Thoughtfully Ruthless

Chapter 10The Thoughtfully Ruthless Team

As a steeplechase racehorse on the British racetrack bursts out of the gate with maximum speed, you know there are challenging jumps and obstacles ahead, but what if you were to eliminate the fences all together? Then, there would be a clear path to the finish line. Similarly, a team that invests time to learn how to run straight rather than wasting energy on leaping each fence will catapult ahead of their competition.

Successful leaders know how to sequence their focus for galvanizing their teams. It's not uncommon for sequencing to get out of order here. Many leaders start with team-building activities when they haven't considered where their business is and how they want it to grow, and therefore, they start team building with the wrong team. This chapter outlines common scenarios, the right sequencing, and how to assess and act on galvanizing your team in a thoughtfully ruthless way. Practical exercises are included to use for improving decision making, banishing mediocrity, creating inspiring communication, and providing crystal-clear feedback.

These are common scenarios that business leaders face:

• Your business is growing at warp speed, and the leaders and organizations can't keep up.
• Too much leadership time is spent on executing current opportunities versus considering potential new opportunities and making strategic choices.
• Your employees and decisions are not aligned with the needs of your customers.
• Innovation is slower than ...