my closing keynote for a manufacturing association conference on how manufacturing leaders can avoid business disasters. He looked distraught and agitated. I hoped he wasn’t angry with something I said. 

Mark introduced himself and asked me to tell him more about one of the many dangerous judgment errors – what scholars call cognitive biases – that I discussed, the MUM effect. This cognitive bias causes those lower down in the organizational hierarchy to avoid passing bad news up the food chain due to fears of the “shoot the messenger” problem, namely that they’ll be blamed for the bad news. According to research in cognitive neuroscience and behavioral economics, such mental blindspots stem from how our brains are wired.

Fortunately, recent research in these fields shows how you can use pragmatic strategies to address these dangerous judgment errors, whether in your professional life, relationships, or other life areas. 

You need to evaluate where cognitive biases are hurting you and others in your team and organization. Then, you can use structured decision-making methods to make “good enough” daily decisions quickly; more thorough ones for moderately important choices; and an in-depth one for truly major decisions.

Such techniques will also help you implement your decisions well and formulate truly effective long-term strategic plans. In addition, you can develop mental habits and skills to notice cognitive biases and prevent yourself from slipping into them.

Turning back to my exchange with Mark, I started giving some examples from my consulting and coaching experience of how the MUM effect tripped up successful companies and leaders. He grew increasingly and visibly agitated. Finally, he interrupted me and told me his story. 

He served as the CEO of a successful manufacturing company for over 12 years. Hit hard by the 2008 Great Recession; the company struggled for the next couple of years. Still, he believed his leadership was bringing it through the rough patch. 

Unexpectedly, the Chair of the Board of Directors called him in for a meeting in March 2010 and asked him to explain accounting discrepancies he heard about. Mark had no idea what the Chair was talking about and told him that. The Chair said that the Board received several anonymous whistleblowing complaints about accounting issues that cropped up over the last year.

Upset and surprised, Mark promised to look into it. The Chair asked him to coordinate on the matter with two members of the Board who had accounting expertise. 

What Mark and the other Board members found shocked them. The CFO and others in the accounting department were covering up much more severe losses than Mark knew about, using the same kind of tricks deployed by Enron and WorldCom. Naturally, Mark fired the CFO and other accountants implicated in cooking the books. 

Yet further investigation revealed that such accounting problems weren’t limited to the Great Recession, with smaller shenanigans occurring even earlier. Moreover, the issues didn’t stay in the accounting department. The organization’s culture prevented bad news from going up the organizational hierarchy, whether in the accounting department, customer service, or operations. As a result, safety problems in operations were swept under the rug, and customer service failures went unreported. 

The Board of Directors took a more active hand in investigating the situation. The result? The problem was Mark. 

The values of the CEO powerfully shape company culture. Mark – without realizing he was doing it – encouraged complacent behaviors, rewarding those who reported good news and punishing the bad. Unfortunately, too many business leaders share that trait, often without recognizing it.

Over his tenure, he grew more and more cut off from day-to-day operations. The people who surrounded him – those he rewarded with favor and promotions – were sycophants. 

 Hey, who doesn’t like people who praise them, right? But, unfortunately, surrounding himself with such people kept him from recognizing reality. The organization’s performance suffered as a result, with good people who reported the truth leaving and the company failing to adjust to shifting market conditions. 

The Board ended up firing Mark. He’s a typical example of many CEOs who found themselves in a similar position. A four-year study, which interviewed 1,087 board members from 286 organizations of all sorts that forced out their chief executive officers, found that almost one-quarter of CEOs – 23% – got fired for failing to recognize negative facts about the organization’s performance. Economic downswings often reveal such denialism and result in the removal of top leaders. 

Mark’s firing put him in a grim state of mind. He had trouble acknowledging his failure. Mark couldn’t face it at first, suffering a depressive episode. He slept for most of the day, didn’t want to eat, stopped spending time with friends, and snapped at his wife and kids. He lost over 40 pounds in five months. Finally, his family staged an intervention and pushed him to see a psychiatrist. He started taking medications and getting back on track with his life, including his career.

Mark went to the conference both to tap his network to find a new job and to see if he could learn how to prevent what happened to him from repeating. My keynote struck him hard, opening a wound that was still fresh. 

He grew tearful as he shared how he regretted not learning about the dangers of cognitive biases earlier in his career. He felt confident that what happened with the manufacturing company wouldn’t have occurred if he had known to watch out for such problems. Mark thanked me for opening his eyes about these dangers and committed to understanding how cognitive biases functioned in business contexts to make sure that he never suffered from these mental blindspots in his work. 

Within the following year, he found a new role as the COO of a manufacturing company somewhat smaller than the previous one he ran. Within a couple of years, he became CEO again, and at the time of publishing this article, he was still working there successfully. He made sure to spread knowledge about cognitive biases throughout the company. We still exchange emails sometimes when he has specific questions about them. 

Mark’s story stuck with me. Whenever I have a tough time dealing with disappointments and setbacks to help business leaders avoid the dangerous judgment errors that lead to business disasters, I remember Mark. He helps remind me of how high-flying careers and good companies get tripped up by people doing what’s comfortable and following their gut instead of suffering the temporary discomfort that can arise while making sound choices that will avoid business disasters and truly protect the bottom line. 

I hope you’ll recall Mark when you are tempted to do what’s easy and comfortable. I also hope you’ll look at your own professional activities right now and think about where and how dangerous judgment errors might be tripping you and your team up. Doing so is critical for the long-term success of your career.

As one of the first female F-14 Tomcat fighter pilots in the U.S. Navy, Carey Lohrenz has learned that understanding what is — and isn’t — within your span of control can help keep stress and anxiety at bay as you overcome obstacles and achieve your goals.

Time spent in the cockpit of an F-14 is a grueling experience — the pressure mounts as you prepare to land on what feels like a bobbing 300-foot-long postage stamp — in the disorienting darkness. The weight of your mission, the awareness of what’s at stake, and countless external factors compound by the millisecond. No matter how many times you’ve nailed it before, landing on an aircraft carrier can be life-or-death dangerous.

The recent pandemic and economic fallout further compound the pressure and uncertainty you face as a business owner. You want to ensure everyone in your organization is supported, whether they are battling physical, emotional, or financial burdens. Repetitive practice and relentless preparation are requirements to navigate peak stress and overwhelm, whether operating a supersonic, twin-engine fighter jet or leading your team. Identifying where to fix your focus, formulating a flight plan, and communicating with your team increase your chances of success.

Study Your Span of Control.

Span of control in the corporate world indicates the number of direct reports you can effectively manage. In the Navy, the concept carries a different interpretation. Effectively managing your span of control — knowing what you can, and should, control at any given time — keeps you alive and helps you accomplish your mission.

Formulate Your Flight Plan.

Without a solid flight plan, your chances of reaching your destination on time are minuscule. Working in a leadership capacity in your organization means your flight plan involves others; your chances of victory increase with a spirit of collaboration and accountability. Beware of the “drift factor” — in aviation, it can take an aircraft off course; in your day-to-day life, you may find yourself drifting due to a lack of awareness, pressure and overload, distractions, and ego. Building checkpoints and markers of success into your flight plan will keep the team on track and energized. To keep everyone aligned and moving forward — especially in times of crisis and uncertainty — I recommend adopting a three-phase approach: Prepare. Perform. Prevail.

Prepare. Bring team members together for a period of planning. Establish the mission objective, analyze threats and obstacles, review resources, and walk through the steps needed to reach your goal. Don’t overlook asking, “Has anyone ever done this before?” Schedule the debrief before acting on your plan, or it will fall under the radar.

Perform. Fighter pilots must act without hesitation, take control, and push the envelope or they will come up short. Performing means following the plan in the face of fear. The confidence needed to execute is rooted in thorough preparation. Set your sights on seeing the upside; let your growth mindset be your superpower. Your solution-based thinking will serve the team well as you face contingencies (expected and otherwise).

Prevail. The debrief is vital to improving future performance. Foster an environment that encourages open discussion around wins and misses as you highlight lessons learned. The goal is always to improve.

Fix Your Focus.

To help students master the prioritization of tasks amid chaos, the Naval Academy introduces the concept of “the Bucket.” The Bucket represents the finite capacity pilots have for “input and subsequent action in the low-altitude environment.” Students learn that the most important tasks must go into the Bucket first. Removing distractions and identifying your top priorities applies in business as well.

I have found that naming my top three priorities for the day is a simple tool with immediate benefits. I write down what my most important work looks like each day — just three things. Failing to do so inevitably results in precious time wasted, teetering between task switching and task overload instead of engaging in focused work. Research shows us that we pay a significant price when attempting to multitask — losing up to 40% of our productive time.

Communicate to Fly in Formation.

The Blue Angels’ classic V-formation showcases their undeniable technique and talent. In the workplace, the uplift created by operating in alignment — with shared goals and values — helps everyone soar faster toward the goal. Your one key vision should be accessible at all times; strive for something that is simple, memorable, and repeatable. Staying in sync calls for consistent communication and being honest with one another about what’s working and what isn’t. Communicate in a manner that is concise, precise, clear, and consistent. In high-stress situations, be aware that one’s ability to process information is compromised by as much as 80%. Especially in high-pressure scenarios, keep the following in mind:

• Speak clearly and slowly.
• Anticipate, prepare, and practice.
• Establish trust by establishing that you care.
• Repeat the most important points.
• Balance each negative with three to four positives.
• The first and last things you say are most likely to be remembered.
• Speak in short sentences and use simple words.
• Clarity around your destination makes for a more effective and efficient flight.

I’ve been a loyal Starbucks customer for 20+ years, mainly because of their service and product consistency. However, one of the locations close to me has become a true test of patience: Horrible attitude towards customers, lack of consistency in drinks, and, worst of all, employees backbiting about each other, superiors, and the company to customers. You know, the typical characteristics of a highly dysfunctional team. 

Most of us experience dysfunctional teams first-hand daily. And even great organizations can have their share of dysfunctional teams (although not too many since group dysfunctionality is usually a reflection of an organization’s overall culture). 

For the record, I still love Starbucks and still go there daily. Just not to that location. 

So, leaders, before you lose customers, try the following five that have proven timeless for me in creating and sustaining elite teams: 

1. Instill a collective sense of purpose 

By definition, a team is a group of individuals being led by a purpose. When that purpose is not clear to them, they become confused about their roles and the group’s overall direction. Naturally, people start to think more of their own interests and agendas and form factions. It’s the leaders’ job to clarify group strategy (embedded within the organization’s strategy, derived from the company’s mission and values) and then consistently communicate it to the group. As a result, the group becomes clear of their positive mission that unites the members, each member having total clarity of their respective role in successfully executing that mission. 

2. Assemble the right team of lieutenants

The bigger the organization, the more important this is. Lieutenants derived from a dysfunctional team result in a perpetually dysfunctional team – and the entire organization soon after that. Some essential yet crucial standards when cultivating a team of right lieutenants are: 

a. Hire the most competent person for the job. Don’t base your selection on people’s charm, and don’t just hire your friends. 

b. Be diligent in vetting their character. 

c. Ensure they’re imbued with the organization’s spirit and the collective sense of purpose. 

3. Let information and ideas flow freely

Don’t isolate yourself by making yourself hard to reach or choosing to receive all relevant information solely from your lieutenants (or another singular source). Walk the floor, talk to individuals on the front line from time to time, talk to customers often to get an accurate picture of their experience. The idea is to put measures in place to receive information from different perspectives consistently. The diversity of such information-gathering will provide you with a much clearer picture, invariably leading to more informed and productive decisions by yourself. 

4. Infect the group with productive emotions

People are more susceptible to the moods and attitudes of the leader than anyone else. For example, calmness is one of the most essential, constructive emotions. Phil Jackson, the most successful basketball coach in history, noticed that many other coaches would try to rev up the team before a game, getting them excited and even angry. Instead, Jackson found it much more productive to instill a sense of calmness that helped the players execute the game plan and not over-react to the ups and downs in the game. As part of this strategy, always keep the group focused on completing concrete tasks, which will naturally ground and calm them. 

Remember, infecting the group with a sense of resolution must emanate from you. Don’t get upset by setbacks; keep advancing and working on the issue at hand. Stay persistent. The group senses this, and individuals feel embarrassed for becoming hysterical over the slightest shift in fortune. 

5. Battle-test the team before the battle

You don’t quite learn their strengths and weaknesses in good times, but you can undoubtedly count on adversity to reveal their true character. Now and then, it’s a good idea to give various members some relatively challenging tasks or shorter deadlines than usual and see how they respond. Some will rise to the occasion and even do better under such stress, while others won’t, giving you a clear idea of everyone’s capabilities and temperament – and their overall strength and character. For lagging individuals, this provides a fair chance to improve before an actual crisis. For the team, it serves as a practice run with them getting an opportunity to learn about each other and improve chemistry. 

“A leader must be humble but not passive; quiet but not silent.” — Jocko Willink

www.bridgecapconsulting.com

Business is a high contact – team sport.

Many of us end up spending the majority of our time driving our businesses, careers, and passion. We invest countless hours every day in accomplishing our vision, goals and sometimes just to hold it all together.

The below five tips have been battle-proven.

1. Business is a team sport

If you want to “do it on your own,” good luck with that. You will always be limited to your own time, energy and thoughts. 
 
Any worthy cause takes a team to accomplish. Our vision gets to be bigger than ourselves. Your mission will determine the team needed. Once clear on the mission, you can then put together or restructure your current team. Build a team of mission-driven professionals that can also clearly see the vision, commit to its daily discipline and bring talents to the table that you are lacking.
 
For example, in 2012, Tom Spooner, a retired U.S. Army Delta Operator with 21 years of service in the U.S. Army (1990-2011), brought to my awareness that 22 veterans a day commit suicide. We are losing more of our nation’s heroes at home than in combat. That was so alarming that my wife Lisa and I felt compelled to partner with him to help address this national crisis.
 
Tom brought skills and access into the military that I did not have, and together, we created Warriors Heart in 2016, as the first and only private and accredited treatment program in the U.S. that is exclusively for military, veterans, and first responders struggling with addiction, PTSD, mild TBI, and co-occurring issues.

2. Build a Team of Advisors

It’s important to always bring in new ideas and information. One idea could have a significant, positive impact on the mission and your bottom line.

For instance, joining a network like E.O., YPO or Vistage is a fast track to like-minded peers. When importing new ideas, it’s always best to seek out others who have accomplished or been successful in the area of interest — knowledge from “experienced-based” advisors.

In addition, look at your existing team as Advisors, which may include your attorney, CPA, bankers, and more. Put together quarterly meetings to bring all of your “advisors” together for a working dinner. Open the meeting with your vision or problem you need to solve. Then, sit back and let the Advisors work through it. Putting them all in the same room together will save you a lot of back and forth.

3. Study Together

Once your team is in place, pick a book (that supports your mission/desired outcome) and study it together. For example, our team is currently studying Tribal Leadership by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright. We invest 90 minutes every Friday. A section of the book is discussed. We ask, “What is the author saying and, how does it apply to us?” (if it does). As a result, everyone gets on the “same page” (literally), and our language is the same. This strengthens culture.

Since 2002 and building/selling successful businesses, our goal has always been to develop people to create positive change. We are social entrepreneurs.

In 2021, members of the Warriors Heart team participated in a year-long training program led by Leadership Master Expert and Author Blair Singer. Out of our team of 137, seventeen (17) qualified for the Mountain Leadership Experience to climb Kilimanjaro in Africa. This was a life-changing event!

Even during the pandemic, when so many businesses were pulling back, we accelerated in the investment of people.

4. Host an AAR (After Action Review) after Major Events

It’s essential to conduct an AAR (After Action Review) after a significant event with your team. An AAR-driven event could be as simple as a failed sales presentation or a manufacturing breakdown to a huge contract win.

An AAR is simply a structured approach for reflecting on, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.

An AAR is centered on four questions:
First, what was expected to happen?
What actually occurred? 
What went well and why?
 What can be improved and how?

Warriors Heart remained open throughout the pandemic and provided continuous care as an “essential service.” Our mission must continue, and the AAR disciplined practice supported the team, the fears, the unknowns. And together, we were able to work through the uncharted waters.

5. FOCUS (Follow One Course Until Successful)

FOCUS is easier when you are small and just starting out. It comes into play when you have a level of success and available resources. Why – because the mind wants to think, “I can do it too.” While this might be true…. be careful it does not create mission drift and pull your (and the teams) focus away from the main objective.

For example, an excellent question to ask is – If we were to invest $500,000 into this other project and hire x amount of people or pull x amount of existing team members off their current project to work in this new one… what would it return?

VS

What would that return be if we were to invest the same amount of money and resources into our existing business?

Look at the return holistically – people, planet, and profit.

Then you will have a clearer vision to move forward or not.

As a leader, being vulnerable and sharing more than just the hard facts can add richness and meaning to the stories you tell. A storytelling expert explores why not telling your full, unfiltered story is actually a disservice to readers — and how being real can help people connect with your experiences.

“I want to be taken seriously,” he said hesitantly, almost with an air of sadness in the background.

On the other end of the phone, I hesitated too. “Can you tell me more about that?” I hoped a gentle probe would uncover the deeper truth beneath his statement.

“I want this book to be taken seriously, and I’m worried that sharing my own story within it will stop that from happening,” he explained. “I mean, how can I write about succeeding in business by talking about a fear of failing?”

There they were: The words I hear so often from high-level CEOs when we’re trying to put their life’s work on paper. The admission happens sooner or later, especially as they begin talking about the road that led to their success. Inevitably, that road was filled with potholes, detours, fender benders, and sometimes, full-on collisions. And though they’re well past those experiences, they often still feel the scars — and those scars make them anxious and uncomfortable.

More times than not, the CEOs I work with don’t know why they’re afraid to open up. But having experienced it firsthand for half a decade now, I can take a pretty good guess. It’s what we call the “vulnerability hangover,” and it’s especially troublesome for clients who aren’t accustomed to discussing their feelings. Consequently, they fall into the trap of believing that vulnerability somehow corrupts credibility.

It doesn’t, of course. If anything, sharing your most honest self creates more credibility. Stories about vulnerability — your vulnerability — reveal your human side. Which also makes you more relatable to your audience.

Why Vulnerability Is Important in Leadership Stories

No matter who you’re sharing your story with (other leaders, entrepreneurs, or your employees), they’ll appreciate knowing that you faced obstacles and challenges just like they did. And still are.

Remember: Running a business is hard work. Everyone knows that. For instance, sharing the truth that trying to keep everything together during a global pandemic and time of social unrest was challenging for you creates a more expansive view of who you are as a leader. Rather than seeming like someone who knows it all, you come across as someone who has wrestled with the same trials all people in leadership positions face. The only difference is you’re peeling back all the layers and highlighting your journey with wholeness and honesty.

Not entirely convinced that stories of vulnerability in leadership will increase your credibility? Imagine an entrepreneur just starting out. She’s looking for advice and mentorship on the road that lies ahead. She picks up your book. Chapter after chapter, she sees your words on the page.

When she closes the book, what do you hope she takes away from your work? Do you want her to believe that your only truth was the finish line of success? Or do you want her to say, “He traveled the same road that I’m traveling. I get it now.”

Too often, we think we’re serving readers by only outlining happy endings. But everyone knows that the best stories include a bit of dragon-slaying along the way. If you talk about an effortless climb to the top, you won’t inspire anyone. But, on the other hand, if you share your vulnerable story — the story of tenacity, reliance, and hard work — you’re more likely to connect with audiences and win their loyalty.

To showcase the importance of vulnerability in leadership stories, consider EarthKind’s founder and CEO, Kari Warberg Block. Kari is focused on changing the face of the U.S. pest control industry with botanical alternatives to poisonous substances. Yet, she didn’t wake up one morning at the top of her game. Quite the contrary. She spent a lot of time maneuvering around roadblocks, challenges, and setbacks.

However, Kari doesn’t hide her obstacles. In her recent book, “Gathering Around the Table: A Story of Purpose-Driven Change Through Business,” she candidly shares some of her most disheartening moments as an entrepreneur. Kari’s transparency, combined with her unfettered encouragement and perseverance, has made her a mentor for readers hoping to make similar impacts.

Would Kari’s book have been a good read even if she hadn’t included stories about vulnerability? Absolutely. But without showing the cracks, the uncomfortable parts of her journey, she couldn’t have given readers a fully authentic understanding of how to succeed.

How to Be Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable

Admittedly, sharing your whole self — vulnerabilities and all — is uncomfortable for many of us. But like any skill, you can master being comfortable with being uncomfortable. So start today by answering the following questions. Each one is designed to free you from the constant headache of the vulnerability hangover:

1. What scares you the most?

Be honest. What are you most afraid of? No matter your response, I can almost guarantee dozens of other people are wrestling with the same thoughts and feeling, just as unsure about how to express them. When you sit with your feelings of discomfort, you force yourself to stand at the edge of a figurative dock overlooking a lake of cold water. Will you be the first to jump in? Summoning up the courage to take the first leap might be challenging, but it gives everyone else the strength to follow.

2. What are your perceived successes and failures?

Over the course of working with countless leaders, I’ve realized that they have varying perspectives of what it means to fail. Genuinely successful leaders, however, reframe setbacks as feedback. In other words, they view hiccups, mishaps, and even embarrassing outcomes as opportunities to understand what doesn’t work. And learning from that lesson, they are taken one step closer to the outcome they hope to accomplish. List your perceived successes and failures, then evaluate them. Are the failures just gateways to offer more richness to your origin story as an entrepreneur? Often, you’ll find that the answer to that question is “yes.”

3. What’s the most significant thing you’ve learned?

Show me a successful leader, and I’ll show you someone who’s taken the long way home more than once. Why? Detours are a part of business life, especially if you’re a driven, ambitious dreamer. Offering audiences your valuable, vulnerable lessons shows that you aren’t someone to be placed on a pedestal. Instead, you’re always willing to learn and grow — even if you have to learn and grow the hard way.

If you ever share your story by writing a book or giving a speech, you have two options: You could share what you’ve done and call it a day, or you could share your vulnerable self, right down to your bones. I recommend the latter. It’ll remind the world that you didn’t just win to get to where you are. You won against the odds.

Individuals were forced to abruptly change their lifestyles, quite literally overnight, due to COVID-19. The uncertain future resulted in fear and trepidation, which extended far beyond the household level.

Corporations and organizations have struggled to survive amid pandemic conditions. Corporate leadership teams scrambled to pivot in meaningful ways to remain relevant in the marketplace, strategically source vital goods, and message unprecedented changes to their staff.

Change: The Only Constant

Organizational transformation generally occurs gradually over some time. Restructuring efforts often start with a pilot program, a detailed analysis from a reputable consultant, and a relatively significant amount of research. The sudden onset of a nearly unprecedented global pandemic, by contrast, blindsided everyone.

Corporate leaders faced with unique and ongoing challenges shifted their standard operating procedures. Fluidity and flexibility became the order of the day, and survival often hung in the balance. Strategic planning for long-term growth all but fell by the wayside as emergency procedures were implemented. Leaders were forced to make decisions on the fly.

Engaging Remote Employees

Perhaps the most critical task for business leaders during and beyond the pandemic has been employee engagement. A few short years ago, it would have been inconceivable to manage a predominately remote workforce effectively. However, due to the pandemic, leadership teams learned to implement makeshift accommodations until they could settle in and establish workable solutions for quarantined staff members. New software solutions replaced hardwired IT requirements with web-based applications. Coaching and development took place through virtual meetings and via email.

The general workforce has adapted to remote work, and today much of the recruiting process is carried out online. Leaders learned to recognize that the fears and drawbacks of managing a remote workforce were somewhat unfounded. Some companies were able to downsize or eliminate their physical office space altogether. Offsetting the cost of brick and mortar provided a budget for virtual team-building exercises and employee recognition gifts. Striking the best work-life balance is an ongoing challenge for some, but the flexibility associated with remote work has been a welcome benefit for workers.

Establishing and enforcing a corporate culture from a remote standpoint certainly presents unique challenges, but many business leaders have reported great success. Creative solutions have made virtual staff meetings productive and more enjoyable. The trauma of the pandemic brought employees closer together and more willing to take on new tasks. Managers adapted to new tools and expressed their gratitude to a remote workforce. Once employees found their most effective home workstation setup, individual productivity vastly increased across the board.

Profit and Loss Analysis

Even in the face of uncertainty and frequently changing mandates, leaders are still responsible for the business’s health. Chief Financial Officers reviewed balance sheets and anticipated budgets with a renewed zeal. Difficult decisions were made during uncomfortable, often tense, boardroom sessions. Virtually every industry implemented furloughs, layoffs, and temporary closures. Companies that took the hardest hits were forced to close their doors permanently. Even financially stable companies made drastic changes to secure reserves during the untold months of precarious cash flow.

Financial leaders were not alone in their new critical thinking and creative problem-solving endeavors. Operational Excellence managers radically changed their perspective in the face of the pandemic. Lean manufacturing techniques became both more and less critical during these challenging times. Efficient use of resources was vitally important for two reasons. First, the reduced revenue projects did not eliminate wasted inventory or sloppy production habits. Second, raw materials were becoming scarce. Increased demand and decreased availability resulted in several sharp price increases in a relatively short period.

Purchasing and Logistics

Raw material shortages and production facility closures caused lengthy delays. Customs and shipping regulation changes created significant backups, and finished goods often took months to reach port. Factories, retailers, and end-users were left waiting. Empty-handed and without the reassurance of a positive outlook, leaders employed their creative thinking skills. Some chose to pivot to a new product line completely, while others opted to improvise and fulfill partial orders while waiting for materials to become available. The various problem-solving approaches resulted in several new inventions and product lines inspired by the pandemic. Several companies repurposed their existing facilities and staff to produce, market, or sell personal protective equipment.

Leaders worldwide and across every industry were caught in the complex space of finding ways to keep the doors open when there was seemingly no reason to remain operational at historically low capacity levels. The difficult circumstances created a paradigm shift for the most successful leaders and companies and sparked a renewed passion and pure ingenuity among executive teams. Workers improvised with alternative resources and production techniques. Several new product lines, inventions, and process improvements were developed out of necessity.

Maintaining Customer Confidence

Marketing executives and managers focused on the customer experience also faced new challenges when the pandemic changed the traditional business model. Target audiences no longer had the means, the need, or the motivation to purchase according to their established patterns. Corporate leadership quickly realized the need to reach customers in a brand new way.

Marketers were tasked with upholding consumer confidence and brand recognition during the storm. This required a team to be acutely aware of the marketplace and have a keen sense of how consumers would likely behave or respond to various stimuli. A large majority of the pandemic campaigns focused on community, companionship, and general wellbeing. Consumers appreciated the transparency and level of support they felt coming from corporate entities.

In short, we have entered an entirely different corporate world, one that has required extreme agility on the part of business leaders, as they have been forced to adapt to realities that were largely inconceivable at the beginning of 2020. The pivot is ongoing, and in many cases, not the worst thing. Moreover, there is no turning back now. The business world is forever changed, and leaders must not only continue to adapt but be forward-thinking in anticipation of any disruption that might lie ahead.

While this pandemic has not always brought out the best in many, we have been astounded by the steadfast leadership shown by educational leaders across our state and country.

Whether traditional public, public charter, or private, school leaders have adapted quickly and reinvented instruction with an entrepreneurial and service-minded spirit. While we all have had to pivot professionally, some of us have had the luxury of being able to work from home with ready access to technology, without having to ensure the mental health, nourishment, safety, security and transportation of hundreds of children… in a global pandemic. 

We are business leaders who serve on the board of directors and community advisory council for BES, an organization committed to helping school leaders build, excel and sustain success and student achievement. Our work with them has given us a unique perspective on what it takes to be an effective school leader, and there are so many parallels to the qualities that we value in the world of business.

Commitment to care

A quality teaching mechanism is the driving force that keeps students learning and growing, but kids don’t care how much a teacher knows until kids know how much they care. Similarly, school leaders know that the key to retaining gifted teachers is to ensure they know they are valued and supported. Great leaders ask, “How do I take care of my people and give them the tools to be their best?” At the end of the day, our customers can get a product from another vendor, but what we can offer are employees who care because they know they are cared for.

Equity

The pandemic has impacted all of us differently, based on characteristics like geography, identity, and access to resources. Great school leaders are always thinking about equity, ensuring students, families, and teachers are supported in the way that they need. For example, while a leader may be encouraged by 90% staff retention numbers, they look for trends among the missing 10% and build solutions that are not just equal, but equitable. 

Adaptability

Charles is the board chairman of Vista College Preparatory, a public charter school founded by extraordinary school leaders supported by BES. The school was already doing critically important work with an under-resourced community before COVID happened. We saw what they were able to accomplish in one of the toughest learning environments in history. They turned on a dime, creating a fully virtual program in just eight days to keep the students learning, and creating a virtual summer school program for Vista students and youth throughout their community that may not otherwise have had access. They remained in daily contact with families to address their needs with incredible professionalism. While adaptability and changing quickly to meet demand is a normal part of running a business, that is not how our country’s schools are typically designed. Because Vista College Prep was built to be responsive to its community, their students have persevered in the wake of COVID.

Empowerment

Whether it’s experienced teachers or ones who are new to the field, but extraordinarily passionate, great school leaders hire gifted people and delegate responsibility to them. Not only does this build leadership capacity, but it also sustains that capacity by deepening an organization’s leadership bench. It also keeps the school leader’s head “out of the weeds” and looking ahead to embrace strategy and set direction. Good leaders know when to take charge and when to cheer from the sidelines.

Accountability

When you hire the right people, care for them, and give them what they need to be successful, how do you handle it well if they fall short? Business leaders can really learn from the world of education here. Gifted school leaders are clear about their expectations, set high bars for achievement and hold their team accountable. Teachers know from data gathering and assessment results how their students are performing and where they need support. If we as business leaders can be specific about what constitutes quality work and evaluate our employees before big issues arise, we can give them the chance to change course before a big mistake happens. 

We built businesses because we loved the work and earned the respect of leaders who recognized and nurtured our potential. Volunteering to serve education organizations like BES and schools like Vista College Prep has given us the opportunity to see what top notch leadership looks like in the education world, and we are amazed. 

To school leaders everywhere: we see you, we respect you, we thank you. May you be blessed with the strength you need to make this unprecedented school year meaningful and fulfilling.