Page 158 - Fearless Leadership

Chapter

6

Standing for the Success

of Each Other

The most dangerous strategy is to jump a chasm in two leaps.
—BENJAMIN DISRAELI (1804–1881)

o raise the level of performance, you must foster an environment in
Twhich aligned leaders and engaged people are bursting with enthusi-
asm to help the organization excel. For this, you need committed partner-
ships: people who act as owners and stand for the success of each other
and the organization.
The causal chain is clear: it is the relationship that people have with
one another and the organization that drives business results and makes
system and process changes viable. The success of your organization or
team depends on the willingness of people to change their behavior
and expand their capacity to work together in a focused and disciplined
partnership.
It is troubling that most business-as-usual associations are relationships
of convenience or unstable alliances in which people work together only
when absolutely required. These traditional relationships, for the most part,
are politically motivated or pursued for reasons of personal gain. What is
disturbing is that they are pervasive throughout organizations and repre-
sentative of the low quality of relationships. The debilitating downside is
that most businesses operate with an inherently defective platform for

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