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“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” – Jack Welch
How do you get your team to own a vision? In this context I’m talking about the broader vision that includes the purpose, mission and values of the organization. Why does your organization exist? Why is it important? Why should it matter?
In a relay race when one runner passes the baton to the other and the baton is dropped, what happens? Your team is disqualified. The same thing happens when your team drops the baton in business.
I was working with one of my clients on strategy formulation and goal development. The leadership team was involved in determining the goals and SMART objectives that would support the strategy. After several months, the CEO called to tell me the team was not making traction on their goals. Connie was building a culture of accountability with her leadership team but they dropped the baton – they didn’t own the vision.
Here are four fundamentals to ensure your team does not drop the baton.
- Enroll
Proper communication is critical for your team to own the vision. It’s not about “selling” the idea to your team. It’s having a dialog – asking questions, getting their feedback, listening more than talking.
The biggest mistake leaders make when working with others is inappropriate use of communication or listening. If you engage your team in the process they will support what they help create.
Are you selling or enrolling to get your team on board? What does it look like and feel like to you and to your team?
- Engage
People want to feel like they are part of a team and to know how they contribute to the success of the whole organization. They want to know that they are valued for their skills and the unique contribution that they make.
How do you communicate the contribution that team members make and tie it to the overall vision and strategy? How do you acknowledge the contributions that team members make?
- Model
Personal example is a powerful tool in leading your team. The adage “actions speak louder than words” is true. Your team needs you to lead by example. If you are asking them to be accountable, you need to be accountable. Everyone wants to be treated the way you want to be treated. People are your most important asset. Give them the respect and consideration they deserve.
How often do you set a personal example of what you expect from others?
- Impose Consequences
Several of my clients have that one “outlier” employee. You know the one. He or she has been around for a long time, they generally meet their goals or high revenue targets and yet they don’t model the values of the organization. Because they have been around so long or because they are meeting their objectives, many team members believe they are untouchable. There doesn’t seem to be any consequences for their unacceptable behavior or violating values. Your values are not credible to your team members if there are no consequences for unacceptable behavior or the consequences are not consistent.
How consistent are you in imposing consequences for unacceptable behavior or violating values?
The good news is that implementing these four fundamentals will drive your business growth. In an earlier blog post I teed this up as one of the three leadership challenges that stall growth.