Book Review by SK Shum
"The Groupness Factor" by Charlie Lang
The title of Charlie’s book leaves no doubt – even for the most casual of readers – about the massive influence of groupness.
“The Groupness Factor” is well-researched, presenting Judith Rich Harris’s book “The Nurture Assumption” at the outset, and how it influenced Charlie’s belief that groupness is crucial, not only to children, but also to leaders in the corporate world. The book progresses logically into a discussion of the factors needed to achieve groupness. According to “The Groupness Factor”, to become an influential leader, one must:
1. Be willing to lead;
2. Have permission to lead; and
3. Have the ability to lead.
By using perceptive analyses of varied cases and examples, Charlie compels readers to embrace his view of the role of groupness in the corporate world. Having read this book, I would be very surprised if readers can dispute any of Charlie’s propositions.
In the book, Charlie quotes Warren Bennis: “The difference between managers and leaders is that mangers do things right and leaders do right things.” What exactly are these “right things”? Charlie discusses the top 10 critical leadership competencies, namely:
- Leading with direction
- Candid, open and honest communication
- Feedback and feed-forward
- Coaching and supporting people
- Rewarding performance
- Selecting top performers
- Encouraging employee participation
- Inspiring and encouraging innovation
- Developing charisma
- Leading with integrity
Certainly, giving subordinates orders without knowing the group direction (an absence of Competency No. 1) is probably the weakest and most destructive action that any boss can make. The book’s impeccable logic shows readers how groupness has far more impact on company leadership than on individual performance.
“The Groupness Factor” is about changing the way people feel about working for a group. When was the last time that your group (family or business) was proud and happy on a Monday morning? Charlie shows us how and why this is entirely possible.
Charlie also talks about the Paradox Graph of Communication as a management strategy. Leaders must continue improving their communication skills to have “permission to lead.” The boss, in effect, should become a supporter of his people, not only their manager.
Charlie shows how using groupness produces “turned on” people who can easily figure out how to beat the competition; “turned off” people, on the other hand, always complain about being beaten by the competition. He shows us that it is possible to let competing departments use their energy towards working together as a group instead of against each other.
Some of the biggest eye-openers in the book are in Charlie’s opening statements:
- What makes some leaders more successful than others?
- How can former friends kill each other in a civil war?
- What makes people stay in an organization despite better opportunities elsewhere?
These questions cannot be addressed from the context of individual perspectives. There must be something above and beyond the self that empowers people to do extraordinary or extreme things, such as dying for a group.
Charlie recognizes how groupness can harmonize the workforce. He concludes that both leaders and employees are the beneficiaries of the groupness concept. If a leader establishes a strong leadership culture that supports the company goals, life would be immensely easier for all stakeholders in the organization.
To the interested reader: learn from this book and stop worrying about being an impressive individual – start considering how to be a team player to be effective in your life.
SK Shum
Life Coach, ICF, IAC, HKCC, HKPCA
Serenity Coaching
