A Canine Analogy

A successful entrepreneur once broke down the art of team building for me this way:

Imagine you are walking a group of dogs on separate leashes.  You, the dog walker, know the direction you are guiding each of the individual dogs.  The dogs, on the other hand, are most likely oblivious to where you are taking them.  If you take a dog off their leash, will he continue with the pack, or will he run away?  If you slow down, will the dogs slow down with you?  When you need to speed up, make a turn, or get over a hill, is everyone moving together?

Now, I’m not suggesting you refer or treat your team as animals, but it’s an interesting way to think about team building.  As a manager, each person or division of your team should have a strategic idea of where you are taking them.  If you take them off the leash, will they move in the strategic direction towards the big idea of your company?  When there is a hurdle, is everyone on the same page?  Do you have the ability to walk away, and still keep business moving?

Marketing, finance, public relations, human resources, research, etc.  It can be difficult to keep everyone together, and even more difficult to keep everyone moving when you step away.

You understand the direction, but does everyone else?

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