It all started with a simple meeting request. My manager asked me to join the Director of Learning, Anne and the General Manager of Organizational Effectiveness, John in a meeting to discuss my role in “Renewal,” the largest organizational change initiative our department had ever implemented. Renewal’s purpose was simple: To create a customer centric organization where business results flourish. However, Implementing “Renewal” was anything but simple. It would require sweeping changes in the organization’s vision, goals, roles and responsibilities, work processes and even relationships for the 20,000 employees.

When you give power to an executive you do not know, you will be filling that position when the time of crisis comes. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

As the leader of your organization, you want the right executive in the right position at the right time, doing all the right things. You want an innovative executive who has vision and the courage to take calculated risks. You need someone who can motivate and inspire, raise productivity, increase quality, and lower turnover and absenteeism. Just as importantly, you want someone who will be able to rise to any crisis or disaster with speed, integrity, strength, and creativity.

I am willing to admit that I am not a big movie-goer, but this past week, I accommodated the wish of my spouse and joined her at the cinema to watch the film “No Reservations” starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart.

I set my expectations low, but gradually I became intrigued by the movie. Now before I go any further I have another confession to make: I have a difficult time separating my work life from leisure. I am always looking for connections & lessons from life that applies to the world of work. As the story line in “No Reservations” unfolded, I couldn’t help becoming caught up in the leadership styles of the two lead actors. Without giving away the story, let me just describe the basic situation from a leadership point of view.

Early in my career, I was an Assistant Account Manager in the world of advertising. I worked for a firm that targeted the technology industry and found great success. The three founding partners were always very cordial and continually tried to build a creative work environment, at least it seemed that way to me.

To build a creative work environment, employees were encouraged to dress as they pleased and be relaxed, innovative, and to have fun. Exciting events were hosted every few weeks, designed to set the tone for the organization as a place where the employee would feel appreciated and rewarded. The company had a nice office and break rooms for employees to gather, talk, and have opportunities to collaborate with each other to meet the very demanding needs of clients.

A few weeks back I had an interesting discussion with a fellow colleague. He brought up the subject of the individuals that exist within a team. He talked about the very commonly used phrase: “There is no “I” in team.” He took the counterpoint to the phrase and argued that not only is there an “I” in team, but multiple “I’s.”

He went on to show that a team is made up of a number of individuals “I’s” and that a successful team is built around each and every “I.” Everyone has their own strengths and abilities and is able to contribute to the success of a team because of those attributes. We should celebrate those individual traits and utilize them as resources. For the most part, his observation is very accurate.

The Team Overview:

At an earlier time in my career, I was commissioned to be on a project team responsible for redesigning a company’s sales training program. The old program had become archaic and cumbersome and was obviously in need of a major overhaul. A number of individuals were selected to be a part of this project team. The people selected to work on this came from markets across the country and from various roles and positions within the organization. For many of us, this was the first time we had met each other, let alone work together and on such an important endeavor. We were brought together for a week of intense discussion and design.