“We’re overwhelmed, but everything we do fits our grand vision. Hmm.” That was the main takeaway when a leadership team we coach assessed whether their myriad of projects were aligned with the organization’s aspirational vision, revised mission, and key strategies. There was nothing to say no to, to let go of. And yet the team knew that was not accurate.
Getting the Work Aligned with the Vision
As an executive coach, I often see this malady. Everyone has way too much going on, and it all seems so important and impossible to let go of. What’s really happening? Priorities are not clear or specific enough to discern what is and is not aligned with them. Or they are clear and specific, but not enforced, so everyone does whatever seems most urgent.
Either way, people get overwhelmed with the endless tasks and projects that result from saying yes to everything. It might seem counterintuitive, but “saying yes” can be one of the greatest impediments to achieving your grand vision. Consider:
- What parts of your work do you feel are most aligned with your organization’s mission and vision?
- Do you see room for improvement in clarifying and committing to specific priorities?
- How can you empower your team to stay focused on what really matters, even when there’s pressure to say yes to everything?
Two Key Amare Steps to Stop Doing Everything
As a love-powered leader, make it easy and safe to determine what is and is not in alignment with where your organization is headed, and why. Then empower your people to keep what is aligned and let go of the rest. Model it, too! It is an act of love.
Here are two key lessons from a retreat we designed for a leadership team needing to honestly assess what to keep and what to let go. It was a tough ask, because diving into alignment effectively requires both clarity and trust.
1. Make it Safe to Tell the Truth
Job #1 is building trust. People needed to feel safe enough to tell the truth about what they might need to stop doing. Otherwise, some people might hold back due to concerns about their value and job security.
Here are seven key components of trust to address, each critical to building an environment where truth-telling could happen so alignment would flourish. Caution: Do not proclaim these things unless they are true and you are going to walk the talk!
1. Mission & vision first. The “why” is letting go of what no longer serves our mission and vision. It’s not letting go of our people.
2. Truth, not fear. We’re committed to transparency and safety, and a culture free from fear.
3. Involve YOU in the process. We want everyone to feel meaningfully involved and contribute to the decision-making process.
4. Reassignment and reinvestment. We will provide training and tools to help you reinvest your time and energy into higher-value work.
5. Purpose is key. This is about improving our focus and effectiveness in the long term, not individual performance.
6. Celebrate what’s ending. We will honor past efforts with gratitude while celebrating the shift into our future.
7. Communicate, communicate, communicate. We will keep communication open, sincere, and ongoing–with compassion.
2. Provide Tools to Determine Alignment
The reality is that most teams need to dig deep to find a better way to assess the degree of alignment between an overwhelming number of tasks, projects, and priorities and the organization’s mission, vision, and strategies. This is a really important part of the alignment process. Make sure to get help if you need it!
1. Craft a set of alignment questions. Start with a focus on the degree of benefit provided, not the resources it takes (that’s another retreat!).
2. Apply them to your work. Try the questions on with your own tasks and projects, one at a time. Discuss with others on your team. If everything is still a yes, then go back to the drawing board until you have the necessary granularity for real discernment.
3. Pilot test. I recommend initially presenting the questions to your extended leadership team as a “pilot test” in a group setting. Have them run through the questions with specific tasks or projects in mind.
4. Get ideas for improvement. Gather input as to what worked and didn’t work. Request suggestions for improvement. Note that at this point, you’re not yet making decisions about what to keep or let go of. You’re simply refining a tool that will help you do that.
5. Commit to next steps. Discuss as a group what is needed to move forward. Make appropriate commitments with accountability and ‘by when’ dates.
Imagine It Is So!
Imagine that you and everyone in your organization are totally committed to your mission and vision, and understand how everything they do supports it. When you focus on what truly matters and create a space for trust and transparency, you’ll notice your team becoming more engaged, more effective, and more connected to the greater vision.
Bottom line, let your mission and vision lead you. That’s why you have them, after all! Then watch as your team aligns with purpose, not just tasks. This is the true power of leadership in chaotic times—the courage to say no to distractions and yes to the things that will manifest your beautiful and grand vision.
Strengthen Your Leadership – Try “Strong Start”
Consider my “Strong Start” coaching program as an experiment to help you grow your clarity as a leader. For more information, contact me here.
Today’s Amare Wave Wednesday Quote
“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
— Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Click here and read more Amare Wave Wednesday newsletters on related topics:
Less Words, More Impact: Exercise Your Leadership Power by Being Clear and Concise
Embrace Your Leadership Impact, Taylor Swift Style!
Why the Best Leaders Promote Vision: Four Ways to Make Yours Matter
To Thine Own Self—and Business—Be True: The Importance of Alignment In Making Business Love
Original article published on Inc.com.
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