The 'Hard' Stuff is Easy, the 'Soft' Stuff is Hard
Alex Pollock
June 16, 2015
Before you continue reading, please take a moment to make a list of those attributes that come quickly to your mind. Your list and mine may contain different adjectives but on one thing we'd both likely agree on is that we know a great team when we encounter it. Now complete this sentence.. " From my experience, the key factor that most affects the performance of a team is......."
Alex Pentland, an MIT professor, suggests from his research that the answer is just "one person." According to Dr. Pentland, this "person" is active outside formal meetings, bringing connection and:
- listening and asking questions of each team member;
- picking up cues from others;
- drawing people out;
- moving from person to person "infecting them with enthusiasm".
What's your reaction to Dr Pentland's claim? Surprised? Where in the organizational structure would you expect to find this "person"?
Your experiences can help us all have more productive teams. Thanks for sharing!
Topics:
Leadership & Careers
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About the Author
Alex Pollock
Alex Pollock has been studying leadership effectiveness for more than 30 years. A former leader in environment, health and safety, and public affairs at The Dow Chemical Co., he learned that we all have leadership roles to play. He enjoys discussing new ideas and sharing practical ways we can all become better leaders.