Successful Teams are Oxymoronic

Think about all the screw ups committees commit. The Triangle tells the tale. When no one is the leader you have a monster. Even a two headed enterprise can't live. I know team and consensus leadership is the mantra.. but it never works for long.

The team would have retreated. They WERE Victorious.

Teams never win without a strong leader. Some are called to teams and some are leaders. The two are oil and water. You either is or you ain't

I think about Henry Ford telling his engineers to come up with a way to cast the V8 in one casting. They said it couldn't be done. He persisted and insisted and they figured it out.

Steve Jobs insisted that the screen on the I Phone had to be scratch-proof. His team said it wasn't possible. He said figure out a way and they did. Everything that ever mattered in breakthru was always impossible to the "Team". Its not just about vision, that's easy enough, it's about purposed directive leadership.

George Patton would have been defeated if he had listened to the team. A couple of his quotes:
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.

And my favorite: A young officer comes to Patton and says, Sir, it's snowing really bad outside. We are weakened. I think we need to retreat. To which Patton replied. Retreat? RETREAT? We're not gonna Retreat, We're gonna keep fighting. Is that CLEAR? We're gonna attack all night we're gonna attack the next morning. If we're not VICTORIOUS. Let no man come back alive. 

The team would have retreated. They WERE Victorious

 Teams never win without a strong leader. Some are called to teams and some are leaders. The two are oil and water. You either is or you ain't.  If you are a leader, you aren't out to make friends.

 I am not a team player. Don't join teams. I'm a team player in the mode of a Donald Trump, George Patton, Henry Ford or Steve Jobs. NOT!

 In my life as a CEO I have had to be a leader and get things on track. Same as the founder of several corporations, you have to have a vision and impart it with confidence and strong leadership. I am not good at being on boards. Not great on committees. My personality isn't wired for that.  If I am on one I take over.  Most committees and boards are filled with passive aggressive beta personalities.  So I avoid them at all costs. So if you ask me to be on your team, I won't be. It's not who I am.. I think the idea of a team player is way overdone. When I see a resume that emphasizes they are a team player.. I toss it. I want leaders around me.. not team players. Jesus wasn't a team player. Teams and committees are not great ways to get things done.

It is more important to work for desireable and pleasing results than desierable and pleasing methods.

I will always be results oriented.. methods and systems are for people who don't grasp vision.