By Rod Bacon
Vision and Story
How do we develop an organization that can accomplish its vision, live its mission and be a sustainable thriving force for good in the world? It starts with having a mission and vision that is alive, clear and compelling - a clearly articulated reason for being that is accessible to each individual who is committing their time and effort to bring this vision to life. An articulation that not only sets the direction for the organization as a whole, but one in which each employee can see themselves, and how their individual purpose is connected to that of the organization.
As Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, tells us, the organization's compelling vision is its most important tool for driving organizational alignment. While the work of defining goals and objectives is critical to successful operations, the organization must find a way for its mission and vision to come to life. When the organization's mission and vision is crafted into a compelling story, it is the story that unifies the organization, makes our leaders real, accessible and human. And it is through this unifying narrative that a leader is able to guide and inspire a group of individuals to accomplish momentous goals. This is called: Mission and Vision in Action.
Healthy Leaders and Teams
What does it mean to 'lead?' As humans we want to be led. We look for leaders that are able to connect us as individuals to an outcome that we could not achieve on our own. Doing this is no small feat. And doing so requires the leaders themselves stay open, true and committed to their own possibilities in the face of the daily challenges of too much to do, limited resources and lack of appreciation. If the leaders are to inspire others to greatness, they must be seen as living the values and modeling the behaviors necessary to bring the vision into being. Successful organizations don't leave this to chance; they help their leaders grow their skills to better be able to connect, inspire their staff and develop highly effective teams.
Teams are a part of every organization. To achieve the organization's goals, teams need to be smart, (i.e. they need to know their business's strategy, markets, and objectives), but teams also need to be healthy in order to leverage the strengths of each other and to remain focused on achieving the results necessary to realize the organization's mission. But healthy behaviors and relationships need to be designed into the team. We know from academic studies that as individuals acquire more status and power there is a propensity towards diminished personal psychological protection; that is, there is an increased tendency to not ask questions as it might show ignorance, to not ask for help as it might show incompetence, and to not admit failure as it might show weakness. But it is exactly these traits, (asking questions, seeking help, and quickly admitting and learning from mistakes), that make teams strong and resilient. These skills are the fundamental building blocks of successful teams.
Connected, Responsible Individuals
Burn out is real. Hope can be lost. The 'daily grind' can wear away inspiration. There is powerful magic in story. Milestones and project timelines fall flat in the soul. A story that deeply and personally connects individuals to the organization's vision can be the difference between disenchantment and sustained inspiration. But a motivating mission/vision story is more than an inscription hung on a wall, or a tag line to develop a brand. A story strong enough to stimulate action, commitment and inspire others to greatness is a story that is alive and connects us not only to the mission, but also to our own sense of personal development and purpose, giving us a reason to show up every day. The work environment itself becomes the practice ground for personal greatness.
A motivating organizational story starts with a vivid description of how the world will be better and links how the values we live today make a better tomorrow possible. Thus as individuals we are prompted and supported to see beyond today's challenges and 'act as if' we are living that desired future state, or as Gandhi advocates, "Be the change you want to see in the world." For this commitment to personal development to be realized in an organization, the values must be translated into practices that can be live in the workplace today. In some organizations this is called a Leadership Success Profile. It is a map of the characteristics, attributes and behaviors that are necessary at an individual level for enabling the organization to achieve its grand mission, one person at a time. It is a guide for living the values, for how to think, decide, and act in line with the organization's True North. But as we all know, the map is not the territory. There is structural and cultural work that needs to happen to support individuals at every level with understanding how to translate these values into their daily actions.
Summary
So how do we keep a vision alive, and an organization thriving and making progress against what can feel like insurmountable goals? The answer starts with you and ends with me. The organization must wrap its mission and vision into a vivid and compelling story that unifies and inspires. The organization's leaders must be genuine, accessible and human. Leaders must build teams that are healthy, as well as smart; teams that learn to see hear and support each team member through to accomplishing their goals. Each employee must accept on his or her own terms the invitation to personally connect to the vision in a way that is authentic. Finally, every individual must be supported and learn to support others through the 'hows' and 'whats' of living the organization's aspirational values every day.
Rod Bacon trains and coaches executives across the business spectrum. He offers programs for developing organizational vision, building strong teams, and helping organizations live their values. Find out more about him on www.Torchiana.com. |