I've had the privilege of working with some really passionate business leaders to help them grow their businesses. I often think about the journey that each of those leaders took to create high performing organizations. There are many critical path items that lead to long term success, and we’ve discussed various ones in these blogs (clarity, alignment, systems of management).
Creating a compelling and inspiring vision for the organization certainly makes the list. But unfortunately, this is where many leaders stumble. While getting the words right is so very important, it doesn’t mean a thing if the entire organization doesn’t completely internalize that vision. Without successfully accomplishing this your vision becomes just words on a paper or website. The vision you created winds up inspiring no one and creates zero impact, momentum, or competitive advantage. In my not-so-humble opinion that is simply criminal; and I can’t let that happen to you and your organization.
What to do?
The overarching principle: Leaders and organizations realize the true power of their vision when every person in the firm KNOWS it, OWNS it, and DRIVES it. Period.
How can leaders accomplish this?
• Create clarity: Clarity doesn’t happen by just sending out a memo once a year, or holding a town hall meeting. While those can be great internal marketing events, clarity happens when leaders effectively communicate to the entire organization:
• Why do we exist?
• What is our critical focus (Lencioni calls this thematic goals)?
• What is most important right now?
• What does success look like?
Getting the entire organization aligned on these answers creates singular focus.
• Communicate, communicate, communicate: Leaders cannot over communicate what is most important (how the firm is doing), and what comes next. Often, leaders will think, “I told them in the staff meeting two months ago. They should know already.” This way of thinking just doesn’t work. Repetition is a key.
• Celebrate WINS: Show evidence of progress. When employees are living the vision and values of the firm, SHARE IT! Send pictures, send emails, post information on the internal social sites, highlight examples in meetings. The more momentum leaders create the easier it is to replicate the successes, and the quicker team members take initiative to live the vision and values without having to be ‘managed’ to do so. (You can’t manage someone to do those things anyway; if you have to attempt this, you probably have the wrong people.)
• (MOST IMPORTANT) Go to the front lines: The magic happens where team members are closest to the customers. Want to know how to better connect individuals’ visions (their WHY) to the organization’s vision (WHY)? Go to them. Have line managers spend more time with their people. Connecting with front line staff shows them that their leaders CARE, which builds CONNECTION, which inspires people to take OWNERSHIP. That is where leaders need to get traction and impact.
Of course all the things we’ve covered in previous blogs have to be in place in this overall organizational ecosystem; but, making the connection with the team members who actually do the work every day, this is the absolute most-important element in the equation in creating your high performing organization. Once you connect an individual’s purpose to the organization’s, there is absolutely no stopping your team.
Andrew Freedman, Principal at entreQuest, specializes in helping eQ’s clients grow by creating well aligned company cultures and strategies that result in remarkable client and employee experiences.
