Leading with "AND" - (Part 5: Getting to "Win-Win")

Societies dictate our over-arching norms and way of life. Some could argue in certain countries governments do the dictating. In any case, both of these entities (potentially interchangeable in certain cases) determine the cultural vectors including diversity, inclusion, and problem resolution.

Organizations that operate throughout society (for-profit and not-for-profit entities) influence how people interact and approach each other by how they are organized and how they behave and operate internally and externally. Obviously, inclusion and diversity are major topics in each boardroom and conference room (or Zoom call) today. How does that manifest itself into effective decision-making and good corporate governance?

It makes good business sense for your staff to reflect your customer base. It is obvious that it makes your product or services or even corporate mission more relatable and accessible. It also makes good sense to arrive at the best solutions by having the most diverse team possible making those decisions.

When I think of diversity, it means diverse in all ways and means: Whether it be experience, demographics, ethnicity, geography, personality, gender, sexual orientation – the number of different perspectives that can be brought to strategic thinking, problem-solving and planning, the better.

In order to leverage that diversity, it is critical that any brainstorming or strategic thinking be facilitated professionally to ensure opinions and perspectives are shared in an unobstructed, unbiased way. Ideas and solutions should be heard, considered, and potentially synthesized to create the ultimate plan. There are opportunities to build on seemingly disparate ideas, stitch them together with the power of "AND" instead of the stultifying "OR". It is imperative to look for ways to incorporate as many ideas as possible into a new direction. The complexity of today’s problems demands an equally complex, multi-faceted response and plan to resolve.

“I didn’t lose the gold. I won the silver.”

?Michelle Kwan, U.S. Figure Skater, Olympic Medalist

Competition sharpens every participant. It helps propel us to greater heights and forces us to dig deeper and think harder than we thought possible. It pushes us beyond what we once thought were boundaries. No doubt if a company is not growing or fails to offer a compelling product or service that can be sold profitably then there is no reason for being in business.

This idea of a binary outcome to problems, strategies, and negotiations seems outdated and simple-minded. I believe any successful, long-term solution to tough negotiations is deemed as "Win-Win". The approach that should be taken heading into business transactions, contract negotiations, and merger contemplations is one where the outcome needs to work for both sides and where both sides feel good about what they have achieved and what the ultimate outcome and future looks like. The notion that someone must lose (other than in a sporting context) in every interaction is not productive and tends to become corrosive over time. Leading with "AND" is the mindset of "Win-Win" – where both parties have a chance at becoming better off after the fact, with a new paradigm, than they were prior. The important point is that each party needs to maintain this philosophy from the outset right through to completion.

The American aesthetic has always been more about “Win-Lose” propositions than “Win-Win” ones. A case in point is the enormously popular pursuit of sports and athletics. You either win or you don’t. Coaches always fire up their teams by eliciting the “nobody ever remembers who finished in second place” speech (let alone top 10). Jack Welch’s strategy, when he took over as CEO of General Electric in the mid-8o’s, was that any industry in which his business operated, GE’s business unit needed to be either #1 or a close second in market share or he exited the business (which he followed through on).

The Olympic ideals are different. Competing in them is the main objective and while they do give out gold medals for first place, they also hand out medals for second and third. The Olympic ideal is rooted in doing the best you can, competing hard, demonstrating good sportsmanship win or lose, and achieving personal bests. The Olympics represent the very best of athletics globally and practice the concept of “AND” not “OR”. There is more to competition and decision-making than “Win-Lose” or win at all costs. Corporations can certainly adopt more of the Olympic ideals in their approach to markets, talent, and sustained success over the long term in order to garner more “Win-Win” outcomes.

Lloyd A. Perlmutter is Founder/President of Veritas Advisory, LLC and has been leading and advising organizations for over 35 years. Call 248-794-9673 to have a meaningful and powerful conversation.