Just Imagine: A team like a box of assorted chocolates, each piece with its own particular flavor and character. But now how do you get everyone on the same page? Dwayne Rettinger has a knack for making orchestral music out of codified chaos. Let’s unpack what he does well in this regard. First off, let’s talk about laying the basic foundation. People hunger for meaning. So a clear meaning as heavy a kind of transparent crystal. Dwayne gives people visions to live up to, a North Star light in the night sky. Instead of talking about give-and-go along these lines, he asks questions of values. He nudges, “So what’s the Great State? Who is turning the wheel? ” \t The drumbeat of leadership is inspiration, not a luxury ever.
Now let’s discuss communication, which is like juggling flaming torches. Dwayne never mumbles or looks as if he’s swallowed a dictionary. His words are like arrows-direct and unambiguous. He also adds in some humor. Have you ever seen How a Leader Spin a yarn of golf mishaps to lighten the mood before getting down to serious business? That’s the Dwayne method. Keep ears open and tongues moving.
It also takes the wisdom of switching roles constantly. One day you’re a leader, another day a teacher. Then there are days when you’re nothing but a stiff listener, nodding like some bobble-head on the dashboard. Dwayne advocates open and diverse teams. He views each member as if they were one of a different colored thread in a tapestry. So each person’s voice isn’t forgotten. The air time is distributed equitably–as he calls it, fair distribution of listeners.
Let’s face it, decisions sometimes have to be an art. While some leaders are stymied by choices like a cat deciding whether it wants to jump or not. Not Dwayne. Decisions are buses, miss one and wait Lord knows how long for the next to come along. He gets his team involved. “Let’s masticate,” he says. Making decisions that embrace everybody’s opinion helps you tilt the odds in your favor.
Next there is motivation, a beast of prey. Did you ever notice how Dwayne puts a tiny dollop of gasoline on his motivational talks? It’s never just a simple pat on the back–it’s “Lean Back, here we go through the amusement park to success!’ ‘ He knows what gets each individual started. Some people thrive on praise, others on challenges. His tool belt never runs out of ways to get people moving.
And don’t forget to celebrate victories, no matter how small. Whether it’s a bull’s-eye on a project or merely surviving Monday, Dwayne believes in the value of shouting “Hooray! ” A free lunch, a good word or simply a funny team trophy can tell someone: Life is still good to me.
The last word is trust. It is the Basis. Without trust, it is like wheeled cars are not able to move at all. Dwayne promotes openness like a chain store on Black Friday. Mistakes? They’re just points in front of you, not something to throw and hit one another. His philoshorty is this: “Trust is just like an eraser–it gets smaller with every mistake, but it’s also there to clear the slate.”there you have it: A first-hand how-to for creating dream cast of an up-on-its-toes team. How could anyone not want to put a couple of drops wisdom like Rettinger’s into the ink with which they write their leadership a history?