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The Yellow Brick Road of Teamwork – Lessons from the Wizard of Oz

Nothing evokes more nostalgia than a family tradition. My fiancée’s family, for example, had a tradition of making cherry cheesecake on her dad’s birthday. They also had an interesting tradition of putting their Christmas cards directly on the Christmas tree, as if they were decorations. In my house one of our great traditions was to make predictions on New Year’s Eve of what was going to happen in the coming year, not only in the nation and the world but also in the family. (I remember always predicting this would be the year my dad would publish his book and my brother, Brian, would finally get a girlfriend.) On birthdays at my house, it was traditional to choose between an egg and sausage or bacon breakfast, or lunch at our favorite dim sum restaurant. Ah, sweet caloric memories.

Most family traditions seem to be annual in nature (birthdays, holidays, etc.), fixed on the calendar, but one of my all-time favorite traditions was relatively random in nature: the ritual of seeing “The Wizard of Oz” on television. . In the past (before DVDs, Netflix, and TiVo), you relied on networks for your small-screen entertainment. When one of the big three (was it NBC?) deemed it time to show “The Wizard of Oz”, the Blum family would cancel all other plans, gather around the silly box and spend the next 4 hours watching Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger and all those munchkins stumbling down the Yellow Brick Road. Could all those repeat viewings of The Wizard of Oz be responsible for my current career as a coach and team builder? It certainly is possible, because the 1939 classic is, quite simply, the best parable of teamwork in movie history!

Think about it. Here you have your typical low-level “manager,” Dorothy Gale, under the thumb of benevolent but controlling Aunt Em. At her request, she is transferred (in a bit of a whirlwind) from her comfortable but boring position in the monochrome Kansas Department to the colorful new Oz Department. It’s a quirky place, this Oz, with a very different culture from its original division. People speak differently here; They have a different dress code. Adjusting to her new surroundings will take some time and effort, and to top it off, Dorothy is accidentally responsible for the elimination of her predecessor, a certain Wicked Witch of the East. Dorothy’s new colleagues seem pleased with the changing of the guard, but Dorothy discovers that she, too, has made some powerful enemies. It doesn’t take long for her to decide that this place over the rainbow is not for her. But transferring back to Kansas isn’t that easy. It seems that all transfer requests must be approved by the Corporation, later in Emerald City. So, Dorothy goes to take her order to the big boss, a Mr. Magician, accompanied as always by her loyal assistant, Toto.

As Dorothy soon discovers, it’s a long, winding road to the executive offices, littered with yellow tape at every corner. You’re going to need some allies: a few like-minded colleagues who have their own requests to take on management. So, Dorothy brings together her team, a very diverse group of people with complementary talents and skills. There’s Scarecrow, a flexible and instinctive guy, not much of a thinker, but with some greatness about him, someone you’ll definitely want on your side. And there’s Tin Man, a little stiff at first but full of heart when you let go. And finally there is León, full of bravado on the outside, but deep down a true pussycat, with hidden depths of courage. Together, the team will overcome incredible obstacles, battling through a forest of thorny telephone trees and bureaucratic obstacles until they finally reach the Emerald City Industrial Complex, the offices of the Wizard himself.

Like many CEOs, the Wizard hides behind a veil of wealth and power, never showing his true face. His spokeswoman, a terrifying face full of sound and fury, insists that the team must complete an impossible project before their applications are approved. Dorothy and her colleagues must blow away the competition and win the account of her industry’s most challenging client: Wicked West Unlimited. The task is dangerous; the minimum resources. But with guts and guts and the valiant efforts of Dorothy’s assistant, the team accomplishes their mission, on time and on budget.

But still, the Wizard is recalcitrant. He appears to be far less powerful than he claimed, hiding in his ivory tower, clinging to his position with smoke and mirrors. In the end, the team realizes that putting all their hopes on management was a mistake. Rather, meeting his needs would only be achieved through his own efforts and determination. The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion set off to found the Brain, Heart & Courage startup, relying solely on their own innate abilities. And Dorothy, well, pulls some strings, taps into her own social capital, and manifests a transfer back to her old apartment. But with all the experience she’s gained on the journey, things are different in Kansas. Now Dorothy is the boss, and her Aunt Em had better take care of her.

At least that’s how I remember it, at Blum’s house. There is no place like home.

Lessons from Oz for team leaders:

1. Assemble as diverse a team as possible.

2. Foster greatness in colleagues.

3. Keep moving, even when you’d rather stop and smell the poppies

4. Rely on the special abilities of your teams; even your most basic level employee can turn a witch into a puddle of water if given the chance

5. Watch out for burning bridges (or falling houses); you can make powerful enemies.

6. Consider the resources at your disposal; you may be able to avoid administration.

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