What do you do if your team is not understanding your vision as a leader?

Clarify your vision by communicating it clearly and consistently, emphasizing the organization's mission and values. Provide context and examples to illustrate how the vision aligns with the nonprofit's goals. Encourage open dialogue and actively listen to team members' perspectives, addressing any concerns or misunderstandings. Lead by example, demonstrating your commitment to the vision through your actions and decisions. Offer opportunities for collaboration and feedback to ensure alignment and foster a shared sense of purpose among the team.

Sometimes, we think we had communicated thoroughly. Meanwhile our decoder hadn't decoded a quarter of the information we intend to pass. Not because they do not want to understand. It could most time be because we have not spoken their language. In expressing our vision to others, clear communication is vital.

If I sense there seems to be some confusion and misalignment, first thing to do is to talk to the team and ask questions - what is their understanding? Open dialogue and asking questions will not help the individual but the entire group. Breaking down the agenda and focusing discussions on specific topics is important. Investing time in a series of meetings will undoubtedly lead to significant alignment and prove to be worthwhile.

Active listening is usually a big deal. It's a world where everyone is a speaker ??. But as a manager of a non profit or a visionary leader, one big skill to invest in is listening. When we listen to all said verbally and non-verbally, orally or not, we would get insight into a whole lots of informations that would mean a lot to our drive.

If my team isn't getting my vision clearly, I'll do the following: State the goal more explicitly to them Have them give their honest opinion as well as criticism to the goals ahead. By this, I believe we would disagree which would lead to some conversations and more understanding before we finally agree and arrive at a collective goal. Next, I would print and paste goals let's say for the organisation at designated places to familiarise them well enough I would frequently organise meetings and discussions to make sure all team members are on the same page with the goals ahead Lastly, I would assign task to each team member according to their areas of interest and expertise as well as set up trainings that'll make goals achievable.

Simplifying your vision is key to ensuring your team understands and embraces it. Avoid jargon and abstract concepts; instead, break down the vision into clear, achievable goals. Explain how each team member’s role contributes to these goals using concise, straightforward language. This approach does not dilute your vision but makes it more accessible and understandable, enhancing team alignment and motivation. Clear communication helps build a shared commitment to the vision, crucial for successful implementation and collective achievement.

Reinforcement is done through multiple processes. One is documentation. Another is practice. These should reinforce one another. But they often pull in different directions. Or there is not documentation of the vision in the first place. It is therefore important for leaders to reflect on how they reinforce. What are the processes? And are they effective? Sometimes, improvement demands reinforcement process redesign.