Page 160 - The Bible On Leadership

146 THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP

lie down to rest. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no
one to gather them.’’ (Nah. 3:18)
Many modern leaders have also hit obstacles as they tried to form
and direct teams. Despite most employees’ expressed desires to be ‘‘part
of a real team,’’ many balk when actually asked to participate. When
asked which parts of Nestle’s approach to change most stymied people,
CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe answered:

You are going to be surprised—it’s collaboration. Many people like to
work in pyramid structures because pyramid structures are clear. But con-
tinuous improvement doesn’t really thrive in that kind of environment . . .
Frankly, this is the hardest for the people in middle management to accept.
They feel we are taking away their hierarchy, that they are losing power. 23

Brabeck-Letmathe adds that he is willing to work with those who
‘‘don’t know how’’ to collaborate. But those who refuse to work as a
team and to accept their place in the team have a limited future with
the organization.
Gordon Bethune of Continental echoes this sentiment. ‘‘The people
who evolved the culture here were from a culture that focused on fac-
tionalism,’’ he observes. ‘‘Me win. You lose. Most of those people
weren’t ready to play as team members. We had to make changes.’’ 24
Another leader who has historically been ‘‘team challenged’’ is Steve
Jobs. That would seem logical when you consider that here is a techni-
cal and intuitive genius who started out working solo in his garage. He
had little experience with corporate organizational life, whether hierar-
chical or team-oriented. ‘‘Jobs’s leadership didn’t allow for collabora-
tion,’’ notes industry colleague Charles B. Wang. ‘‘His colleagues
eventually suspended their own judgment when they entered what was
termed Jobs’s reality distortion field . . . Teamwork cannot be sustained
in an environment that shouts down naysayers. If your vision cannot
survive attack, it may not be worth defending.’’ 25
Because of Jobs’s drive and technical brilliance, he has received sec-
ond and third chances at managing teams—at Next, again at Apple, and
with other ventures. If Jobs’s skill at managing teams grows to the level