A declining enterprise in Silicon Valley was in danger of losing relevance as many of their competitors marched ahead of them. Years of underwhelming performance led to low employee morale with many leaving to seek their fame and fortune elsewhere. Competitors from both coasts, Texas and even upstarts from Seattle were stealing their thunder. Determined to reverse the trend they looked for help outside even willing to entertain the idea of seeking suitors willing to buy and revive the enterprise. The old ownership gave away to Valley veterans with successful track record in VC (Venture Capital) and starting/running startups and entertainment industry. That was the first step. The task of turning around the enterprise still lay ahead. The new owners decided new, exciting talent was the first priority to revive the fortunes of the enterprise. Towards that end they got couple of very talented young men who were very creative. The youngsters did not disappoint, they were splashy and willing to take risks. Since the new talent was inexperienced it would take them a few years to mature to be at their productive best and they needed to be nurtured and tempered along the way. In short this would be a multi-year, multi-million dollar project requiring full commitment from the sponsors and product owners. The next year a passionate and talented young lad was added to the team. The young team needed someone with experience who could guide them through the ups and lows and keep them focused. For that they got a veteran of many battles. The team performance got an immediate lift and picked up
noticeably. After a few iterations realization came in that the team was still not performing to its fullest potential. Even though the team was agile, responsible and collaborating well there were errors creeping in. Analysis revealed that the guide was a strict manager and there was a communication barrier which was coming in the way.
Another search ensued and this time the person selected to guide was more of a mentor and a leader and less of a manager. This new addition also came with the advantage of having experienced success multiple times at the highest level overcoming personal tragedy and adversity along the way. This mentor was not averse to letting the team make mistakes and learn in that process. Also let the team work in their preferred style, be more communicative and take collective responsibility for resulting success or failure. The team left competitors trailing in the dust and achieved great success. However, they fell short of expectation in the next project after starting with great promise. Some soul-searching ensued with the realization the missing ingredient for more consistent success was the need for a veteran with zen-like calm and a warrior mentality without disturbing the team dynamics. Luckily one veteran, among the best in business and hungry for major success, was looking just for such an opportunity. With this new addition the enterprise that once appeared moribund turned around in a spectacular way and has been enjoying great success. Some areas of concern have appeared in recent times though. In an age where quarterly results matter a lot, the now uber-confident team has been performing with the mentality all that is needed for a successful year is a strong 3rd quarter and maintaining a reasonably high level of performance in the 4th quarter. Competition has been nipping at the heels and hubris could yet upset the apple cart even as whispers of team members wanting a greater share of credit for their role in the success have emerged.
I am, of course, referring to the Golden State Warriors 🙂
Bet you knew that already!
TheRajBlog 