Leading the Way
How leadership works on the ranch.
contributed article by B. Lynn Gordon Leader Consulting
leaderconsulting.biz
CREATING A WORLD SERIES TEAM Living in a state bordering the home of the Minnesota Twins baseball team, I have witnessed the excitement of the thrilling and winning season for the Twins as it continues to grow. World Series fever is building as the team moves into the final stretch of its successful regular season. To have the success the team has experienced to this point is representative of being a highly functioning team. Every individual on the team has to perform at his best, from the pitchers, to the catchers to the hitters. The team is built around a skill set that each of the players can bring to the table. Each player has an ability to achieve the goals set out by the team management, and holistically, the individuals bring their strengths together to build the depth of the team skills. What would make a World Series level team on your ranch?
September 2019
FOSTER A TEAM ENVIRONMENT
24
As I discussed in my August “Leading the Way� column in The Stockman, learning about what motivates you, your values and your strengths is key to helping you be a functioning member of a team. Ranch teams can consist
of you and your spouse and/or your children, your employees or siblings involved in your family ranching operation. No matter how you look at it, once there is more than one of you, there is the semblance of a team. Building on self-awareness learned from an assessment of your personality traits, the next step is understanding others on your team. What are their values, motives, natural strengths and the things that energize or de-energize them? Are they motivated by a concern for people, performance, or process or a combination of these? How does this compare to what motivates you? Accepting and understanding the differences of team members will lead to a highly functioning team environment. Even if you have not had the opportunity to have a personality trait assessment conducted, focusing on understanding others is the foundation to genuinely accept the differences individuals bring to a situation and prevents us from making judgements based only on our own perspective. Truly appreciating and valuing different points of view, fosters healthy discussions and debate.
TEAM ELEMENTS Creating a collaborative team environment starts when the team has a common purpose and clear, agreed upon objectives. These objectives should resonate with all team members. This becomes more feasible, if we understand the characteristics and motivations of each of the team members. What additional elements are needed to build a World Series team for your ranch? 1) Trust. Teams who work well together, trust each other. Having the ability to recognize we all have different values and different communications styles, rather than associating these differences with a hidden agenda or hidden message is key. This starts with being able to dig deeper and understand the motivations behind a person’s behavior, working style, and personality to create an environment of trust. 2) Open Collaboration. Everyone needs to show up and be present to be part of the team. By understanding who you are, and the perspective and strengths you can bring to the team and being open to the values and perspectives others bring to the team, the stockmanmag.com | THE STOCKMAN
