Such is the case in a leadership blog Tweeted
today by some well-meaning consultant-types. I won’t directly dispute the
suggestions here
about creating a stellar team.
It seems like the writer has the right ideas. I’m not a leadership expert (yet) but I have studied some of the seminal works, Blanchard and the like, and I think this article has a good mix of approaches.
It’s the metaphor with which I take issue.
When comparing two similar things, or when
using one to analyze another, it’s important to find the most accurate
metaphor. I don’t think these characteristics say “rock band:”
·
Have a clear vision and purpose.
·
Recruit star players / Find your team’s star power.
·
Help the team know their strengths and the strengths of others.
·
Let people play to their strengths.
·
Let them be stars.
I’m not a rock band expert, either; though we did live in Charlotte for two years with our sole occupation the promotion of Backyard Green. Never heard of them? Big surprise.
Without dissecting each of the items on the consultant’s list, I’ll just explain how the metaphor fails. It fails because
