Remember the “Neutral Zone Trap”?
If you are any kind of hockey fan at all, you will remember back to the late 1990s and early 2000s when hockey got extremely boring because of a highly defensive strategy called the “neutral zone trap”. This brand of hockey bore little resemblance to the exciting, fast-paced game of the 1980s and 1990s highlighted by explosive offensive outbursts from players like Gretzky, Lemieux, and Jagr.
The neutral zone trap is basically a defensive-minded hockey strategy where a team will send in a lone forward into the opposing zone while the remaining four players cut off passing lanes and suffocate offensive game movement. Initially established to level the playing field for teams that are not as offensively talented as their opponents, the neutral zone trap resembled a slow-moving traffic jam. Rather than aggressively trying to outscore the opposition to win, this strategy resembled a team playing to not lose. The New Jersey Devils were most successful in adopting this system to win the Stanley Cup in 1999 and 2000… and hockey ratings dipped to an all-time low.
Local Governments Playing to Not Lose
Let’s shift gears from hockey to local government. After more than two decades of consulting to government organizations; eight years as small-town mayor; and four years as a county warden, I have had the chance to witness many situations that curiously resemble the neutral zone trap and a focus of playing to not lose. I have discovered three characteristics that suggest that Jacques Lemaire (former coach of the New Jersey Devils) may be secretly giving advice to some local government leaders!
Rigid Policies are Valued over Accountability
Players on neutral zone trap teams learn very quickly that they are required to play within very strict parameters. Those who get caught out of position and try to get creative with the puck will find themselves riding the bench. Similarly, in some organizations I have witnessed strict adherence to rigid policies and standard operating protocols that provide no flexibility for bright staff to cleverly adapt to a changing environment or unique situation.
Avoiding Mistakes is Valued over Innovation
Following a loss, post-game interviews with coaches of neutral zone trap teams typically place blame on irresponsible defensive plays and mistakes that led to goals by the opposing team. Rarely is it mentioned that “we didn’t generate enough offense”. The focus is on avoiding mistakes rather than on scoring and winning. I have witnessed the same mentality in local governments. Over time, this defensive-minded approach results in building layers of inefficient, bureaucratic processes and practices, overly constrictive policies and operating procedures, and duplication of roles and responsibilities. The motivation is to avoid all possible risks. The problem is that creative and entrepreneurial individuals are not attracted to organizations that do not value innovation and out-of-the-box solutions. These organizations lose high performers to neighbouring municipalities (or the private sector) that value their creativity and innovation.
Seniority is Valued over Performance
Even some of the best hockey players have bad games. For all his unbelievable playmaking skills, where it seemed that he had eyes in the back of his head, even a Gretzky pass would end up on the stick of an opposing player from time to time. The neutral zone trap system often places an unbalanced focus on consistently being in the proper position rather than highlighting brilliant passes and incredible goals.
Governments organizations typically recognize seniority but not performance. Just like hockey, high-performing staff are motivated by success and results, not just by their career longevity. Longevity should be recognized, but organizations that exclusively focus on how long a person has sat in a desk is not good enough. Positive results and exceptional performance must be recognized and valued.
Three Steps to Build a “Winning” Team
In hockey, winning is simple: the team that scores the most goals wins. And in business, winning and losing is also fairly straightforward. Revenue, profits, market share, stock price, acquisitions are all good indicators of whether a business is winning or losing.
For government organizations, what it means to “win” can be a bit more complicated. After all, governments primarily provide social and community services. How can you “win” at this?
Step 1: Define “Winning” by Establishing your Strategic Goals
First ask the right question: “What must we accomplish as an organization to win?” Effectively answering this question requires the leadership team (Council and professional staff) to initiate a strategic planning process to clearly establish goals and priorities. Meaningful community engagement must inform these goals and priorities. And these goals and priorities must be clearly worded as desired outcomes.
Step 2: Establish Measurable Actions with Performance Measures
It is important to establish measurable actions with performance measures and targets that track efficiency, effectiveness and customer service levels. These performance measures need to tell a compelling story; be easily understood; be within your sphere of authority; and be outcome-based (rather than simply measuring level of activity).
Step 3: Embed Measures into Operations
Many local governments have nifty vision and mission statements and a list of motherhood and apple pie values, but very few effectively embed these strategic pillars into their day-to-day operations. Establishing a clear tactical plan (with timelines and who does what) to bridge the gap between strategy and operations is critically important. This tactical plan is the administration’s tool to communicate progress (or lack of progress) to Council and the community.
Conclusion
I recognize that everyone may not have the same competitive juices that some of us have been “blessed” with; however, I think most people would agree that playing to win is much more motivating than playing to not lose. Most people want to be a part of something that makes a positive difference in their lives and in the lives of others. It is this motivation that drives organizational excellence and results. I have not witnessed positive energy from people who are scared of messing up. In hockey terms, this tense behaviour is referred to as holding your stick too tight.
Leaders, like coaches, are best equipped to motivate their teams when goals are clear. When team members feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves, there is an opportunity to celebrate success as a team. Integrating effective strategic goals, priorities and performance measures into an organization’s day-to-day operations defines what winning looks like. And there is nothing quite as exhilarating as working with like-minded teammates to tackle complex problems and win!
