Published on May 4, 2011
Many a time, teams do all the right things – they work diligently to get things done, are eager to create results and even truly committed to achieving success. Yet, they never really emerge successful…..
So, what is the problem? Well, the team members are working from their own perspective, doing what they think is right.
Alas, their activities are unwittingly misguided as this is not what the organisation needs. In fact, their honest efforts can even have a negative impact on the organisation.
As Kevin Eikenberry, renowned author of Remarkable Leadership: Unleashing Your Leadership Potential One Skill at a Time observes, “A non-aligned team could enjoy each other and their work. They could accomplish much, and all of that could be completely counter to what the organisation needs!”
And the next question follows that why did this problem arise? The culprit here is that the team was never aligned with the overall organisational goals!
Now how can this be corrected? The responsibility lies with the team leader to set a context for the team's success by primarily aligning team goals with the big picture.
For this, the leader needs to first gain a clear understanding of the organisation's mission, strategic goals, objectives and specific targets that are meant to be achieved. Then proceed to lining up your team processes, activities and objectives in such a way that every team task rolls up to a larger organisational goal.
This entails highly effective communication where the leader talks about the very meaning, purpose and goals of the organisation. Help the team members gain clarity about the company strategy and how it can translate into an action plan for the team. Don't rely just on memos or emails, but use face-to-face communication as far as possible to help members relate their work performance with the organisational mission. And once they comprehend how what they do contributes to the success of the organisation and enables it to achieve its goals, it will create a clear ‘line of sight' between the team and organisational objectives. Understanding why their work product matters in turn begets accountability among the members of the team.
Operating in this milieu will improve both morale and performance manifold, thus unleashing the true potential of the team.
Again, goal alignment is a continuous process and existing teams should periodically review the current team initiatives, activities and objectives to ascertain that they do not conflict with the grand scheme of organisational goals.
If you sense even the slightest bit of misalignment, get the team back on track by focussing on high-value tasks and eliminating low-value ones as far as possible. Regular evaluations will also help the team to identify any gaps or redundancies and develop performance plans accordingly.
According to priority: Another point to consider – in today's dynamic business environment, business priorities change frequently. Therefore, appraising team goals also becomes essential whenever there is any shift in the organisational mission or direction so that the team can refocus on the new mission requirements.
The course correction will enable the team to avoid wasting company resources by consciously steering clear of activities that do not contribute to the success of the organisation.
Thus, embracing the mission and core objectives of the organisation will ensure that neither do the teams operate in a vacuum and nor are their efforts wasted on the wrong activities or goals. Understanding how their performance drives success also provides meaning and direction to the team's work, thus driving greater commitment, better results as well as improving team dynamics. As people start feeling that what they do really matters and every task of theirs is a step towards achieving the company's goals, everyone starts moving in the same direction thus maximising individual, team and ultimately organisational effectiveness as a whole!
Summing up in the words of a top writer, “Your job as a team leader is to be sure you are finding ways for your team to be marching in the parade, not driving the clown car!”
Payal Chanania
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