CHAPTER 25
The Power Is in the Goal, Not Being Right
One day I was using my GPS to find a store and drove right past it. As I did, my daughter mustered her best parental mocking tone and said, “Dad, you just missed the store.” But I never saw it, because my GPS didn't say, “You have arrived at your destination.” You've probably had this happen to you. Maybe you've even heard of more dramatic versions of this like a person driving into a lake because his GPS told him to keep going. On the real roads of life, those people are probably crazy—or just stupid for not using their eyes. On the proverbial roads of business, however, these are the best leaders in the middle to have on your team because their company and bosses are the GPS, and they owned the direction they were given.
That GPS analogy is perfect for what a leader in the middle must do to keep the power by serving in uncertain times: Believe in the direction and own it, even if you think it might be wrong or possibly crazy. Everything we have discussed in this book is all about setting up leaders in the middle to keep the power by achieving the results demanded of them by owning that responsibility without challenging the direction.
But They're Wrong!
When a company shifts direction for the future, leaders in the middle must believe it is for the best. Of course, there is no evidence the company is right. They just made a decision based on its vision and all available evidence. One would believe the people at the top have a longer view and more evidence than people in the middle and the bottom to make those decisions.
So why question it? Because you think you're right? That's just ego talking, and it is a surefire way for leaders in the middle to lose their power in uncertain times, because keeping the power doesn't have anything to do with being right.
What do you do when the evidence tells you otherwise? Drive into the lake. Yes, drive into the lake. If that's what you have been told to do, you execute. Go ahead and question to understand: How would you drive on this lake, boss? Anything I should know to make this turn into a James Bond car? I'm not doubting the direction; I'm checking to make sure we're aligned, not because I'm thinking we're going to drown. What happens when you do? Sometimes your boss might say, “Whoa, there's a lake?! Stop! That wasn't there when we planned this.” Sometimes your boss might say, “Wait, you're supposed to take a left there. Thanks for checking in. That could have cost us.” But most of the time? Your boss is going to say, “Yup, keep going. Great job.” Not because he is a bad human or not paying attention but because he owns the direction given to him and needs you to own it for yourself and your team too.
So how many of you would drive into the lake? Too many people leading from the middle don't. One of the biggest weaknesses of leaders in the middle is that they want to be right—or rather, to not be wrong. They'd actually rather be right and fail than wrong and succeed. Instead of executing at the highest levels, they do as little as possible to avoid consequences and use that mindset to justify not holding themselves and their people accountable.
We sacrifice so much for being right, but why? Being right is not power. There is a difference between being right and doing the right thing. You must continue to serve up. Never blame those you serve for decisions you do not agree with. Remember: There is no “us and them,” just “us,” and we need to find a way to get through that lake. Fight through the fear and doubt, and do it. Besides, when times are uncertain, there may not even be a lake. You just think you see one. And what happens if you do drown, your team looking at you as you sink to the bottom and fail? So be it. You failed with all you had and most leaders will tell you that only leads to greater success along the way.
I would rather fail doing the right thing, serving up, then get fired for failing to keep my power and execute—and challenging my people to do the same to achieve more.
The Power Is in the Goal
I was working with a client on setting management expectations and goals for the next year when my client started to balk.
“Nathan, we have to be careful. Our goals are higher this year. In fact, they are 25 percent higher than last year's goals. Some leaders are going to have huge push back.”
Wow! Twenty-five percent more than what you did this year?
“No, 25 percent higher than last year's goal. It's only 90 percent of what we actually did this year.”
I started to laugh. Now I know it is easy to laugh when it's not your goal, but you can't call a number a goal if you have already achieved it! A goal is something you should have to strive to achieve, not be the same as you have done (or less than) before. Sure, there are exceptions to that rule, but generally, this client's “goal” was an acceptance of defeat.
Why are you setting a goal that is only 90 percent of this year's?
“Because the goals affect people's bonuses.”
I used to be a leader like my client. I would negotiate the lowest goal possible to set compensation in the team's favor. Then I would tell my team that we were going to kill it and make some good bonuses. It works. Until it doesn't. Slowly but surely, in spite of the big bonuses, you give your power away by failing to set realistic achievement goals and raising expectations year over year. You get complacent. You stop coaching and demanding more, which is what happened to me before I shifted my mindset to serving up and coaching down and made my team three promises when it came to goals and expectations:
- Every year, I am going to raise your goal.
- You will always have to deliver more results to make the same amount of money.
- Work smart and you will always make more money and have more success than the previous year.
Twenty years later, I found myself sharing that story with my client, and he understood. He owned my promises, shared them with his team, and changed his goal to a 25 percent increase overall. Needless to say, the team is well on their way to crushing these numbers and helping their boss keep the power. Because keeping the power is not just about owning the direction of our bosses. It has as much to do with challenging our teams with goals that drive more power instead of lowering expectations to match lower results and accepting less.
When leaders lower goals, the short-term benefit of bigger bonuses that leads to cash-infused morale hides the larger issue: As leaders, we now have sent the message that whenever we feel a goal is unreachable, we take the power of reaching higher away from our employees. I believe to be the best leaders in the middle, we must believe that our team can hit any logical goal because that says we all have the power to do what we believe.
I understand that this might affect some incomes and livelihoods in the short run, but it also drives us to do more. That should be the case any time we miss our goals. If our kids don't get an A on a test, we don't ask the teacher to change the test next time. We tell our kids to study harder, better, or differently. We tell them they are missing the goal because they are not doing enough of something or they need to modify or change their behavior
The point is: Don't lower the goal; own the miss. The best leaders in the middle do.
They know power is given to those who give, deliver, and demand great effort, desire, and commitment to winning. And they are always proven right.
Serve Up/Coach Down Mindset: The Power Is in the Goal, Not Being Right
We lead with the power we have. It doesn't matter about the limits or how little we have. It doesn't matter how difficult the competition is or what market we are in. It is all about where we end up and not where we had to come from to keep the power. Our success becomes the journey we are on.
The wrong mindset fueled by poor coaching and an inability to serve up: Screw my boss and company; I'm not driving into the lake! I'm not going down for this idea. It's not my decision. I'll stop and do just enough to keep my job and not kill myself for it. I'd rather lower my expectations and exceed those goals than push myself to do more. I'd rather be comfortable doing less.
The correct mindset fueled by great coaching and an ability to serve up: My power comes from my belief, and my belief drives my team's belief. The organization expects us to achieve this goal, and if that means driving into the lake, so be it! We must never lower our goals to match our results. We must raise our efforts to make our results match our goals. Real success is not in the result. Real success is in the fight along the way.