Unlocking Human Brilliance, Against All Odds

Last week marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission —a dramatic real-life example of human ingenuity and determination triumphing over technological failures and life-threatening challenges.

For those of us too young to remember (including myself, cough), after an oxygen tank explosion crippled their spacecraft en route to the Moon, three astronauts and their teams on Earth had to work together, devising creative solutions to survive in the limited lunar module for four days. Through incredible resourcefulness, problem-solving skills, and unwavering resilience, they overcame obstacles like power and oxygen depletion, carbon dioxide removal, and navigational difficulties. Despite the spacecraft's systems failing, the crew's remarkable teamwork, improvisation, and commitment to the mission enabled them to safely return to Earth, making Apollo 13 an iconic story of human brilliance triumphing against overwhelming odds.

Now, you might not work at NASA, SpaceX, or any other space-exploration organization. And your goals or risks might not quite live up to the significance of Apollo 13, ever!

But don’t let that limit your thinking. 

Regardless of what the stakes are for your team(s), there are three main ways you can look at tackling difficult problems and achieving success:

1. You can consider implementing powerful technology solutions. I certainly support that, especially since I’ve been in the SaaS world for the last decade. I understand the value that incredible technology can bring to organizations. 
2. You can seek to improve your processes, creating streamlined workflows. After 5+ years in manufacturing, surrounded by Continuous Improvement experts, I totally affirm the positive results that this approach can bring.
3. Or you can unlock the human brilliance within your organization. After all, people still leverage technology, and people still have to adhere to processes. At the end of the day, people are the only lever that will ultimately drive organizational success at the highest levels.

Hubert Joly, former CEO of Best Buy, writes about this concept in his book The Heart of Business, calling it “Unleashing Human Magic.”

Whether you like “Unleashing Human Magic,” “Unlocking Human Brilliance,” or a similar phrase, it’s pretty clear that people are crucial to business success.

This brings us back to the question of how to improve organizational results and whether you are focusing more on technology and processes, or on people. 

It’s easy to say you’re focused on “people” because you want to mean that at a heart level. But could you defend that if pressed further? How are you focusing on your people? Are you just trying to pay people more? Pay will get people in the door, but it won’t keep them there if your culture is lacking. Is your kombucha bar really going to keep them engaged? The ping pong table? The casual Friday attire?

Gallup statistics show that 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by the manager. That means you can focus on literally every other area of your business, adding incredible technology, improving all your processes, and paying everybody above-average wages, but if you’re not investing heavily in improving the daily deliverable of great leadership at scale, you’re wasting your time and resources.

Unlocking human brilliance against all odds, and unleashing human magic across your organization requires investing in the only resource that matters: your people. 

"70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by the manager"

-Gallup

Today, can I urge you to start with your managers, your leaders? They are probably only 10% of your company, but they touch 100% of the entire organization every single day. 

• Do they know how to build authentic relationships? 
• Do they know how to create a growth-focused organization, helping their teams innovate?
• Do they understand the importance of (and how to have) difficult, uncomfortable conversations with their employees about performance, behavior, etc.? 

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you’re not alone. Most folks feel the same way.  And that means a lot of great talent is being underutilized.

As John Boudreau reminds us, leaders need to recognize the boundless value employees bring and then set that in motion through tools and frameworks like training, mentoring and empowering people to play to their strengths.

But what can you do today to help your leaders get there? Perhaps it’s as easy as offering training on Uncomfortable Conversations (our latest soft skills leadership course) to equip them for tough discussions that help employees improve performance. Maybe you start with an inspiring offsite with your CHRO, involving leaders in  the future you’re building. Maybe it’s something else.

But take action.

70% of everything that matters starts with your managers.

Unlock Human Brilliance, starting today. 

Listen to the full episode at frontlineindustrypodcast.com