Page 3 - The Leadership Line: October 2023

Team Response: Resilience and Dedication
Receiving this feedback was a difficult and disheartening moment for the REPS team.
However, the team strongly believed that the sponsor’s perception did not accurately
reflect the dedication and effort they had put into the project. Instead of letting
disappointment take over, they decided to channel their energy into finding a solution.

The Most Challenging Part: Maintainin Focus
The most challenging aspect of this experience was maintaining the team’s focus
on successfully delivering the project despite the sponsor’s negative perception. It
required a significant amount of resilience and determination from every member of
the project team. Doubts and frustrations were natural, but the team refused to waiver
in their commitment to the project’s objectives.
Lesson Learned: The Importance of Resilience and Core Values
This experience taught Tom’s team a valuable lesson on multiple fronts. Firstly, it
emphasized the importance of remaining resolute in the pursuit of project objectives,
even in the face of external perceptions that suggested otherwise. Secondly, it
underscored the significance of adhering to their core values as a guiding principle
in every action they took. The team remained accountable for the factors within their
control, communicated effectively to collaborate and solve problems, and offered
mutual support to each other and the sponsor.

Outcome: Success Through Adherence to Core Values
In the end, the team’s dedication paid off. Despite the initial setbacks and challenges,
they successfully delivered the project. This experience served as a valuable lesson in
how they approach projects during execution, especially those they did not initiate.
Most importantly, it reinforced their belief that using their core values as a guiding
principle ensures their progress toward becoming their customers’ most trusted service
provider.

Conclusion:
The REPS sector led by Tom Clark faced a significant challenge when a project
fell short of client expectations. However, through resilience, dedication, and a
commitment to their core values, they overcame adversity and delivered success. This
case study serves as a testament to the importance of maintaining focus, adhering to
core values, and never giving up, even when faced with unexpected obstacles.

Creating a Fail-Safe Environment
Creating a fail-safe environment is essential for fostering innovation and learning
from failures. In today’s workplaces, employees often feel anxious about speaking up
and sharing concerns, questions, or ideas due to low levels of psychological safety. As
managers, you can promote psychological safety by:

1. Embracing Trial and Error: Encourage your team to try new things with the
understanding that some will fail. Accepting trial and error means accepting that
errors are a natural part of growth.

2. Making Failure Survivable: Ensure that the consequences of failure are
manageable and that individuals and teams are not unduly punished for honest
mistakes.

3. Measuring Progress: Establish clear metrics to measure your progress and
maintain an open dialogue with your team, both when things are working and
when they are not.
(Source: Tim Harford, Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure)