When Elephants Fight, It's The Grass That Suffers

Strong self-opinion was the music of my youth, where I thought I knew everything and had the world by the tail, yet unaware there was a tiger on the other end. As I benefited from some great early breaks, I was able to make obvious contrasts between those managers who were insouciant about daily staff temperament and those who were keenly aware of it. That's where I realized a simple truth. There are two kinds of people: those who know and those who don't.

With unprecedented counter-current and mixed message flowing through our lives and occupations, men and women in any profession are in fast water; even more so in media owing to factors both esoteric and pragmatic. Go figure.

A couple of months ago while working in a large West Coast market, a veteran OM took me aside and asked me a hardball question: "You've been coming here for a while. Lately, I've become concerned some of our people seem to make this all about them. I think we're losing what had been strong core unity. What do you think?"

These are the days you wish for an easy retort; nothing too heavy yet something concrete and helpful. Coming up short in the Alfred E. Neuman "what, me worry?" file, I had to shoot him straight: "I can feel it, too. I think it's early-onset of The Disease of Me."

Unfortunately, the team on the field is the team of the moment. You can't trade them, you can't sell them, and you probably can't fire them as a contiguous unit. This malady is best-diagnosed when, in looking at your organization, people who create 20% of the results begin believing they deserve 80% of the reward. Left to its own amoebic evolution it can literally extinguish the climate in a building. Here are the seven danger signals of The Disease of Me:

1. Inexperience in dealing with sudden success.
2. Chronic feelings of under-appreciation.
3. Paranoia over being "cheated" out of one's rightful share.
4. Resentment against the competence of partners and teammates.
5. When personal effort is mustered mainly to outshine a colleague.
6. A leadership vacuum resulting in formation of cliques and rivalries.
7. Feelings of frustration, even when your team is performing successfully.

No one articulated this better than NBA coach Pat Riley, who had his share of prima donna superstars and those who felt they should be. He once described his first years with the Los Angeles Lakers, where it took only a year or two to figure it out and eradicate most of the malaise. Riley assessed it clinically just as great managers are able to, regardless of endeavor. From civic organizations to Fortune 500 board rooms; from the faculty lounge to the 50 yard line, The Disease of Me is a real momentum murderer.

If you're surrounded by people in the early stages of this inhibiting affliction, or if you're the leader of the group, remain ever vigilant for the "Seven Signals," as awareness can make all the difference. We need to remind ourselves daily: attitude is the mother of all luck and collaboration is at the heart of triumph.