The Trojan Horse of Team Effectiveness

Imagine you’re a Trojan. ??

I’m not saying you need to be a kilted warrior with an iron shield and bone-handled sword (unless that’s your thing). It’s fine if you’re just keeping to yourself as a regular citizen of Troy. It’s the era of ancient Greece, so you’ll have to go back a few thousand years for this, give or take. I know, that’s pretty nonspecific but that segment of history has a lot of maybes, probablies, and somewhere-arounds. So, work with me here. ?

You live on the northern coast of what is now Turkey, along the shores of the Black Sea. Troy (today, Hisarlik) has chilly sweater weather in winter, but summers are amazing, food is terrific (lots of fish and meat) and the sunshine and still-healthy ozone means your complexion looks great. With a lively trade exchange and decent art scene, your hometown could be much worse, which you are about to learn. ?

Having been at war with Greece for "somewhere around" a decade, you and your fellow Trojans are battle weary, so you’re overjoyed when news comes that the war is over. And the good news doesn’t end there. Troy has been gifted with a massive wooden horse, said to be a blessing from the gods, which has been proudly rolled through the fortress gates and now occupies most of the town square. ?

Sadly, this is where the story ends for you. But in death you and your fellow Trojans have become an eternal metaphor for concealing intent. And it’s that theme – concealing intent – I’ll ask you to keep in mind as you imagine a slightly less hostile scenario. ?

Now, imagine you’re a C-suite executive. ?

I’m not saying you need to wear a tailored business suit or occupy a plush corner office on the umpteenth floor of a corporate tower. You’re back in modern times, so it’s fine if you work remotely a couple days a week, have lots of Zoom meetings, and are simply busy trying to lead your company through today’s assortment of opportunities and challenges. ?

Having been fighting to gain advantage over ever-more-formidable competitors, you and your teammates are feeling intense pressure. Winning has become exceptionally difficult, but you have adapted your strategy and you’re confident that the plan will work if you all step up and perform. ?

So, you’re a bit skeptical when you receive an email from your CEO announcing a two-day senior team off site “at which we will focus on teamwork." There isn’t much more detail, except reference to the fact that “we are a strong team, and we can continue to enhance our effectiveness." ??

You’ve heard about these kinds of events and been through some yourself. You’re hoping this isn’t one of those “close-your-eyes-and-fall-backward-into-the-arms-of-your-teammates” kinds of events. You bristle at the thought of an over-exuberant facilitator asking you to be “vulnerable” as you relate a scarring childhood experience or to “show empathy” as a colleague discloses a deeply personal fear. You hate those touchy-feely events, and feel they have no place in the C-suite. You’re not cold-hearted, but not here, and not now. You’re pretty sure your teammates feel the same way. ?

So, it comes as some relief when the (only mildly exuberant) facilitator, in a pre-session interview, shares that “we won’t be doing any of those kinds of activities."?He assures you that this teamwork event will focus on business issues and challenges and dig into the immovable obstacles that have inhibited efficiency. ?

?The event itself kicks off with rich discussions that cement the team’s alignment. A relaxed vibe has settled in when the facilitator leads an exercise in which you and your colleagues are each spotlighted, one by one. He asks each of you to share your team’s top objectives for the current year, and the obstacles that are making it difficult for you to achieve them. ??

After each leader outlines their objectives and challenges, but before moving on to the next leader, the facilitator asks the group, “What do you appreciate most about this leader’s contributions to the team?”??

When it’s your turn, you feel a little self-conscious as your colleagues begin listing your strengths – the behaviors and characteristics they appreciate about you and your leadership. But more than that, you’re struck by their recognition of your uniqueness. There are even remarks that surprise you. You hadn’t been aware that people noticed those things about you. Each of your teammates has a moment just like yours. ??

And the Trojan Horse rolls into the town square. ?

The next day, the group moves on and begins discussing several frustrating points of organizational stagnation. The dialogue heats up. Questions emerge about why goals were not achieved. Long silences precede candid remarks about regrettable things that were said, conversations that were mishandled, and some that didn’t happen when they should have. ?

You notice something different about this conversation. The hearts of the issues are being exposed more than ever before, but people aren’t making accusations. No one is being attacked. Leaders are instead volunteering aspects of their own behavior that were less than ideal. You take note of comments:?

“I can say right now that I didn’t handle that like I should have.”?

“That situation exposed a weakness of mine.”?

“I should have asked for help much sooner.”?

“I need to apologize to you.”?

After over an hour of dialogue about these crucial organizational efforts and why they faltered, the CEO remarks,?“We’ve just broken through years of being stuck on these issues.”??

Then, a comment from a colleague,?“If we hadn’t had the conversation about our challenges and strengths yesterday, we never could have been this vulnerable.”?

And there was that word: vulnerable. A word that you and most of your colleagues would have regarded as useless in the C-suite, rolled into the offsite event like a Trojan Horse, hidden by operational objectives and tactical challenges. ?

Now let’s take a break from imagination. ?

This scenario reflects actual events that recently took place with a senior team. The quotes are real and many of our clients have encountered similar breakthroughs. Had we telegraphed the intent to target vulnerability or spent too much time highlighting trust building and empathy, we likely never would have been hired. ?

Of course, ironically, it was these words that were used most often to describe the value that the team took from the event. Only through the Trojan Horse of annual objectives, obstacles, strengths, and individual uniqueness did those factors become currency to the team. And perhaps even more noteworthy, only after each leader felt fully recognized and seen by their peers were they able to candidly discuss their most difficult team challenges. ?

Many senior teams are unable to appreciate the value of vulnerability, trust, and empathy until after their effects on team performance have occurred. This team discovered that vulnerability does not weaken a team. Instead, along with trust and empathy, it unleashes the most potent problem-solving impulses and behaviors. But until that discovery takes place, it can sometimes be useful to cleverly conceal the intent to create opportunities for these precious assets to penetrate the C-suite. ?

And so, after "somewhere around" three thousand years, the Trojan Horse still works from time to time.

?I hope the horses in your town square are bursting with energy, insight, and progress. Please share what you’ve learned. And thanks for sharing your time with us. ?