The Organizational Health Advantage

Learn about the 'above the line, below the line' concept for effective teamwork and how it can be applied in meetings. Discover the importance of recognizing below the line behavior and fostering an above the line team culture.

In this episode, James and Keith identify 6 conversations that are essential for companies to have at the stage where high growth is expected in order to succeed at the next level. Especially during difficult economic times, these conversations are essential.

A truly great leader is one who has clear personal guiding principles and core values. As attested by many well-known leaders, one of the most critical values is Courage. James and Keith dive deep into what it means to have courage as a business leader; they discuss how vulnerability is so closely intertwined with courage and highlight simple (although not easy) ways that leaders can lead with courage.

Organizational Health transformation always starts at the Executive level, but there will not be true transformation unless the work cascades down through the organization. James and Keith make the case for doing the work to extend the Four Disciplines throughout an organization and look at three strategic groups of next-level leaders that Execs can empower to join them in this.

Leaders tend to make strategic plans at a comprehensive level, focusing on too many details about too many things. While this level of detail is important down the line, it should not be happening at the Exec level. In this episode Keith and James discuss the necessity of Focused Planning, and how this approach helps leaders find strength in simplicity.

Healthy conflict is a good thing for teams to engage in, because it allows an open-minded search for the best option. But how can Leaders move their team from Conflict to a Decision, that will then be executed fully by all? Join Keith and James as they walk through each part of this critical process. James shares a story of how The North Face exec team executed this perfectly.

Accountability. It is a key practice of High-Performing Teams, but, unfortunately, this word connotes something dramatic and uncomfortable for most people. In this episode, James and Keith set out to change this association around the word "accountability" with six simple mindset shifts, which they discuss in-depth in the context of real-life workplace stories.

The topic of meetings is one that most Exec teams struggle with, but it is one of the most important to get right to foster a productive and enjoyable team environment. Keith and James discuss how to use the Four Meeting Model to not only make meetings more effective and efficient, but more enjoyable. The two go in-depth on how to implement each of the four parts of the model, and tell stories of Exec teams that utilized different aspects successfully.

"Keith and James reveal the glue that really holds a team together, especially during the important transformation into a cohesive leadership team that has clarity around strategy and culture and succeeds in communicating that clarity. What does it mean for leaders to really "own" this process? What does it take to ensure that clarity is reinforced through all the human systems of a company? Leading a healthy organization is the one thing that a leader cannot delegate to anyone else."

James and Keith interview Todd Dauchy, CEO of SMA Technologies, about the mixed feelings that come with the immense responsibility of leading a team. It can feel lonely and stressful in important leadership roles; hear about the difficult decisions Todd made to create the team he needed in order to tackle hard issues, one-by-one, until the team and the company were healthy and thriving.