No matter who you pulled the lever for on Tuesday, this election season has been like a high holiday for anybody interested in leadership issues. Today the news is full of speculation about who will serve on the new president’s team. It might be hard for those who supported the other side in this election to even think about learning anything from the president-elect. But we think this moment gives us all a pretty good opportunity to think together about what makes a good team in any movement or organization.
If the reports we’re reading are correct, President-elect Obama appears to be putting together a team that has at least five characteristics. We think these five things are critical to a successful leadership team in any circumstance:
Relevant experience
A Harvard University economist who served in a previous administration, the president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, a former Federal Reserve Chairman, and a former Treasury Secretary are all on the short list for just one position on Obama’s team. These are people who would bring needed expertise at a time of big challenges and high anxiety. Some leaders are afraid of being outshined by their team; if you’re a great leader, you’ll know you need people at the table who are smarter, wiser, and more experienced than you are.
Diverse gifts
The person expected to serve as chief-of-staff has been described as someone with very different passions and gifts from the president he would serve. He is hot where Obama is cool, tenacious where Obama is gracious, an enforcer where Obama is a collaborator. It might be hard but it’s important for you to recognize the need for people with gifts that are different from your own.
Credibility
Obama has expressed a desire and commitment to include the best people on his team, no matter what party affiliation they have. It might be tempting for leaders to think their victory gives them a right to bulldoze the opposition. But it’ll go a long way towards building needed credibility and support among those who may not have supported you to know that they have your respect and to feel like they are being heard.
Fresh faces
Similarly, Obama has promised to bring new people from outside the Washington beltway into leadership. Making sure you have people at the table who offer a fresh perspective – especially if those people have voices that have previously been silenced and/or heard only from the margins – does more than signal that a new day has arrived; it helps you hear and see things differently. It has the potential, in fact, of unleashing a torrent of creativity throughout your organization that leads to ideas, innovations, and solutions you never dreamed possible.
Shared vision & values
Even though the list of names Obama is reportedly working with includes people experienced, new, diverse, and across party lines, they all share one thing in common: A commitment to similar values and a shared vision. Nothing will be more important on your team, either. Be brutally honest with yourself as you look around the table. If your team members don't share your vision & values, no matter what else they bring, they shouldn't be on your leadership team.
What teambuilding lessons have you learned along the way? What characteristics do you think a great team should have?
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