Leading Champions

“Champions are pioneers, and pioneers get shot at. The companies that get the most from champions, therefore, are those that have rich support networks so their pioneers will flourish…No support systems, no champions. No champions, no innovations.”

- Jonathan Alter

Though Alter has no military experience, he makes an interesting and valid connection between champions in business and warriors on the battlefield: if you want people to be all that they can be, then you must shore them up with unflagging support. Champions and warriors alike take substantial risks--they “get shot at,” putting their reputations, ideas, and futures at stake so that they might achieve an important mission. And they willingly do so, knowing that they’ve been trained and equipped properly and that their families at home have all that they need.

The development of a leader is a continuous transition from doer to director, from focus on self to focus on others. Already a “champion,” the leader becomes a critical part of the “rich support network” for the champions he now serves.

But does every organization need champions? Not necessarily. If you are content with maintaining the status quo, with managing and not growing, then perhaps you have no need for someone who is willing to give everything they’ve got.

If, on the other hand, you are growing, changing, or innovating, champions can propel your organization to the next level. Can you easily identify the untapped champions in your midst?

Champions might be recognized by their
- Willingness to collaborate across boundaries. They will do what it takes to accomplish a mission, even if they have to stretch outside of their traditional pool of resources.
- Resistance to pure management or implementation. Management is the realm of maintainers; innovation is the realm of leaders. They may appear to be bored, perhaps even frustrated that they are being asked to operate at less than their full capacity.
- Readiness to tackle projects outside of their traditional scope. Always seeking a challenge and an opportunity to develop, they may be the ones that jump at the chance to meet an emerging need in the organization.
- “Pushing back” or challenging demeanor. They not only want to be the best at what they do, they want you and the organization to be the best, too.

Now that you’ve found them, what do you do with them? You will find the best answers to that question by asking them what kind of support they’re looking for. They may want help in defining a career path, making connections inside or outside of your organization, access to a mentor or coach, additional training, or more challenging assignments. While you don’t have to be the only source of support, you can help them by building a rich support network of resources.

Here’s to the pioneers that keep us on our toes...Cheers!