Buddhism, Leadership and Management
Many leaders understand the importance of motivating a team by communicating an inspiring vision. But to succeed, all great teams must have more than motivation.
In the Thai highlands, 400 miles north of Bangkok, where the foothills begin their ascent to the colossal Himalayas, lies the historic city of Chiang Mai. It is a city of particular importance to the Buddhist religion with over 300 temples within its boundaries, the first constructed in the 13th century.
During our visit, I was quickly captivated by its gold peaked temples and smiling monks draped in bright-colored robes. Looking deeper, I felt a connection to its grand ideas— the four noble truths, the journey to a state of Nirvana, the absence of suffering, desirous of nothing.
As days turned into weeks, I found a simple peace in Buddhism's daily rituals. A visit to the temple... remove your shoes, feel the smooth wood through your socks, a bow to the Buddha, the smell of incense, meditation, reflection, a moment of hope, and forgiveness.
These practices, this commitment, this daily work— is Buddhism's path to the grand idea of finding Nirvana.
On my visit to Chiang Mai, I learned that Buddhism shows us the vision of a better world, but more importantly, it translates that vision into daily action.
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suc·cess
noun
the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
Success can be many things, launching a new product, turning around an underperforming team, or losing 15 pounds. But regardless of the desired outcome, success is always constructed from two basic building blocks: motivation and habits.
Motivation answers the question, "Why?"
Habits answer the question, "How?"
When you lead a team, you can not personally take on all of its work and will the team to achieve. But you can create a winning environment, a culture that breeds success. Why is it that when we share stories about successful cultures, we share stories about Leadership, despite it being only one piece of the puzzle?
In life and business, great teams are helmed not just by great Leaders but also by great Managers.
Leadership is the motivation— the why.
Management is the habits— the how.
Let's take the example of an underperforming Sales team.
Turning around an underperforming team is incredibly hard work, requiring an in-depth analysis of the situation and the people. And after discovering the underlying issues— new habits will need to be forged to get the team back on track. This step requires strong Management.
Surprisingly, you rarely find detailed writing about this type of detective work and new habit formation in Leadership writing. This challenging work, overlooked by many, is the grind of building great companies. Creating new habits is the "how," and it requires strong Management.
On the flip side, when leaders under-index on Management, they tend to "put the cart before the horse," relying on Leadership to "motivate" an underperforming team to success. It's just not enough.
Instead, motivation must pair with new habits—Leadership must pair with good old fashioned Management— to drive significant, lasting change.
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Further Reading:
What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
The Effective Effective by Peter Drucker