There was a time when sport teams were seen as the ultimate models for how managers should see their businesses. Some CEOs would make reference to football teams in describing their management style. For example, calling all plays from the sidelines. Others would use basketball, with themselves as the head coach, and another coach who was their eyes and ears on the court being a point guard. This provided flexibility for the players/employees until a time out was called.
Today, the popular analogy is the family – a different structure, smaller and requiring a different set of sensibilities from the managerial leaders. For example, the football model is to play at any cost to yourself, just don’t hurt your team. It meant being a warrior, like Ben Roethlisberger, having fractured ribs while competing in this year’s Super-Bowl. While we might admire Mr. Roethlsberger heroics, in our businesses this would be seen as reckless. How this might be similar in the workplace is saying one believes in work life balance but asking your teams to work 60 hours a week…”give it your all.”
Many women (men too – the paradigm is shifting) have a different take on business and understand fully the concept of family. Here are just some of the attributes that support the business concept of families.
- Understanding that emotions mean something.
- Understanding that change is constant
- That caring is not a bad word.
- Risk for risk sake is not taking risk but being silly.
- That everything matters.
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