PRLA Summer 2019

16  • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Summer 2019 The Five Leadership Actions to Achieve Results By Alden Mills TEAMS EXIST FOR ONE REASON: to achieve results. So many people confuse a group, club, or a gathering of people with a fully realized team. However, getting a group of people together is only the first step in the process. Forming connections comes next. Now, we turn to the next step, which is setting the team’s direction. How far do you think a six-foot-tall person can see if standing on top of a small boat in a calm sea? I’ve put this question before audiences all over the world, and they are always surprised at the answer. It’s is not nearly as far as you think: a mere 2.9 miles (without binoculars) before the curvature of the earth curtails your field of view. Goals that appear within our line of sight are the most comforting to us because our brains crave certainty. But, the goals that most unstoppable teams aspire to reach exist beyond the line of sight of any one individual. The team leader’s role is to help team members see well beyond the visible horizon and find ways to surpass real and/or imagined limitations. I refer to the team leader’s actions as the five A’s of achievement: Aspire, Assume, Assess, Assure, and Appreciate. Taken together, these five actions form the second part of the CARE loop (See Teamwork, Soft Skills, and the Leadership CARE Loop). Here’s how I define each of them.