🧭 How to Develop Leaders

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Here’s where we’re headed today:

• Tom Izzo on team leadership

• Why leadership needs to be decentralized and spread throughout

• What is extreme ownership and how to implement

• John Maxwell and others on developing leaders

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Tom Izzo on Team Leadership

"A player-coached team is better than a coach-coached team."

- Tom Izzo

Why Leadership Needs Decentralization

What this means: Player-led teams often outperform coach-led teams because they create a sense of ownership and responsibility among the team members. This leads to higher engagement and motivation.

The team benefits from diverse perspectives and ideas, encouraging innovation and creative problem-solving that a single authority might overlook. They develop stronger internal dynamics and communication skills because they lead, hold people accountable, and set the standard of what to expect. Together, they build a more cohesive and adaptable unit.

Why this matters: This leadership style matters because it aligns with the needs of today. Today's dynamic, fast-paced teams require the ability to adapt quickly and work autonomously. By distributing leadership, you cultivate a more responsive and involved team. Team members have a sense of ownership and the ability to collaborate and work with others.

• Enhanced Collaboration: With shared leadership, team members feel more engaged and invested in the outcomes, leading to better teamwork and collaboration.

• Increased Innovation: Diverse leadership leads to diverse ideas, fostering innovation and creative problem-solving.

• Greater Flexibility and Agility: Teams can respond faster to changes and challenges, as decision-making is not bottlenecked at the top.

• Improved Satisfaction and Retention: Empowering team members with leadership roles can increase job satisfaction and reduce turnover.

• Stronger Problem-Solving Skills: With multiple leaders, teams have a wider range of skills and perspectives to draw upon when facing challenges.

• Enhanced Learning and Development: Continuous leadership development occurs as team members learn from each other.

What the science says: 

• Improved Innovation and Problem-Solving - A comprehensive study published in the "Journal of Organizational Behavior" examined multiple organizations adopting distributed leadership. It found a significant correlation between this leadership style and enhanced team effectiveness. Teams reported a 30% increase in innovation outputs and a 25% improvement in problem-solving efficiency compared to those with traditional hierarchical leadership.

• Improved Adaptability and Resilience - An analysis featured in the "Harvard Business Review" focused on organizations across various sectors. It demonstrated that companies with decentralized leadership structures were 45% more adaptable to market fluctuations. These organizations also reported a 50% faster response time to crises, underlining the resilience and agility of a distributed leadership model.

How to Implement Extreme Ownership

Extreme Ownership is not just about taking charge but also about developing a culture of leadership throughout the organization, where every member understands their role and how it contributes to the overall mission. This leadership style has been widely adopted in various sectors outside the military for its effectiveness in creating accountable, efficient, and cohesive teams.

What is Extreme Ownership? At its core, Extreme Ownership means leaders are entirely accountable for their team's performance, successes, and failures. This responsibility extends to all aspects of the mission. The principles are as follows:

• Full Responsibility: Leaders under this concept take full responsibility for every action and decision, including those made by their subordinates.

• No Blame Game: A key aspect of Extreme Ownership is the avoidance of blaming others. Leaders accept any issues or mistakes and work on solutions rather than assigning fault.

• Empowering Team Members: By practicing Extreme Ownership, leaders empower their team members to take charge of their respective roles and responsibilities, fostering a sense of ownership at all levels.

• Decentralized Command: This concept encourages leaders to delegate effectively, ensuring that team members have the authority to make decisions and act independently within their scope.

• Prioritize and Execute: Leaders are taught to prioritize the most critical tasks and execute them efficiently, often in high-pressure situations, a practice vital in military operations.

Benefits of Extreme Ownership:

• Simplicity in Planning: Extreme Ownership advocates for simple, clear, and concise planning to ensure that everyone in the team understands the mission and their roles.

• Leading Up and Down the Chain of Command: This involves not only leading subordinates but also managing superiors effectively, ensuring that the team's needs are communicated and understood at all levels.

• Balancing Risks and Resources: Leaders must balance the risks of their decisions with the resources available, always aiming for the most effective outcome.

• Continuous Improvement: The concept emphasizes continual personal and team development, learning from successes and failures to improve future performance.

How to Implement:

1. Lead by example and model the behavior

   • Lead by Example: Take responsibility for both successes and failures, and avoid blaming others or external circumstances.

   • Share Stories: Regularly share stories or examples where taking ownership led to positive outcomes, either from your own experience or from other contexts.

2. Delegate ownership to people and hold them accountable

   • Assign Clear Responsibilities: Ensure every team member knows their role and what they are accountable for.

   • Empower Team Members: Give them the authority and resources they need to make decisions and own their projects or tasks.

   • Hold People Accountable: Regularly check-in on progress and hold team members accountable for their results. This should be done in a supportive, not punitive, manner.

3. Communicate clearly and concisely

   • Set Clear Expectations: Clearly articulate goals, strategies, and expectations. Avoid ambiguity.

   • Encourage Open Communication: Foster an environment where team members feel comfortable asking questions, expressing concerns, and offering suggestions.

   • Regular Feedback and Communication: Have consistent ways of giving the team feedback or communication to ensure everyone is on the same page and understands their responsibilities.

4. Give feedback consistently

   • Two-way Communication: Encourage team members to give feedback as well, creating a culture of mutual respect and continuous improvement.

   • Celebrate Successes: Acknowledge and celebrate when team members demonstrate extreme ownership, reinforcing positive behavior.

5. Look for process improvements

   • Continuous Improvement: Regularly review processes and procedures for efficiency and effectiveness. Encourage team members to identify bottlenecks or areas for improvement.

   • Reward Innovation: Encourage and reward team members who come up with innovative solutions or improvements.

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John Maxwell and Others on Developing Leaders

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