While rollerblading on The Veloway in Austin today, I was reminded of a competitive behavior I frequently demonstrated when I was in, ah, slightly much better physical shape. I called it “chasing the rabbit” (a metaphor based on greyhounds racing around the track while chasing a mechanical rabbit ‘running’ along a track on the inside fence). About 1/3 around the 3.1-mile track, someone passed me on a bike and the next thing I know the chase was on! On my final cool down lap, the question that immediately came to mind was: What happens when leaders play “chase the rabbit”?

Like greyhounds, many business people are hard-wired to “chase the rabbit” in business. For a competitive person, being second is reason enough to kick in the adrenaline and live for the chase. Yet, what happens when second place becomes first place? What motivation do you tap into when there is no “chase” to be had?

Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods are amazing athletes that repeatedly say they play their own game. They are fierce competitors yet focus their attention internally to play their game. If asked if they “chase the rabbit”, both would say no — I play my own game.

There are significant problems with playing “chase the rabbit” when you are leading conference calls, webinars, and teleclasses. First, “chase” behavior is not sustainable. In short distances where there are known finish points, you can run hard, get your ranking, and then vow to win another day. In a long race where you cannot ‘catch the rabbit’, you simply burn out.

Second, chase behavior is generally disruptive and counter productive when leading a team or group in a collaborative environment. The energy to create something and the energy to chase something are not the same. Collaboration fuels the creativity process where as chase energy is adrenaline based.

One of the fundamental tenets of my model is:

Each person is a unique leader.

Your unique leadership style is based upon your personality, values, and strengths. Trying to emulate someone else’s leadership style will appear fake and insincere. Look at other leaders for traits you admire and work to develop them using your unique approach. Look for things that minimize your ability to lead groups of people at a distance and eliminate them from your leadership skill set.

“Chasing the rabbit” is not a bad game to play, in fact, I’m sure there are many individuals and companies that directly attribute their success to this competitive strategy! Unfortunately, there is a problem when someone unconsciously relies too heavily upon this strategy. Abraham Maslow said it best: “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”

The next time you are leading any type of group meetings at a distance (conference calls, teleclasses, webinars, etc.) check to see if you or anyone on the team is playing “chase the rabbit.” Watch for a huge boost of productivity once you get everyone aligned with the same strategy!

While writing this post, I came across what looks to be a great resource that may (the book is not printed yet!) contradict this post yet I don’t believe it will. Steven J. Spear is Senior Lecturer at MIT and frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review. He is releasing his first book Chasing the Rabbit — How Market Leaders Outdistance the Competition and How Great Companies Can Catch Up and Win (McGraw Hill, Fall 2008). From the write up on his book: In Chasing the Rabbit, four-time Shingo Prize winner, noted author, and celebrated MIT lecturer Steven Spear shares his insights on what lies at the core of superlative performance and competitive dominance. Market leaders, or rabbits, outrun and escape the pack by constantly raising the bar through self-improvement and innovation that occurs at rates faster, durations longer, and breadths wider than anyone else can muster.

Wishing Steven the best of success — you can preorder the book from Amazon. With luck, Steve will provide a comment here and tell us more about his book!

Here’s hoping you play your own game when leading your conference calls, webinars, and teleclasses!

Posted by Byron Van Arsdale Author — 6 Principles of Powerful Conference Calls ConferenceCallTraining.com

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