When I was a young manager, I read “The One-Minute Manager” by Blanchard and Johnson. I learned to “manage by walking-around” and “catch people doing things right”.
As a motivational tool, catching people doing things right is effective. But it doesn’t work long term if all you is praise their results.
I led the winning team on a bid worth $85 M in Hong-Kong. It was complex, with months of technical, commercial and legal negotiations. The team gave all it could, and then some.
Coming off the plane, I went to the office and attended the celebration party. Executives, heads of department and the entire team drinking champagne (yes, they allow this in France). Speeches. How happy the executives are. Proud of the team who worked so hard.
It was nice. The bonus was nice too. But it did not change much. Business as usual the next day.
But not for me. I had been debriefed, the “Encouragement” way.
Most companies have risk management processes. And most teams follow these processes fairly well. Why is it, that with same risk management process, some teams succeed at avoiding big problems, and while other teams fail to do so repeatedly?
I am sure there are many reasons – but I have noticed one that is not often mentioned.
Failing teams have a culture of risk-avoidance. Successful teams have a risk-embracing culture. They are diametrically opposed – and it affects how they deal with risk.
On November 9th, 2006, the Rutgers football team was having a bad night – but they just kept “chopping wood”.
It had started badly. Louisville returned the opening kick-off for a touchdown. Then Louisville could do no wrong getting 25 points before Rutgers would score on the last play before the half. Going to the locker room, loosing 25-7 at half-time, Coach Schiano would talk to the team:
“Just keep chopping away guys. It’ll turn, if you let it – it’ll turn. You just gotta keep doing it though. If you don’t do it, you’ll never know what could have happened.”
The second half was like a new game. Louisville would not score again. Rutgers won, on a field goal with 13 seconds left, 28-25.
Asked by a reporter at the press conference, if a moment stood out for him, coach Schiano answered:
“There was a moment when Eric Fosters came walking down the sideline like this (coach makes hand chopping movement), and we passed each other and he never even looked at me he was so focused… At that point I said, you know what, these sons of a gun just might do this.”