Author: Scott

Some of my favorite memories from childhood revolve around Field Day. Each spring, as the weather began to warm up, officials at my elementary school would announce a date for the event and the entire student body would erupt in cheers. Field Day meant class was cancelled so that everyone could spend the day outside competing in a variety of games. There were individual events like the 50-yard dash and the egg race. I preferred the team competitions, though. I would scramble to find just the right partners in order to sign up for relays, the wheelbarrow race, and my favorite – the three-legged race.

The three-legged race always included a number of spectacular wipe outs. You’d think the most athletic kids would have a leg up in this event (pardon my pun), but they didn’t. Typically, it was their overconfidence that did them in. They would always get off to fast start, sneak a glance back at the rest of us, and then trip over their own feet. In an instant they went from front-runners to speed bumps.

Winning a three-legged race isn’t about physical prowess. It’s about strategy, teamwork, and leadership. Focusing on the same techniques can help us overcome stronger competitors in the world of business. You don’t have to be the biggest, the fastest, or the most experienced to be successful. You just need to be a three-legged leader.

Start by choosing the right partner and tying yourselves together tightly. In a three-legged race, you want someone who’s about the same height and weight as you so that your movements are coordinated. Too much of a mismatch and you’ll have a hard time finding a rhythm. Tie your legs together at the ankle and again just below the knee. Make sure your legs are together; avoid a loose connection because too much independent movement will quickly send you on different trajectories.

As a three-legged leader, choose teammates who share the same goals, instincts, and work ethic. Take time to get this right, and identify strategies that align people with in ways that complement each other. Teams win when teams work together.

Each three-legged race team needs a leader; someone who will dictate the strategy. Which leg do we start with – the tied one, or the free one? The leader is the one who monitors the competition and looks for obstacles. They may even call out a cadence to ensure both parties are operating at the same speed. The person who leads this particular race may be different than the leader for other competitions. It depends on who is best suited for the circumstance.

As a three-legged leader, identify the team member with the skills, experience, and drive necessary for a particular initiative. This means you will have to step back into a support role, following their lead in order to position the team for victory. The best leaders understand when it’s time to let someone else take point.

Communication plays a big part in a three-legged race. Any team-based effort does. If the pace is too fast or too slow for one, then both need to adjust. Encouragement is essential, as is a healthy dose of fun. No one likes being part of a team where the only communication is derision and blame.

Three-legged leaders understand that when a team is having fun, they’re more likely to succeed. They encourage team members to communicate freely. A healthy team involves plenty of debate, discovery, and evaluation. All of this is done within a culture that promotes team success above individual achievement. When the team wins, everyone wins.

Try a little three-legged leadership and see how far your team can go.

With March Madness in full swing, much of the country has basketball fever. Television schedules have been adjusted to account for viewership pulled to the college games, and other sports take a back seat this time every year. For those who aren’t fans of basketball, it can be hard to find something other than reruns to watch.

Or maybe not.

I’ve stumbled across a new sport that offers a little bit of everything. There’s drama, suspense, and hard-hitting action…literally. The sport in question is competitive slapping. That’s right, grown men have made a sport out of slapping each other. Last weekend in the Russian town of Krasnoyarsk, Vasily Pelmen (a 370-pound walk-on competitor nicknamed “Dumpling”) decimated the competition as part of the Siberian Power Show. He walked away with a purse of 30,000 rubles – the equivalent of $470.

The rules of the contest are simple. Two men face each other across a small table. They take turns delivering an open-handed slap to the other’s face. The contest continues until one of them cannot continue or the judge calls the match out of safety. Even though they can clearly see the slap coming, many of the competitors I saw on video were knocked off their feet by a blow from their opponent. They clearly weren’t prepared for what was coming.

Workplace slaps to the face rarely come with physical contact, but they can still sting; and they usually involve communication issues. Last-minute demands, surprise assignments, and sudden changes to strategy – they hurt, but can be avoided with a little forethought. Here are some tips to help keep you and your teammates from getting knocked out.

Look across the table. Today’s businesses can’t succeed without teamwork. Individuals and business units alike must consider others who may be impacted by their work. Look beyond your role in the project. Who else plays a part in the process? Who will pick up where you leave off? Think in terms of all who will be affected, even far down the road, so that you avoid blindsiding someone.

Plan your strike. Before you communicate, think about how your words will be received. Ask others to help you anticipate reactions from those on the receiving end. Who will be excited by it? Who will be disappointed, or surprised? Take some time to choose your words so that teammates are set up for success, not reeling from shock.

Expect the unexpected. No amount of planning will eliminate the occasional surprise. How we respond to surprise news is important. Understand that you will occasionally be caught off guard. Do your best to stay connected with other parts of the organization to minimize surprises when they occur. Stay on top of your regularly-assigned work duties so that you can more easily absorb unexpected demands. And if you happen to be the one delivering the surprise, be ready for the inevitable reaction.

A slap to the face may be fun to watch; but nobody wants to be on the receiving end, even if it does come with a title and prize money. The real reward lies in being part of a smoothly operating team. Up your communication game and leave the red, stinging face to Dumpling and his buddies.

During the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, part of the French Revolutionary War, British Naval forces descended on Denmark. The intent was to prevent the Danish fleet from joining with ships from Russia, Sweden, and Denmark. Britain maintained a superior navy, but a newly formed alliance of these four countries, called the League of Armed Neutrality, would threaten that position and negatively impact Britain’s ability to negotiate favorable trade agreements. By decimating Denmark’s contingent of ships, Britain would stave off a potential threat.

The fleet arrived on March 30^th under the command of Admiral Hyde Parker and his second-in-command Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson. Parker had a reputation as a cautious strategist and moved slowly, in stark contrast to Nelson; a man who preferred quick, decisive action. Nelson’s exploits had made him a war hero, and he remained a highly trusted officer, despite having been blinded in one eye during one of his earlier battles.

The British found the Danish fleet well prepared for their arrival thanks to Parker’s delay. They had moored their ships just off the cost, creating a defensive wall which would prevent any single ship from being targeted. The arrangement of ships in the harbor allowed their forts, armed with twice the guns of a typical ship, to join in the battle as well. In addition, this allowed for supplies and repairs to be coordinated from land without fear of attack.

It was decided that Nelson would lead the attack on April 2^nd with 12 ships. These were smaller, and more maneuverable in the shallower water, but less heavily armed. Parker would command the heavier ships in deeper water preventing any Danish allies who might arrive from cutting off retreat. He would also engage the forts and other land defenses with his more formidable artillery.

Almost before the battle began though, three of Nelson’s ships ran aground. Without charts of the area, they had only last-minute soundings to gauge the depth of the channel. There was no time to regroup though as Danish forces began firing. Soon, Nelson’s ships were fully engaged and by 1 pm the battle was in raging all along the line.

Outside the channel, Admiral Parker could see little. The smoke made it difficult to tell what was going on, though he could see flag signals from the three grounded ships. Given Nelson’s depleted fleet, the lack of visibility to the front, and his inherently cautious nature, Parker ordered his flag captain to signal retreat at 1:30 pm.

However, retreating at this point in the battle would have exposed Nelson to heavy fire and would undoubtedly been disastrous. Informed of Parker’s order, Nelson turned to his own flag captain, Thomas Foley, and said “You know Foley, I only have one eye – I have the right to be blind sometimes.” He then raised his own telescope to his blind eye, saying “I really do not see the signal,” and continued the attack. By 2 pm, The Danish were defeated.

Nelson had triumphed, and in the process provided us with a commonly used idiom. Today, we use the phrase “turning a blind eye” when describing someone who ignores undesirable information.