Thinking small encourages another destructive behavior. Being conservative is safe, comfortable, and attracts little attention to poor individual performance. Using team-generated, conservative numbers makes it easy for an average performer to hide in the management crowd. With the current emphasis on using teams, it becomes easy for group dynamics to become a screen for limited individual thinking. Bold thinkers stand out in a crowd where the group norm is a safe, conservative approach to business goals.
Average thinkers also hide in that same crowd. But the blame for misusing a group doesn’t just rest on the individual. Much of it can be linked to the training and skills of those responsible for creating and leading those management teams. Seldom do senior managers have the necessary sophisticated group skills to create a total team of bold thinkers. The fine art of group dynamics is not taught as a part of our formal education. The average manager in corporate America cannot even run an effective meeting, the simplest demonstration of group dynamics skill. Why should we expect managers to be able to orchestrate, with virtuoso ability, the complex and intricate processes of humans interacting in business groups? Without group skills, team mentality at many organizations actually becomes a vehicle to encourage lackluster performance.
The antidote for timidity in planning is to think big and outside of the box. Consider the following planning techniques:
- Eliminate the use of “industry averages.” You should know what they are but not allow them to become the basis for performance or goal setting. To use them as benchmarks for higher performance is fine. Just don’t let them become de facto ceilings.
- Plan as a team. With effective team management you can create the synergy necessary to overcome the pitfalls of committees and other dysfunctional groups. By using team planning, you can tap into a wealth of intellectual capital that may be otherwise missed.