Here's what Mr Roy Gori had to say about building a team that drives change in a team, company or industry.
In a post on LinkedIn, Mr Gori shared:
A little while ago, I wrote about the importance of tenacity in this time of disruption and unpredictable change – and I was excited by the discussion that it prompted, both here on LinkedIn and inside Manulife.
That discussion led me to realise how much we tend to think of tenacity as a reactive measure. When we get knocked over, tenacity is the thing that pushes us to stand back up and continue. It defines our strength in responding to adversity.
But what do you need if you’re driving change - whether that’s in your team, company or industry?
This idea has been central to our thinking at Manulife Asia in recent times. A key focus for us as a company is to build that truly world-class team – a group of extraordinary people capable of creating change and propelling us to new successes in the region. Put simply: we want to own our future.
So how do we get that team together? For one, we believe that a world-class team is more than a consolidation of the best industry experience or technical know-how.
Looking back, I think it’s fair to say that we have historically been comforted by hiring people on the basis of skills and knowledge alone. That is simply not enough anymore.
Familiarity doesn’t break new ground. There’s security in surrounding yourself with people who agree with you. But furious agreement seldom brings about real change.
On some level we need to be prepared to fight our own instincts and defy conventional wisdom. We believe a world-class team asks every question of itself. Constructive disagreement can inform smarter decisions and, through those decisions, change.
As I’ve discovered at various times throughout my own career – oftentimes, the right people already exist in a company. All that has been missing is permission to speak up. Creating great teams is usually about new culture instead of new blood.
Einstein once claimed that he had no special talents, but instead an abundance of curiosity. Building a team where curiosity is a core value can be uncomfortable – you must be subject to that curiosity like anyone else. Accepting such a bargain – where your own world view is open to scrutiny – takes a lot of confidence, but the rewards are worthwhile.
So we’re doubling down on asking “why?” and “what if?” at Manulife Asia.
For example, our performance review model considers how people achieve their goals, and whether they’ve questioned the status quo to improve on what we do and what we offer. It’s not just about the goals themselves. Measuring people on their outcomes alone minimises the importance of genuine collaboration and innovation.
We’ve also introduced a regular ‘On the Spot’ videoconference where executives are subject to questions which have been asked and ‘upvoted’ by Manulife staff throughout the region – one of my communications team joked that it’s “just like Reddit, without the weird stuff.”
When I arrived at Manulife, I was a newcomer to the insurance sector. While those early days in the role were daunting, I was given the gift that all newcomers receive: the freedom to ask every question and challenge the norm.
I consider it vital that every member of my team at Manulife has the same freedom.
Warren Buffett once said that by associating with people better than yourself, you rise to their level. I believe the same can be said for behavior within a team – set goalposts that demand the best of one another, like curiosity and collaboration, and better outcomes will flow.
That’s what we’re betting on at Manulife Asia in 2017 and beyond – that a group of talented people, with a license to shake things up, will change the face of insurance.