Beating the Global Odds: Successful Decision-making in a Confused and Troubled World

The Three-Line Whip

The British have developed colorful language for this kind of punishment/enforcement system drawn from the sport of fox hunting (now illegal in the UK): In Parliament, a party’s one-line whip urges voting a particular way, a two-line whip requires it, and a three-line whip provides for truly draconian punishments, including expulsion, in the event a member goes against the party line. Now that’s what I call an atmosphere of friendly collaboration.

Personal bonds of trust are not only essential to good politics, they also are the glue of good business. And to rebuild this sense of common purpose and community within a for-profit company, people need to spend time together just as much as they do anywhere else. Herein lies a paradox: To be effective and creative, people need time to unplug and recharge; at the same time, new sights, sounds, and human interactions can help stimulate and refresh one’s thinking. As strategist Gary Hamel puts it in his book Leading the Revolution, “Familiarity is the enemy. It slowly turns everything to wallpaper. Travel makes you a stranger. It puts you at odds. It robs you of your prejudices.” That team-building trip to Alaska you considered doing wasn’t so wasteful after all.

There is a broader point to be made here as well: Expanding or re-engaging your (real, tangible) personal connections not only gives you an opportunity to create more shared time and experiences on which relationships are based, it’s also the chance to broaden ...