Far too often, it's the leaders who can't get the ball across the goal line.

"WHY? Why does this continue to happen?" is the question that seems to be asked every season. No matter how many times it happens. No matter how many times people talk about it. No matter what...it still happens. Players drop the ball before crossing the goal line!

Leaders drop the ball too, even after being warned repeatedly.

When it comes to cultural transformation, too many leaders are dropping the ball!!

Imagine the leader being the football player running with the ball in the video above.

The ball represents the leader's team that needs be carried through the cultural transformation. Without the leader to carry the team, the team isn't going anywhere.

The leader carries the team down the field which represents the cultural transformation journey within the organization... moving from where they are to where they want to be.

The goal line represents success, a self-sustaining high impact culture from top to bottom and left to right.

High impact leaders never drop the ball. They hang on tight and protect the ball, ensuring their team makes it across the goal line.

Initially, the leader picks up the ball (starts leading the team through the transformation) and starts heading toward the goal line. Then, as they begin making their way down the field, at some point they drop the ball (stop leading the team through transformation).

The video above provides a great visual illustration of what Ria Story and I witness over and over and over again when we're invited into an organization by a leader with a desire to transform his/her organization. They always want and need our help. That's why we get the invite. They don't feel they can do it alone. Or, they don't want to do it alone and want to accelerate the cultural transformation within their organization.

Here's an extremely simplified version of how it most often plays out:

1. Leaders invite us in to help them kick-off cultural transformation because they know they need it, and they know they, their team, and their organization will benefit from it.
2. The leader starts out strong. We repeatedly advise them they are the key to making it happen, they must remain engaged, and they must maintain a slow and steady "drip" of workforce and leadership development internally to continue the transformation. We show them how to do it and demonstrate how simple it is. Doing it is not hard at all. Doing it consistently and continuously on a small scale is very hard for many leaders. We communicate this type of development never ends. Note: They also read "Blue-Collar Leadership & Culture: The 5 Components for Building High Performance Teams" and fully understand the BIG picture. Many bring us in to teach content to their leadership team and workforce. Some facilitate book studies . Those who get the best results do both.
3. Then, they encounter some level of resistance right out of the gate and push through it with the momentum they generated at the start with the support of all of those who bought-in early. Their success in overcoming the initial resistance energizes them and provides hope to those who are already on board. Those on board begin to truly believe, "This might actually stick! It's not just another program of the month initiative."
4. Ultimately, the leader drops the ball. Most often within the first 6 months to 2 years. The leader, who was once more fired up and energized than anyone, allows the momentum to slip away without doing anything about it. When this happens, the cultural transformation is over. Those who were truly bought-in will likely leave the organization at some point in the future as they search of a better leader and/or become bitter toward their leaders for dropping the ball. These "A" players want what they were promised...to be part of a high performance, character-based team. Those who remain in the organization will eventually drift back to where they were before the cultural transformation started. The organization slowly, and sometimes quickly, resets to what it was before the latest "program of the month" was introduced.

When the leader drops the ball, what could have been true cultural transformation becomes just another "program of the month" initiative.

The worst leaders cast blame and accuse their teams of dropping the ball. However, their teams were never carrying the ball. The leader is the only one who carries this ball.

If the ball is dropped, it is the leader who dropped it.

Why do leaders drop the ball?

Short Answer: Leaders who drop the ball were never fully committed. They were simply interested and hoped the transformation would just happen somehow without them having to remain involved long term.

Longer Answer:

Just as football players are coached to maintain control of the ball until the goal line is crossed, we coach many leaders to do the same when it comes to cultural transformation.

• We don't want leaders to drop the ball.
• We don't want to lead the transformation; we want to be a resource supporting the leader.
• We want the leader to lead the transformation.
• We don't want the leader's best team members to leave the organization.
• We don't want to see the leaders lose trust with their team members.

The team members who want cultural transformation within the organization don't want the leader to drop the ball. They want the leader to take the ball across the goal line. They want the leader to make it happen!

Ria and I can't lead the transformation because we are only on site for limited amounts of time. The top leader can do whatever they want. If they want to lead the transformation and take the ball across the goal line, they can. If they want to drop the ball (stop leading the transformation) and head in another direction, they can. And unfortunately, many do exactly that.

Ria and I try to prevent the leader from dropping the ball by telling them stories of other leaders who initially had a great vision of what their organization could and should be. We tell them how those leaders eventually dropped the ball and what happened. (Note: We don't tell their names or the names of their organizations). We explain to them what I'm discussing in this newsletter.

If you're currently leading a cultural transformation or get an opportunity to do it in the future, "Don't let this happen to you."

You've likely already witnessed leaders dropping the ball in your career. Don't be one of them.

Reasons Leaders Drop the Ball

There are many reasons why leaders drop the ball.

Here are a few to consider:

• They don't want to work endlessly and relentlessly on transforming themselves (modeling what they are asking everyone else to do). They want their teams to learn and grow, but the leader isn't willing to do it themselves. They simply aren't willing to pay the price themselves.
• They can't overcome the resistance because they haven't developed themselves enough. Instead of looking in the mirror and taking responsibility for their lack of leadership ability, they look out the window and blame those who are resisting. These leaders don't have what it takes to improve or remove the toxic team members. So, the toxic team members maintain a greater level of influence within the organization which derails the leader.
• When they see things getting better, they falsely believe the momentum will sustain itself. (This is the most common reason.) Then, the leaders disengage, stop leading the transformation, and focus on managing the transformation from a distance. They don't fully understand that cultural transformations aren't self sustaining. Someone must always lead.
• They aren't willing to model what they expect from others. They want others to engage with the process but aren't willing to be fully engaged themselves. They prefer to manage their way through cultural transformation from a distance instead of getting in the middle of it and leading their team through cultural transformation. Cultural transformation requires high impact leadership at every level.
• They give up because cultural transformation takes too long. These leaders were never truly committed. If they were truly committed, they wouldn't have dropped the ball. Many leaders approach cultural transformation for financial reasons. They want to be more profitable. These leaders usually give up the quickest because they don't see an immediate return.

Don't drop the ball!

When a leader drops the ball, the high impact, character-centered people know they now have a leader that isn't worth following.

Don't be that leader!

If you initiate cultural transformation, follow through. Stick with it. Lead your team until you retire or resign. If you have a team, lead the team.

Know these truths relative to cultural transformation:

• Self-development never ends.
• Workforce development never ends.
• Leadership development never ends.
• Cultural transformation never ends.

When it comes to cultural transformation, you're either growing or slowing.

Are you thinking about transforming your culture or enhancing your culture?

If your company culture isn’t a competitive advantage, it’s a competitive disadvantage.

Blue-Collar Leadership??& Culture: The 5 Components for Building High Performance Teams ?features content specifically for the top leader who has never led a cultural transformation but is curious to find out what will be required, what to do, and how to do it.

Want to help your team perform at the next level and above?

Then, you can't drop the ball! They're counting on you to help them get better. Check out the video below to watch a preview of our 7.5 hour online "Blue-Collar Leadership & Culture" course. Learn more about our online Blue-Collar Leadership Academy.

“My first words are, GET SIGNED UP! This training is not, and I stress, not your everyday leadership seminar! I have never been a part of anything like it. After 30 years in technology and two years in Concrete Construction, I have attended dozens and sent hundreds to the so-called ‘Leadership-Training.’ I can tell you that while all of the courses, classes, webinars, and seminars, had good intentions, nothing can touch what Mack and Ria Story provide. I just wish I had it 20 years ago…I could go on-and-on…100% of the team that attended said that they were ‘blown-away, they did not see that conviction and passion coming.’ Many thanks, Mack and Ria!” ~ Sam McLamb, VP, CMP

We specialize in quickly increasing engagement by connecting with your team, facilitating improved communication, creating an atmosphere of teamwork, and increasing your team’s productivity.

The result: increased profit, improved morale, and reduced turnover.

Blue-Collar Leadership? books , development programs , and online training courses are uniquely designed leadership development training and content specifically created to engage and develop the Blue-Collar front line workforce, those who lead them, and those who support them.

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The result:?higher engagement, improved trust and culture, improved morale, increased retention, reduced turnover, and increased number of high impact team players who want to work in your organization.

In short, learn how to become the Sought-After Employer of Choice!

Mack Story spent many years in the blue-collar workforce, starting his career working as a front line machine shop operator. Later in his career, he logged over 11,000 hours leading hundreds of leaders and their teams through process improvement, leadership development, organizational change, and cultural transformation, both as an employee and as an independent consultant.

Ria Story started her career working as a waitress while earning her GED and going to community college at night. She pursued a career in the healthcare industry, eventually earning her MBA and serving as the Director of Corporate Compliance for a hospital. She now has over 20 years of experience in leadership and management.