I heard it again. And I almost screamed. “I just want my employees to feel they’ve been heard.”
Wisteria is a climbing vine that drapes big, gorgeous clusters of lilac-colored flowers like a cascading waterfall. It is fairly easy to grow, so much so that it can get out of control and spread wildly. However, did you know that Chinese wisteria twines counterclockwise as it climbs and Japanese wisteria climbs clockwise? If you try to train these two plants in the same direction, you will succeed brilliantly with one and fail dismally with the other. The same is true of people. Your employees are as individual as the multitude of plants that thrive in widely varying conditions. Techniques that help one person thrive drive another person crazy. I think you know this as well as I do.
A headline caught my eye the other day. I don’t remember where or what it said. All I remember is that it contained the phrase “actionable strategy.” And it has bothered me ever since. So what could “actionable strategy” possibly mean? Perhaps more importantly, what does it mean to have a strategy that is not actionable?
Increased clarity is the best option for improving profits, performance, and engagement. The reason more leaders aren’t pursuing greater clarity is they don’t recognize the lack of clarity that permeates their organizations and consumes their profit. A good part of that problem starts with the belief that they themselves are clearer than they really are. Where do you stand?
The Roto-Rooter man was standing on the downhill side of the overflowing sewer access plug in front of our condo. He thought nothing of being in the flow and dropping his tools at his feet. I thought a lot about it. Eeww!
Of all the corporate certificates I’ve ever received, the one I’ve valued above all others is the one that reads “The Person Most Likely To Dispute Recognized Authorities.” I received this honor for my relentless questions about the evidence and conclusions presented from studies by PhDs representing venerable institutions such as Harvard and Stanford. Looking back, I suppose I was completely exasperating.
We have been trained from our earliest school days to produce the right answer. Math tests, spelling tests, grammar tests, science tests, foreign language tests – every test you have ever taken involved producing right answers. Far more often than not, those answers were black and white. You were either right or wrong. Maybe you got some extra points for effort, but wrong was still wrong.
I just did it myself. I jotted down my top priorities on one of the 5×7 pads I keep handy. My goal was to help me stay focused on the top few things I definitely wanted to finish today. Choosing those top few priorities is a good thing. Don’t get me wrong. But it was a mistake.
Clarity for lease. Imagine that! Sign the lease and suddenly: You have a new sense of strategic clarity. You know exactly what you are trying to accomplish. You have a vision that will clearly set you apart in the eyes of desirable markets. You know what kind of organization you have to become to deliver on that vision. You have a plan. It is ambitious, but also feasible and flexible. You are prepared because you know plans fail. Your employees understand what you want to achieve and why. Furthermore, they understand quite specifically how they will contribute to the organization’s success. But that’s not all!
I have always thought of myself as an active person. Hiking, skiing, ice hockey, ping pong, tennis, wilderness canoeing – you name it and I was game. From my tiny years when playing tackle football meant throwing myself around someone’s legs and hanging on as I was dragged the length of the field to the present day when more dignified activities like pickleball reign, action and sports have been a consistent, and nontrivial, part of my self-image. And then I got a Fitbit. The first few days were great plain fun. I loved watching the fireworks when I achieved the recommended 10,000 steps. I found pleasure in the flights, miles, calories burned, and active minutes that accrued. I bounced out of my chair when buzzed to ensure I hit the hourly minimum throughout the day. About a week in, on a work-filled, rainy Sunday, I pretty much forgot about the Fitbit. I ignored the hourly buzz. I just plugged away to get everything finished. At the end of the day, I was horrified to see I was nowhere near 10,000 steps. I hadn’t even hit 3,000! I missed the hourly minimum hour after hour. The number of calories I burned was pitiful. I may as well forget about eating unless I wanted to gain weight. I was officially sedentary!