Protecting the Greater Good

General Motors CEO Charles Wilson was quoted as saying “what was good for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa”.  As one of the nation’s largest employers in one of our largest industries, there is a good argument that Wilson was right – most of the time. But probably not all the time.

In a recent blog, I talked about two things that are table stakes for anyone to have a seat at the Leadership Team table. One of those is that the Leadership Team is their “primary team”. You see, most top business leaders are on two teams. One is the Leadership Team, the other is the department or division they lead. It is common for strong leaders to have tremendous loyalty to the teams they lead. Sometimes they feel they have to fight for what their team wants, often justifying it by paraphrasing Charles Wilson: “What’s good for my team is good for the company”. And that is true. Except when it isn’t.

Happily, it is a somewhat rare situation when what appears to be in the best interest of one department or team conflicts with the best interests of the company – but it happens. Every once in a while, hard business decisions need to be made. In these cases, everyone must fight for the Greater Good.

So what exactly IS the Greater Good? If this isn’t clear, it creates a vacuum and “silo-based thinking” will move into the void. That can get ugly. Silo-based thinking can pit department vs department, team vs team, and leader vs leader in a battle over scarce resources. This is the very definition of “office politics”. You might think it leads to a sad situation of winners and losers. Not so. If the Greater Good isn’t clear, or if leaders aren’t willing to fight for the Greater Good, EVERYONE loses in the long run.

In EOS, the definition of the Greater Good is crystal clear. Early in every EOS implementation, we answer eight simple questions that together define the company’s vision – where you are going and how you will get there.   As an EOS Implementer, my job is to facilitate all the members of the Leadership Team to a tight alignment – “no light between your shoulders” I like to say – on the answers to those eight questions. Once established, that vision – as documented in the company’s Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO) –  becomes the guiding star for the entire organization. The V/TO becomes the very definition of “Greater Good” for that company.

Once the vision is established then everyone in the company – not just leaders but every employee – must fight for the Greater Good. Because that is the only way to make the vision real. And companies that effectively execute on their vision are companies that thrive, to the benefit of all stakeholders including employees, customers, owners, and the community at large.

Another old adage says, “a rising tide floats all boats”. When everybody is fighting for the Greater Good, everybody wins.