A random comment caught me off guard last week. A senior executive said that their executive team brought in a facilitator and set goals for 2019 and he had real clarity as to what his role would be going forward. Here is what surprised me: He said that in all the time he had worked for the organization it was the first time he had clear goals. Is this team communicating, really?
What grabbed my attention was that I had a conversation with his boss the month before who said that he was disappointed in his team. They did not step up and perform what he saw was clearly needed in the organization. He described how he promoted through the organization by seeing what needed to be done and doing it. No one needed to tell him what to do. Yet the team he ran didn’t see or seize the opportunities. He was hoping that by bringing in a facilitator, they could align the team for greater performance in the future. And, just to clarify, this is a growing, highly functioning successful business.
If you are an entrepreneur, this is pretty familiar. You think everyone would do what you did if they had the opportunity. Not so. All of those cool personality assessments have a purpose. They help you get words around how different we all are. Not everyone sees the world the way you do. Some people want to do things right, others want to do the right thing. Good people can have a different sense of urgency, or attention to detail or big picture thinking. You want people on your team who see things differently from you and can do things you cannot do. And, as your business grows larger and more complex, you need to bring in more specialists rather than jack-of-all-trades type to take you to the next level.
Luckily, the leader of this organization realized that he needed a reset and more clarity with his team. With the help of an outside facilitator, he created clear goals for 2019 that his team understands and can make happen. Are you creating clear goals for 2019 with your team? If not, how will you achieve the results you see you possible for your organization?
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