Move It!

By Chris Sonksen

At one time or another, every leader (and then, the organization being led) loses momentum, plateaus and feels stuck in the mud. The mud might be increasing complexity that confuses, increased tension on the team that distracts or increased workload that exhausts and steals creativity.

When this happens, leaders inevitably try one of three strategies: They try everything to see if something works, they copy the latest fad with the promise of a quick turnaround or they do nothing, hoping something will happen that will reinvigorate the leader, the team and the organization—that’s what psychologists call “magical thinking.”

Instead of searching desperately for a new strategy, leaders in this position must start with personal reflection. What does it look like to live up to your potential? The question isn’t, What does it look like to be more successful than this leader or that one? Each of us has a set of God-given talents: our intellect, creativity, planning, connectivity with others, tenacity and a host of other qualities. We can’t determine what our talents are, but we have control over our decisions to use them.

The principle is simple but elusive: You’re not in competition with other leaders. You are only in competition with what’s possible. And pursuing what’s possible always involves growth, change and discomfort. In fact, I’ve noticed that leaders are usually in one of two places. They’re either in a place of continual challenge, so they keep learning and growing; or they’re in continual pursuit of comfort (in other words, a place where they avoid feeling uncomfortable). Risk is inherent in leadership, and our people are watching. If we aren’t willing to take risks, our people will assume our purpose isn’t worth the trouble to even try.

Let me offer another important principle: Amateurs learn by trial and error, but professionals hire a coach. Do you want to improve your golf game? Get a competent coach. Tennis? Pickleball? Any sport at all? Get a coach. Getting unstuck is hard even with a coach; it’s exponentially harder alone. After personal reflection and getting a great coach, the next step is to identify the stage of your organization (see sidebar).

It’s no surprise that the goal of every good leader is to steer the organization through the first three stages to arrive at Stage 4 (“Increase”) and stay there. To accomplish this monumental feat, I encourage leaders to answer seven crucial and unavoidable questions:

1. What do we do? Many organizations have throwaway mission statements. Some leaders write one, send it out and claim it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread—and it’s promptly forgotten. We must do better than that. People—our teams, our vendors, our customers and the public—want to be convinced that we’re passionate about what we do every day and the impact we have on their lives. But let me be clear: The statement won’t move your organization from one stage to another. Like a tool, a mission statement is meaningless unless leaders use it to continually point people to the driving purpose.

As an exercise with your team, ask two parallel questions: What are we passionate about creating for our customers? And what do our customers want and need? The intersection of those answers will go a long way to shaping your mission statement.

2. How do we get it done? Caring about the right things is a good first step, but organizations need working systems to get stuff done. Charismatic leaders sometimes assume everyone will “just figure it out,” and highly detailed leaders may assume they have to control everything. Great leaders land somewhere between those extremes.

It’s important to look at your services (how you deliver your product) from the customer’s point of view, and then craft a plan to meet their expectations with as much grace and competence (and as little chaos) as possible. This level of analysis often comes second nature to at least one or two people on the team. Listen to them. It matters. Ask team members to put themselves in the shoes of customers at particular points in the communication and delivery process, and tell them to identify places where customers can become frustrated. Work on those systems first.

3. What are the guiding principles we live by? An organization’s real values (as opposed to only stated values) form the foundation everything is built on. To use another metaphor, values are guardrails that keep you from falling off the cliff. Values shape the culture of the team and the company, but only if you live by them.

If in the past month you haven’t said, “No, we aren’t going to go in that direction. That’s not who we are,” your values aren’t clear and strong enough. And if you as the leader don’t continually reinforce your values, the individuals on your team will have their own—and they’re often in competition. Ask yourself, and then ask your team, “What’s most important to us? What guides our relationships and choices?”

4. How do we measure a win? Snow jobs won’t do. Good leaders are willing to face the facts and be ruthlessly honest about the metrics: What are the actual numbers? And where are those numbers compared to our projections?

One of the most common ways people lie (I’ll look in the mirror here) is exaggeration. We want to look good so we inflate good stats, and we don’t want to look weak, so we shade the truth about things that didn’t go so well—or is it just me? No, I didn’t think so. Mission and metrics go hand in hand—we measure what’s most important to us, how well we serve our customers and the bottom line of profit and loss. How do you and your team measure wins?

5. Do we have the right people in the right seats? This metaphor comes from Jim Collins’ breakthrough book, Good to Great. Too often, leaders may complain that someone on the team doesn’t fit their job, has a bad attitude or is an obstacle to progress, but they leave the person in place because they don’t like confrontation. In other words, they like false peace more than real resolution.

As an organization grows, the responsibilities of each role increase and sometimes change. It’s important to rigorously assess the organizational chart at least once a year and move people accordingly. You may find that some of the people who were instrumental in the early stages of the organization’s growth don’t have the talents or bandwidth as the organization gets more complicated. The kind thing to do is to move them to a role where they can thrive.

6. How do we change the culture of the team? Culture trumps strategy, and culture trumps profits. It’s not that strategy and profits don’t matter; it’s that they are a reflection of the culture. The leader sets the standard, and then each person on the team sets it for their teams, and so on throughout the organization. Culture is shaped by the stories you tell, the heroes you make and the things you celebrate. How are you doing with these three markers?
7. Does what we say match what we do? When people watch us carefully, do they see cohesion between our statements and our actions, or is there a disconnect that erodes trust? The word these days is authenticity—do people sense that we’re genuine, trustworthy, caring more about them as people than as cogs in our production machine? And do we say we value customer service but leave people on hold for extended (and frustrating) lengths of time?

Leadership requires courage. That’s especially true when we feel stuck and we don’t know which way to turn. Focus on your strengths, conduct a thorough assessment of the stage of your organization, and ask yourself and your team the seven questions. You’ll be a better leader. I guarantee it.