Page 255 - Fearless Leadership

242 FEARLESS LEADERSHIP

on whether the goodwill would last with Sid when the decision was
ultimately made (in other words, he was at Level 4, intellectually
aligned).
We met with the CEO and the two candidates to uncover what it
would take to reach Level 5 alignment: emotional and intellectual
commitment. The conversation started with Sid saying, “It’s easy to
agree now, but how can we trust each other to keep our agreements
when one of us will win and the other will lose?” I answered his con-
cern with, “First, you have to trust each other’s integrity and word.
Second, the traditional view of winner and loser is not a useful con-
struct. As committed partners, it’s your accountability to decide how
you want to engage throughout this transition and then align on your
commitment.” “Yeah, but we still have to deal with the reactions of oth-
ers,” said Bruce. “That’s true, and again, you have a choice. You can
either allow automatic behavior to take over and people will build
camps and line up behind the candidate of their choice, or you can
decide together to demonstrate what it means to be committed part-
ners. How you behave will tell others if your culture is real and here
to stay,” I concluded.
By the end of the two-day discussion, Sid and Bruce were emo-
tionally and intellectually committed to support each other regard-
less of who was selected as the next CEO.

The Result. Bruce became the new CEO. Within the first few days
of the announcement, Sid and Bruce went on the road and spoke
to groups together to demonstrate their partnership.

Lesson Learned. By not accepting intellectual alignment and insist-
ing on authentic alignment between the CEO candidates, the
incumbent CEO successfully provided continuity in leadership.
Four years later, Bruce and Sid are viewed by the organization as the
premiere example of committed partnerships.

Rules of Engagement for High Performance Meetings
The rules of engagement are different in a high performance organization
when compared to its traditional counterpart. They are explicit behaviors
that group members apply in meetings at all levels in the organization.