Written by Jeff Moore, Leadership Coach
Jeff is the CEO of Moore Leadership LLC. He helps business leaders build championship companies by cultivating Strivership, an ethic of continuous improvement based on the origin of competition: 'to strive together.'
“We’re living in ‘Liquid Times.’ Our environment is in a constant state of change, operating without fixed, solid patterns. We must learn to adapt our beliefs so that we are able to ‘walk on quicksand,’ adapting constantly to rapid change. We can no longer rely on the beliefs that were a feature of our relatively stable and more certain past.” Colin Strong
No one understands how to ‘walk on quicksand’ better than Tony Capasso. Our unstable, disruptive economy is a world of ambiguity. There are no “fixed, solid patterns” to guide people. Tony has an impressive track record putting together teams built for these “liquid times.” He understands what qualities workers must possess to thrive in ambiguity. These qualities align with Thomas Friedman's discovery while researching Reid Hoffman’s “The Startup of You.” Friedman reported that employers are looking for “people who can invent, adapt, and reinvent their jobs every day.”
The “Startup of You” was written back in 2012, and Tony Capasso has been building teams that thrive in “invent, adapt, and reinvent” mode for at least that long. It’s 2024, and hiring and retention rates continue to lag! The problem? While companies are fully aware of the disruptive economy they’re operating in, they still struggle to effectively deal with it. This disconnect was revealed in a 2009 IBM Global Study. 1500 CEO’s were asked to describe the biggest challenge they were facing. To the surprise of many, instead of citing a corporate go-to like management discipline, they said their most daunting challenge was “successfully navigating change in an increasingly complex world.” However, after correctly assessing the challenge, they seemed to be at a loss as to how to confront it!!
This disconnect persists in 2024 because executives continue to identify the wrong people to navigate. At the core of this misidentification is the notion that every problem must be solved in a way that is tangible and measurable. This causes them to view people as resources on a spreadsheet. The goal is to maximize the output that can be derived from human resources? When making decisions about hiring, the question becomes, “What does the data tell us about which job candidate is most likely to produce tangible results?”
The problem with this thinking is that humans are messy, complicated beings. They cannot be (intrinsically) motivated through actions that are “tangible and measurable.” The mere thought of this notion makes data-obsessed executives very nervous!
Tony understands that finding the right people requires focusing on the intangibles, the qualities that drive people to “produce tangible results.” He recruits Strivers, people who embrace Strivership, an ethic of continuous improvement based on the origin of ‘compete’, ‘to strive together.’ The essence of what it means to compete has become grossly distorted in our current results-obsessed culture. Competing was never meant to be a strictly zero-sum endeavor. The modern definition “to outdo another” is a better fit for the term “cutthroat.” Strivers are driven by a purpose that transcends winning. They understand that you can’t control outcomes. You can only put yourself in the best position to achieve (or exceed) outcomes and this is done by focusing on what goes into winning.
Strivers excel in rapid-change environments because they build healthy competitive relationships. The most important relationship they build is their Relationship to Self. Strivers understand that every action they take begins with this internal conversation. They thrive when challenged to move out of their comfort zone and persevere while tackling difficult issues that require unconventional problem-solving. Instead of looking outward to manage their brand, they look inward and decide to lead. Achieving a goal is like passing a milepost in route to a destination they never expect to reach. They use the momentum from achieving a goal as motivation to take on the next challenge. They are always reaching beyond their grasp. Strivers are never satisfied with who they have become. They are driven by what they can become.
Strivers also demonstrate a competitive relationship with the team. They’re always thinking, “What can I bring to the team?” instead of ”What can the team do for me?” Strivers demonstrate support for their teammates, but not with a torrent of empty, obligatory way-to-go’s to simply ‘get along.’This creates a sense of harmony that’s superficial at best. Strivers support teammates by demonstrating a willingness to challenge them and to be challenged by them. They’re also committed to communicating directly with them when a serious personal issue arises because triangulation is a disease! This approach engenders respect. When there’s a commitment to earning respect, a more meaningful kind of harmony evolves, one that creates an unbreakable bond.
Tony believed that unless everyone in a company was prepared to ‘walk on quicksand' the company would eventually get swallowed up by it. Unfortunately, his perspective wasn’t always shared by others. He watched colleagues who were Strivers gravitate toward hiring Arrivers, candidates they called “A Players.” Arrivers hesitate to “reach beyond their grasp” because success must always be within clutching distance. They’ve arrived at a tangible level of success. They’re afflicted with Results Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (R.O.C.D). Any result that will enable them to compare favorably will do. They work feverishly to promote who they have become. It’s all about embellishing and protecting their personal brand.
In one of the startups that Tony was involved with, there was a particularly strong movement to hire Arrivers. The company had developed a product that was ready to go to market. Tony had to build a sales team quickly. He wanted to hire Alan, who he knew from his previous company. Alan didn’t have as much experience as others, but Tony identified him as a Striver. His colleagues were pushing him to hire Bill, a veteran of the sales industry. They promoted Bill as someone who would “turbocharge” the sales team. “He’s killing it in his current job,” they said. “He’s the complete package!”
Tony was skeptical. He had Alan take my Strivership Quotient (SQ) Assessment. The SQ evaluates one’s willingness to strive together in relationships to Self, Team, Boss, and Direct Reports. It serves as a catalyst for my work helping leaders identify, recruit, and develop people for rapid-change work environments. Most assessments attempt to identify who you are by measuring discrete personality traits. The SQ evaluates where you are by measuring performance attributes, providing insights that are truly actionable.
Certain attributes on Bill’s SQ Profile threw up red flags, including a lack of willingness to:
Challenge and be challenged.
Communicate directly with the source when a serious issue arises with the boss.
Project an accurate self-image (How much of what you see is what you get?).
Tony used these results to design questions for the interview. Bill’s response to one particular question pretty much sealed his fate. Tony asked, “Have you ever worked for a boss who micro-managed you to death?” Bill nodded his head. Tony followed up with “What did you do about it?” The first red flag was Bill sitting back in his chair for what seemed like an eternity, pondering how to respond. Finally, Tony leaned forward, locked eyes with Bill, and challenged him. “Bill, I’m your boss. I’m in your business 24-7. I’m literally micro-managing you 24/7. What are you going to do about it?!” Bill’s response: “I would do my best to diffuse the situation. I would respond in a way that calmed the waters.” “That’s not going to work!” Tony said. “If you have a serious issue with me I would expect you to break down my door and communicate right away.” Tony had been down this road before. He’d submitted to hiring Arrivers and it had stymied his team’s growth. He knew that Bill wouldn’t respond well in a rapidly changing environment. He was determined to protect his status as the complete package. The only thing he was prepared to “navigate” was company politics.
Too many executives remain stuck (often unwittingly) in the Industrial Age, a “relatively stable and more certain past,” a time of incremental change. Employers could get away with hiring Arrivers then because workers were expected to simply do their jobs. It was all about “the grind.” But these are “liquid times.” There is nothing “stable” or “incremental” about today’s economy. A “nose to the grindstone” mindset must be replaced by a “head on a swivel.” Companies must start looking for Strivers, people who will “invent, adapt, and reinvent their jobs.”
Tony ended up hiring Alan, and his team thrived. He knew that Alan would never be ‘scheduled for arrival.’ He knew that he would never be satisfied with what he had become. Alan viewed himself as incomplete. He was driven by what he could become!
Jeff Moore, Leadership Coach
Jeff is the CEO of Moore Leadership LLC. He helps business leaders build championship companies by cultivating Strivership, an ethic of continuous improvement based on the origin of competition: 'to strive together.' Striving together is crucial in an age of innovation because people must continually embrace the challenge of stretching beyond perceived limitations. Championship companies exude a spirit of Strivership, the sense that everyone involved is excited about getting better together every day.
During his coaching career at the University of Texas, Jeff's Longhorn Tennis Teams won 2 NCAA Championships, appeared in 2 NCAA finals, advanced to 3 Final Fours, and won 18 conference titles. He is a member of the Longhorn Hall of Honor and the College Tennis Hall of Fame. He has also been named National Coach of the Year and was Conference Coach of the Year 10 times.
Jeff's clients have included Applied Materials, Harvard, Bazaarvoice, University of North Carolina, Civitas Learning, Vanderbilt, Auctane, Northwestern, Infinia ML, and Powwater and he is the author of "Strive Together: Achieve Beyond Expectations in a Results-Obsessed World."
