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Can a team thrive without a designated captain?

My initial response was no until I heard Adam Grant detailing the Butler Way on a recent episode of Work Life.

Most college basketball fans remember Butler University’s miraculous back-to-back final four appearances in 2010 and 2011. These runs were not supposed to happen as Butler was a major underdog against powerhouses like Syracuse, Michigan State, and Florida. Yet somehow, some way, those teams found a way to win until finishing runner-up to two other powerhouses in consecutive National Championship games (Duke and Connecticut).

But did you know that Butler did not have a team captain for any of these runs? “Everyone is a captain,” explained former Butler Head Coach Brad Stevens on the podcast. “Everyone is empowered to make decisions, and everyone is held accountable.”

On the surface, nothing is shocking about this statement. It is something regurgitated in various platforms, and especially in business books. But most organizations have a pecking order. So while the teams may nod in agreement that they’re “one team,” and that “every opinion matters,” in practice this is not so. In fact, most organizations have a leader with a title, and that person’s opinion holds more sway.

The amazing thing is that basketball is the same way! It is a “star’s game.” Arguably, no other team sport can be more impacted by a superstar, which is why we know the biggest stars by their first names: Kareem, Magic, Kobe, Lebron, and Michael. Yet even though this is the prevailing culture for basketball, Stevens implemented the “Butler Way” where everyone was together, and on the same level. There was no star hierarchy: The freshman could call out the senior, and the senior listened instead of silencing the ignorant bench-warmer. Everyone, as Stevens detailed, was held accountable.

Teamwork alone did not get them to back-to-back final four appearances, so I am not arguing that talent is meaningless. After all, Butler’s 2010 team featured Gordon Hayward, a future 2017 NBA

All-Star. Yet even still, the team embraced the “Butler Way,” and by almost every account over-achieved to become back-to-back national runner-ups.

What amazes me about the “Butler Way” is twofold.

For one, Stevens clearly communicated the message to the team, and held everyone accountable. I can say that confidently because of the success the Butler team had each year. If that team was not being held accountable, they simply would not have made it as far as they did.

Second, it is apparent that the team was humble enough to buy-in to Coach Steven’s vision. The lack of a captain would not have worked any other way. Mass chaos would have ensued the first time the team lost a big game.

I do not know if the “Butler Way” makes sense for your organization.

What I do know, however, is that regardless of how you choose to set up your organization, it won’t be successful without you—the leader—holding people accountable, or without your followers buying-in to the structure.

That’s what made the “Butler Way” so special…

Admittedly, this post is a departure from normal. But from time to time, I want to bring some awareness to important issues. More than awareness, I hope these posts challenge conventional thinking and spur some to take action. If we are leaders, we need to use our influence to improve the livelihoods of others.

Catherine Hoke is a leader who gets this.  And her story has recently been challenging me.  She is the founder of Defy Ventures, an organization of volunteers who work to provide leadership training and character development for incarcerated people she calls Entrepreneurs in Training (EITs).  In her book A Second Chance, she tells the story of serving pizza at one of Defy Ventures’ EIT graduations. This, on the surface, is hardly worthy of a story.  But one detail makes the story that follows an unforgettable one.

Hoke had no idea that eating pizza is forbidden in prisons.

Hoke goes on in the book to share the mistake she made (allowing volunteers to eat pizza in front of EITs after the EITs passed the pizza out), the drama of “Pizza Gate” that followed, and an unbelievable display of public accountability and forgiveness. These two chapters, located in the middle of the book, are breathtaking and worth the price of the book.

And at the very beginning of it, is a line that wrecked me: “One of our EITs had not had pizza in 30 years.”

I was listening to the book in the car on Audible when I heard this line and almost drove off the road.

At first I got angry.

What a stupid rule, I thought! They’re human beings! It doesn’t matter what they did in the past. They’ve just worked hard in an Entrepreneurs in Training program and should be allowed to have a piece —ONE FRICKING PIECE—of pizza!

And then I fought back tears.

I didn’t cry—God forbid if Steve saw me me crying when he got out of his car to go into the office last Wednesday morning!

But, I felt the urge.

Do we really live in a world where people go away and don’t eat pizza for 30 plus years?

Really?

Here is the deal…

I am not arguing that some people do not deserve to be behind bars for the mistakes they have made. After all, I believe every action has a consequence. Having said that, I unapologetically believe in the worth of every human being because I believe in a Savior that died for every one of us.

Every. One. Of. Us.

More than that, it is apparent in listening to Hoke’s book, knowing a friend who went away for a time, and reading other books on this subject matter, that our prison system is completely broken. Recidivism —the rate in which individuals return to prison upon release—is alarmingly high.

There are also serious injustices.

At the risk of alienating even more of you, it is apparent that a disparity between races exists in terms of prison sentencing.

It is uncomfortable to write that last statement.

I even have friends who disagree.

But being a leader is about being uncomfortable. Especially, when there is an injustice.

I don’t know what my next move here is. Maybe I need to get involved in our church’s prison ministry? Maybe I need to financially support Defy Ventures?

I don’t know.

But I know this is a big deal.

I know I am not okay with someone not being allowed to have one piece of pizza after 30 years.

I know I am for justice, and advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves.

I also respect your right in this country to disagree with me on this issue.

Unlike our current political debate, I won’t vilify you.

Just know that I felt strongly enough about this to write this post.

Every human being matters.

Every last one of them.

Even the ones behind bars.

(Note: I have written before about the power of language.  Hoke intentionally calls the inmates in her program Entrepreneurs in Training in order to convey her belief in them and to affect the way they see themselves—as human beings with a successful future.  In this post, I intentionally did not use the word “prisoner.”  I dislike using the word because when I say it, it seems to connote a distance between me and that person and even a sense that the incarcerated person is below me.

And frankly speaking, I do not like feeling that way towards others, thus I remind myself of everyone’s dignity by calling them human beings.)

I just finished eating some yogurt on an airplane ride to the Plastic News Executive Forum. Even though I really like this particular brand of yogurt, it will forever be tied to some bittersweet memories for me.

As a sales person a few years ago, I came in runner-up in a project this yogurt company was launching. It was a a difficult loss because we really believed in the project and believed it would take off. Besides the business component, I am a fan of the company and wanted to be part of its supply chain. To make matters worse, we had also recently finished second in another yogurt project with a different brand. It was a rough stretch for my self-confidence.

At about this time, our sales team was undergoing some changes. As the newly appointed hiring manager, I wanted to improve the talent (i.e. get people who were better than me into sales positions!). Enter Tammy. She does not take no for an answer, which makes me feel sorry for her husband and kids. Kidding aside, she lectured me that we were going to continue to pursue the second project that got away. And two years later, she—along with our “change-over team” —had realized that dream.

With growth comes expansion, so it was time to hire again. One of the readers of this blog, Roger, suggested that I talk to Lee. So a few days after New Years Eve, I flew to New Jersey and met with him. I told him that I wanted him to challenge my (and our company’s) assumptions, help us build our proprietary product line, and grow relationships in the pouch space. He has exceeded expectations on all fronts.

Joel is better than most at having crucial conversations with customers. Patricia does things most sales people dread doing, and does them with humility and excellence. Marion is constantly considering ways to push the organization to get better, and his energy tires us all! Pete and Kevin both have unyielding tenacities, and relentlessly pursue new opportunities in difficult markets. Mike very humbly goes about his business, and always brings positive energy to the conversations I have with him.

And Jack…well, he’s just Jack! But, his guidance has deeply impacted me in more ways I can adequately count here.

All of these people are older than I am.  (Sorry!)

All of these people are better at sales than I am.

And I am incredibly grateful for their humility and pursuit of excellence.

Down the path comes Drew, Justin, and possibly some of the entrepreneurial students I spoke to recently at Loyola, or Judson! (When are we getting together again?)

If they have the drive — Drew and Justin do — they, too, will also be better.

This is THE pursuit of leadership.

Always hire up. Always hire people that are better, or can become better.

It is humbling.

And that’s because it is leadership.

Can you imagine having a job where your entire role revolves around dealing with stressed out, and often, very irritated customers? Where basically everyone complains about all that is wrong, and expects you to fix the issue?

This is the everyday reality of most airline gate agents. As I witnessed recently, they often get to see the worst in human behavior. Yet much of the complaints they field (delays, status upgrade denials, and other first-world problems) are outside their ability to resolve.

One of the biggest frustrations most leaders share with me is somewhat similar to the situation above: team members show up at their “counter,” point out all that is wrong with the company, and then expect the leader to fix the problem without having to take action themselves!

One of our most important jobs as leaders is to first create a culture open to all kinds of feedback. So as irritating as negative feedback is, it is preferable to silence, and actually a positive sign as it relates to the culture of the organization.

Unlike an airline gate agent, however, a leader has power, or at least influence, to make change possible. Resolving the problem is of extreme importance, but the leader shouldn’t always do this on their own.  In fact, the other person often can have a role to play in solving whatever problem they have brought to light.

An organization with a culture open to feedback will only thrive with a second component. Every leader must also aim to create a culture of mutual accountability and support. We need to make our “gate agents” into leaders with influence and power. We need to help our team members know that they, too, have the ability to address the problem they see. This may mean that we need to support them, even defend their view when we think it is the right one, and be present when others inside the organization push back against them.

And the organization will push back when they perceive the feedback is coming from someone who doesn’t have the title. (On a personal note, this reality really gets me going.  Truth is truth; I don’t give a rip where it comes from, nor the “title” of the person sharing it. All I care about is whether the idea or feedback has merit. Often I find people won’t even consider the feedback’s truthfulness, however, unless it comes from someone with a fancy acronym in their title. How foolish!)

Imagine if a leader at the airline had the “back” of the airline gate agent when they waived a fee or helped a stranded passenger get home earlier than expected? (That scenario sadly sounds too good to be true anymore.)

How delighted would the customer be?

How empowered would the gate agent feel?

How satisfied with their day’s work?

To be sure, the leader is always – or should always be – the “extreme owner.” Even so, they need to teach their followers that they also have a role in solving whatever issue they bring to light.

In a true team environment, everyone plays a role in improving the organization!

It was the last leg of a very long day flying home from Asia. All that was left was a “fast” 4.5 hour flight from San Francisco to Chicago. I could smell home.

“Does your company let you fly business class?” Asked the guy sitting next to me.

“No, we don’t fly business class for these trips because it is hard to justify the extra cost,” I said emphasizing the WE.

“Those people must be a-holes,” the guy said next.

I said with a chuckle, “yes, they kind of are.

Oh, if he only knew! Haha!

But it got me thinking: What’s the purpose of business class tickets, expensive office furniture, or other extraneous business expenses?

Do any of these add value to your customers? Do any improve their livelihoods?

Now I am not saying that if you splurge for business seats on your next international flight you automatically value customers less than I do. That would be a false assumption.

Rather, I am challenging you to think about what you’re spending your money on. For instance, I paid around 1K for my coach seat on the way to Asia, where business class seats were priced around 6K. For that difference, we as a company can invest in many different things, like a new unit tool for a new product, that may solve a customer need.

As relaxing as sitting in business class may be, it won’t have that kind of effect on the future.

The point here is what do you really value?

Putting the customer first should change everything, including where you sit on an airplane.

(And kudos to the road warriors whose business class seats have been earned through status upgrades! Good things tend to come to those who hustle, don’t they?)