From Ryan Walter- LOGOS not Numbers!

LOGOS not NUMBERS

Is your team firing on all cylinders? Is your team having a blast doing it?

Over the last 45 seasons that I have been on teams of all levels, I have discovered that team dynamic always moves in one of two directions, either north-better, or south-worse. Teams never stay stagnant. A vibrant, exciting TEAM dynamic takes work, attention, and energy. Leaders who have great teams focus on creating and sustaining this dynamic because once the culture gets good, there is no guarantee that it will stay that way.

When I was coaching the Canadian National Women's Hockey Team at the World Championships in April, I introduced the phrase: LOGOS not NUMBERS. LOGOS not NUMBERS is my little metaphor to explain the importance of creating face-to-face conversations (logos) instead of behind the back negative talk (numbers). Leaders must be the first practitioners on their teams to adopt this policy. Increasing face-to-face conversations, starting from the top down, opens the TEAM dynamic to other potential positive change. If this foundational team piece is not in place first, however, not much else seems to work.

Practising LOGOS not NUMBERS is all about energy-focus and how it is specifically allocated. If I am upset or ambivalent about my team culture, then my energy will focus on my job and my opportunity (numbers) instead of pushing through to focus energy on what is good for the team (logos). Great team's talk to LOGOS, not NUMBERS and great leaders inspire their people to play for LOGOS, not NUMBERS.

I am reading a great book this week, Tribal Leadership by Dave Logan, which explains the 5 stages of culture and how leaders can migrate through each. His Stage 3 corresponds perfectly with my NUMBERS analogy because it is all about ME. I hold on to energy and information because these help my career. I'm great and you're not. My enemies are people inside our organization who could take away my opportunity to be better.

Logan's description of Stage 4 culture which forms around the foundation of shared values, is a perfect description of what I call a LOGOS culture. In Stage 4 "WE'" are great. Our enemy is another company or organization. We share time and information because we feel good about our team!

Moving from NUMBERS to LOGOS is the method of transition from Stage 3 to Stage 4.