"Tribal Leadership: Building High-Performing Teams" Carrie Kish, #ProductSF | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Learn about the Tribal Leadership framework and how it can help leaders create positive cultural change within their teams.

Key Insights

• 😤 Teams at higher stages of cultural development consistently achieve better results.
• 🤳 Stage one is characterized by a belief that life sucks and a focus on self-preservation.
• 💋 Stage two is marked by complaining and a sense of personal dissatisfaction.
• 😤 Stage three is about individual greatness but can create a sense of competition and superiority among team members.
• 😤 Stage four is characterized by collaboration, shared values, and a focus on the team's success.
• 😤 Stage five is an aspiration where teams focus on creating change that positively impacts the world.
• 👂 Upgrading from stage three to stage four requires listening for values, telling values embedded stories, and building triads based on values.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: What is Tribal Leadership?

Tribal Leadership is a framework that helps leaders assess and understand the culture and performance of their teams, enabling them to make improvements and achieve better results.

Q: How does the Tribal Leadership framework categorize teams?

Teams are categorized into different stages (from one to five) based on their beliefs, language, values, and level of collaboration. These stages reflect the overall mindset and culture of the team.

Q: What are the benefits of moving teams from one stage to another?

Moving teams to higher stages of cultural development leads to significant improvement in performance and results. Each higher stage brings about a 300 to 500% improvement over the previous stage.

Q: How can leaders use the Tribal Leadership framework to improve their teams?

Leaders can use the framework to assess their teams' current stage, identify areas for improvement, and implement strategies to move their teams to higher stages.

Summary

In this video, the speaker introduces the concept of tribal leadership and discusses different stages of tribes, ranging from stage one where life is seen as broken and individuals are isolated, to stage five where all of life is seen as great. The speaker explains the importance of understanding these stages and upgrading tribes to higher stages for better results and productivity. The speaker also provides tips on how to upgrade tribes from stage three to four and stage four to five.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is tribal leadership?

Tribal leadership is a framework that categorizes tribes into different stages based on their attitudes and behaviors. It helps analyze and upgrade tribes for better performance and productivity.

Q: How does tribal leadership affect results in organizations?

According to research conducted over eight and a half years, it was found that cultures or teams that perform at higher stages of tribal leadership get 300 to 500 percent improvement over the stage in front of it. This means that working towards higher stages of tribal leadership can lead to better results in organizations.

Q: What are the different stages of tribes in tribal leadership?

The stages of tribes in tribal leadership are:

• Stage one: Life is seen as broken and individuals are isolated.
• Stage two: Individuals complain about their lives and focus on personal difficulties.
• Stage three: Individuals have a sense of self-importance and competition with others.
• Stage four: The focus shifts to the team and values, leading to collaboration and excellence.
• Stage five: All of life is seen as great, and there is a greater focus on making a significant impact.

Q: What is the dark side of each stage in tribal leadership?

The speaker highlights that each stage has its dark side. For example, in stage one, individuals are willing to do whatever it takes to protect themselves, which can lead to extreme measures. In stage three, seeing oneself as great can imply that others are not, creating a sense of superiority and competition.

Q: How can tribes be upgraded from stage three to stage four?

To upgrade tribes from stage three to stage four, the speaker suggests the following:

• Listening for values and asking individuals about their values.
• Encouraging values-based storytelling to connect with others and create a common purpose.
• Building triads based on values, where individuals take responsibility for the relationships within the triad.
• Making decisions based on core values to create a values-driven culture.

Q: How can tribes be upgraded from stage four to stage five?

To upgrade tribes from stage four to stage five, the speaker recommends the following:

• Discovering what outrages the team and using that as a driving force for change.
• Identifying and upgrading the competition to push boundaries and innovate further.
• Creating time pressure and a sense of urgency to accomplish goals.
• Making history by focusing on initiatives that have the potential to change culture and have a lasting impact.

Q: How can individuals use tribal leadership to create positive change?

Individuals can use tribal leadership to create positive change by understanding the stages of tribes and actively working towards upgrading their tribes to higher stages. This can be done by fostering a culture of collaboration, focusing on values, and striving to make a significant impact.

Q: What are some examples of tribes and stages mentioned in the video?

In the video, the speaker mentions various tribes and stages, such as homeless people as an example of a stage one tribe, Enron as an example of a stage one working tribe, the NBA tribe as an example of a stage two tribe, and the PM tribe (product managers) as an example of a tribe in the room. The speaker also discusses the stages of tribes within the Star Wars universe.

Q: How does tribal leadership relate to product management?

Tribal leadership is relevant to product management as it provides a framework for understanding and improving team dynamics and productivity. By identifying the stage of a tribe, product managers can assess the team's mindset, communication, and collaboration, and make adjustments to foster a more effective and high-performing team culture.

Q: What are some potential challenges in moving from stage four to stage five?

One potential challenge in moving from stage four to stage five is the temptation to prioritize consensus and niceness over healthy competition and dissent. It's important to strike a balance and not limit the team's ability to innovate and give constructive feedback in the pursuit of consensus. Additionally, the fear of risking failure and the pressure to maintain excellence can also hinder progression to stage five.

Q: How can individuals access further resources on tribal leadership?

Individuals can access free tools and resources on tribal leadership by visiting the website culturesync.net/toolbox. They can also text "leadership" to 9600 to receive more information and stay in touch with the speaker.

Takeaways

Understanding and upgrading tribes to higher stages of tribal leadership can lead to better results and productivity in organizations. It is crucial to listen for values, encourage storytelling based on values, build triads, and make decisions based on core values. To move from stage four to stage five, it is important to discover and address outrage, upgrade competition, create time pressure, and focus on initiatives that can make history and have a significant impact. Individuals play a significant role in mentoring and educating others, and they should take the initiative to become mentors and support others on their journey.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Tribal Leadership is a framework that helps leaders assess and improve their teams' performance and culture.

• Research shows that teams at higher stages of cultural development experience significant improvement and better results.

• The framework classifies teams into different stages based on their beliefs, values, language, and level of collaboration.