There’s a fine line required for team chemistry when balancing short-term and long-term success. Short-term success is driven by concrete and measurable actions. You can achieve short-term success through individual heroics. Long-term success is dependent upon a strong team.
Over any defined period of time, you can do everything you want by trusting in a few key individuals. You can hand things off to them and just let them do their thing. Individuals within the framework are usually going to color outside the lines and generally do things with a single-minded focus on the outcome.
When planning for the long-term, heroics go against the team grain. You need to have confidence across the board for achieving long-term stability and success. Any given individual contributor could leave which would throw the balance out of alignment. A team-oriented view means that you likely will not have the same degree of peak performance, but you will also be managed against troughs. Consistency becomes the key.
As a manager, it’s your job to balance these needs. Knowing when to go back and forth between the worlds is how you achieve peak performance. Ultimately, if the team collectively knows what you are trying to achieve they will help with the balancing act.
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