Getting Extraordinary Results from Ordinary People!

What this session covered

This session was a NISSMAT webinar on drawing extraordinary results from so-called ordinary people, opened by the institute's president, then moderated with two invited speakers — one from a military background and one a corporate executive based in the United States — before an international online audience. The opening remarks framed the theme: rather than chase scarce talent that moves from employer to employer, organisations should unlock the inherent ability of the people they have, through transformed mindsets, lifelong learning, and curiosity in staff matched by humility and kindness in leadership. A distinction was drawn between management, confined to achieving objectives, and leadership, which aims at higher accomplishment.

The speaker from a military background argued that leadership is pivotal: a motivated, competent team may carry a weak leader for a while, but a capable leader, given reasonable time, can train and motivate any team to extraordinary results. Drawing on service experience, the speaker recounted taking on officers whom others considered difficult and seeing them perform outstandingly, and offered advice by career stage — passion for the job and relentless competence-building when young, with high personal standards and vigilance against complacency; and, in senior positions, large-heartedness, forgiveness, developing rather than using subordinates, and conduct worthy of acceptance by those being led. The talk closed with the contention that subordinates are always extraordinary; it is the leader who may be ordinary.

The corporate speaker presented leadership as a human responsibility and social achievement rather than a business position, resting on expectation-setting, deep human relationships and the processes that sustain both. Vulnerability — being able to say "I do not know" and to apologise for failures — repeated communication checked against what the recipient actually receives, and trust in both directions were described as central practices, with leadership characterised as repetitive daily work of finding the extraordinary in ordinary moments. In audience questions, one speaker gave primacy to people who shape and adjust a company's objectives, while the other described the organisation as an organic whole of people and leadership; the discussion also covered realistic goal-setting with continual review, and sporting spirit — fair play, team spirit and absorbing setbacks — as a foundation for leadership. Closing remarks stressed role effectiveness at every level and the necessity of ethical leadership.

Key points raised

• One speaker argued that leadership, not team composition, is decisive: a capable leader given reasonable time can draw extraordinary results from any team, and subordinates are always extraordinary — it is the leader who may be ordinary.
• Advice offered by career stage: when young, be passionate about the job and build competence to the highest standard while guarding against complacency; in senior positions, develop subordinates, forgive, and owe loyalty to subordinates first.
• The corporate speaker framed leadership as a human responsibility rather than a business position, built on expectation-setting, deep relationships and sustaining processes, practised through vulnerability, trust and communication repeated until genuinely understood.
• Asked whether people or objectives make a company great, one speaker gave primacy to people who shape and adjust objectives, while the other described the organisation as an organic whole of people and leadership.
• Goal-setting was discussed as necessarily realistic and grounded in assessment and capability-building, with continual review of goals presented as increasingly important alongside periodic setting.
• Sporting spirit — fair play, team spirit and learning to absorb setbacks — was described as a foundation for leadership at any level of play.