Do you have a target for what you are trying to accomplish? Today’s post by Mark Miller is a reminder that the target is the place to start.
I saw a cartoon years ago in which Charlie Brown shot an arrow at a fence and then proceeded to draw a circle around the arrow. At some level, he found this satisfying. This is not how great leaders think.
Having just returned from our annual meeting with over 5,000 chicken people present, I am thankful we took the time to draw the target before we shot the arrow. We will see what the attendees have to say, but preliminary reports are positive. I think the event hit the mark.
Here’s the leadership lesson that comes to mind as I reflect on the event. One of the reasons it was a success—not the only reason, but one of them–is that we decided what we were trying to accomplish before we created the event. We drew the target BEFORE we shot the arrow.
I’m wondering how often, as leaders, we fail to clearly define the target. I think about all the times my leadership efforts have fallen short … how many of those failures can be attributed, directly or indirectly, to an unclear target or goal?
There are many things leaders CANNOT do for their people. However, clarity regarding intent should never be in short supply. People must always know what they are trying to accomplish.
[Tweet “”The greatest gift leaders can give their people is clarity.” #Vision “]
The power of clarity transcends targets, goals, and objectives – it includes vision, values, and strategic intent, as well as other tactical issues. But what we are trying to accomplish cannot get lost in the process.
When you identify the target with crystal clarity, I think you may be amazed at how often your team will hit the mark.
[Tweet “”Clarity enables alignment, and alignment is a prerequisite for performance.” #ActAsOne “]
To learn the 4 essentials of building a high performance team pick up a copy of Mark’s book, The Secret of Teams, for those you lead.
Tag: Clarity
Have you ever had the feeling that something in your head or heart was so clear you were convinced it must be clear to others? Only to realize you had deceived yourself, what was crystal clear to you was NOT clear to others. That is the context for today’s question: How do you achieve clarity with your team regarding what’s most important?
I seem to be busier than ever before – how about you? Being busy can be a great thing: higher productivity can lead to greater job satisfaction and higher feelings of self worth. But stop and think for a moment. Are you busy or in a hurry? Busy, hurry, what’s the difference? To put it simply, busy is about your calendar, hurry is about your heart.
High Performance Organizations do things lesser performing organizations don’t – today’s post is a perfect example. HPOs create clarity on what’s important throughout the enterprise. The fact that clarity is so illusive in many organizations is a mystery unto itself. Organizations lack clarity not for it’s inherent difficulty, rather for the diligence required from leadership. A lack in clarity is a lack of leadership.
This is the last post in my series on the five levers of change. Please don’t mistake the placement of this fifth lever with its value. If we use the first four levers of change: Communications, Measurement, Resource Allocation and Reward and Recognition, and fail to embrace the practices of Performance Management, our change efforts are still in jeopardy .
Have you ever considered the cost of turnover in your organization? To recruit, select, orient and train new staff can be extremely expensive. Not to mention the opportunity cost associated with having staff in place with no organizational memory. Today’s Challenge: How do you reduce turnover?
Categories
One Word… Hope
Categories
Your Two Words…
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post entitled, Just Two Words. At that time, I encouraged you think deeply about what you do – and to articulate your answer in just two words. The feedback on that activity has been extremely positive. The following are some of your responses…
This is the final installment in this short series on big questions leaders ask. The truth is I could write a hundred posts on questions leaders ask. But, rather than write about the many, I’ve chosen to focus on the big three – Where are we going? Where are we today? And, today’s question: How will we get there?
From time to time, I have the opportunity to help a team, business or non-profit agency answer the question: Why do we exist? I’m always delighted to help, but the irony is that I never know the answer to the question. All I can do is poke, prod and ask a few questions along the way.