Imagine you’re cruising down the road when all of a sudden a driving rain comes falling from the sky. As you urgently flip the switch to turn your windshield wipers on, you curse out loud at the realization that you still haven’t gotten them replaced. They are so old and worn that they’re not clearing off the rain landing on your windshield, and you can’t see anything in front of you.
This same kind of situation can happen with your team if they are unclear about the vision of your team or company. The people you work with need clarity and purpose: clarity because it provides individuals with a sense of control that enables them to be more productive and successful in their goals and everyday tasks; purpose because people are more motivated when they know why they’re doing what they’re doing. Here’s how you can provide clarity and purpose for your team.
Mission = Purpose. Vision = Clarity
Purpose is the “why” that drives our actions in life. It defines the reason behind and for the things we do. And just as important as the “why” is the “what,” which provides clarity about the outcome we expect to achieve through our actions. In larger corporations, purpose is outlined in the company mission statement, and clarity is provided in the vision statement. In small-to medium-size organizations, mission and vision statements may only exist in the leader’s head, if at all. No matter what size or type of organization you are a part of, however, it is critical for you and your team to understand your “why” and your “what.”
Develop a Strategy
Strategic planning is often misunderstood. I have heard on more than one occasion from leaders in various companies and organizations, “I don’t have the time or money to create a strategy. I just need my team to do the work and get results.” But without a plan, how can you be assured you are approaching your outcome in the most effective manner, or that you will even reach your final destination? Your strategy is a high-level description of how you are going to meet your desired outcome. It defines the descriptive milestones that must be met in order to achieve your vision. Think of this plan as your company’s high-level goals and objectives.
Let People Know How They Can Contribute
Once they have a clear vision of where they’re headed, your team members need to understand how they can help in the journey. We crave knowing how we can best contribute. That’s why it is so critical to provide each of your team members with goals and to convey to them your expectations of their performance as they strive toward those goals. Strong performance objectives have four qualities:
- They are aligned to the company goals
- They provide enough description and detail that there is no room for doubt about what the desired outcome is
- They are designed to stretch your team members a little outside of their comfort zones, but not so much that they can’t be successful
- They need to be measurable, with either tangible dates that need to be met or performance targets that can be tracked. These objectives are twofold: they show your team members how they can contribute to the organization, and they define how their performance will be measured.
Leaders should always make sure their employees have a crystal clear understanding as to how their performance contributes to the company’s success. If you want people to perform at their best, they need to know they matter.
Photo by Samuel Zeller
Gina Folk
Latest posts by Gina Folk (see all)
- Communicating Your Vision to Your Team - July 6, 2015
