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Teams of disagreeable people

by | Mar 20, 2019 | Open Leadership

Breakdown Recovery

Team : “a group of disagreeable people aligned around a common intention”

Travis Carson, Market Force Global

This week I have been writing around Collaborative Leadership, with “Golf Trips and Collaborative Leadership” and “To lead, do these three things“.

My mind now turns to one key to leadership, being Trust, and today will share a powerful model I learned from Travis Carson and how this relates to Trust.

In 2012 I met Travis Carson of Market Force. In fact, we met as roommates at a conference and when he told me about the Market Force system I kept him up for hours that first night so he could start to teach me. Over the next few months, I had the privilege of being taught in depth by Travis and, ever since then, have taught and shared the power of Market Force with many around the world.

One Market Force model I particularly love is the Breakdown Recovery Model. As Travis taught me:

  1. Every Breakdown is an opportunity for a Breakthrough, and
  2. Successful teams have frequent breakdowns

This somewhat counterintuitive thinking all leads to Travis’ definition of a team:

“a group of disagreeable people aligned around a common intention”

The model is simple:

  • Whenever there is a breakdown within the team, go back to the Intention
  • Communicate positively (performatively rather than judgmentally)
  • Speculate together about possibilities and opportunities
  • Choose a new action

I smile to recognise that I’ve been around leadership for a long time (as has Travis), and across many industries. In recent years, though, it seems so many have latched onto the concept of “Agile” and the Agile Manifesto. Do you see parallels in the Breakdown Recovery Model? I certainly do!

Now, at the essence of all of this, no matter how you label it, what models you use, is Trust.

Trust in the Intention set

Trust in the individual in the team having value

Trust in the team to work together as a group.

When leaders believe and trust in others, then collaborative leadership can be powerfully unleashed, all part of #OpenLeadership.

The Breakdown Recovery model is a great tool for this.

For more on the model and Travis’ thoughts on it, read this earlier blog:

Kintsukuroi – Leadership Lessons