First Steps in Identifying and Bridging Your Personal and Organizational Gaps

So, how did we get here? 

Oftentimes, organizations and societies are unknowingly built on fault lines. Without self-awareness, these small fissures can become so deep and wide, that they may seem impossible to manage, or bridge the gap. It’s not impossible to bridge large gaps, it just requires commitment and time.

Too often, we avoid addressing gaps and problems until they become so painful, that we can no longer bear to ignore them. It doesn't matter if it's our car that needs maintenance, our personal health, or the health of our organization, we tend to become comfortable and tolerate minor aches and pains until it demands our attention. The result — to all of these examples — is that when we ignore our problems, it becomes more costly to solve them. 

That $75 oil change you kept putting off, shorten the life of your car, and has now led to thousands of dollars in repairs. The one small pain in your knee that you avoided to address, now becomes so unbearable that it warrants surgery. And the steady decline in the health of your company culture now has steep losses that negatively impact your bottom line, and your talent base. 

Of course, hindsight is always 20/20. And we are often left scratching our heads thinking, “how did we get here?” And “why did I let this go so far?”

Begin by doing an examination. Start by asking what values were your organization founded on? You can ask this same question and apply it to other areas of your life. For example, what was your relationship, family, friendships, and personal life founded on? 

Let’s use company culture as an example. Defining your culture and living your culture can be vastly different from one another, just like defining your perfect partner and the reality of the relationship can also be vastly different. 

Regardless of what we envisioned, ultimately, our culture and our relationships — no matter what type of relationship it is — will be a reflection of who we are NOW, and what our core values are NOW.

We need to begin by identifying the gap(s) from where we are to where we want to be, or who we want to be. This could be yourself, your team, or your organization.

It’s common for us try to convince ourselves, this is who we ARE, that our values ARE in alignment. Because it’s difficult for us to accept that we may not be living up to our vision and values. 

We have a choice to make. We can continue to deny that there’s a gap from where we are to where we want to be, or we can accept that something is out of alignment, and we are going to find it, and bridge the gap. 

Here are some questions to ask (this is for company culture, but you can rephrase it to meet your objective):

• Does everyone share the same or similar vision and values? 
• What were or what are your expectations? 
• What is your current vision? And what are your ideal values? 

These are just a few key questions I ask my clients. For example, they may say integrity is one of their core values, but when they describe their behavior, it's not at all in alignment their said value(s). And so, we work together to develop their integrity, so they can reflect their desired core values.

More questions to ask:

• How are you meeting those values today? Where are you needing improvement? 
• How do you aim to get there? What is your plan? 

Be honest with yourself. Are you living up to the values that you want to be living up to? If not, how will you get there? What is your plan? 

If you feel a bit of discomfort when answering some of these questions, you're likely doing something right. All of us have gaps from where we are to where we want to be. However, there are two ways people/organizations deal with their gaps.

1) They resort to deflecting or dismissing their gaps because the act of addressing them is too uncomfortable. Which may lead them to find someone else to blame (directing their attention away from solving their problem(s)). And, when they can’t avoid their problems any longer, they search for an attractive (yet often elusive) quick fix, that will likely lead to regression instead of progression.

or

2) They identify their gap(s) and work with an expert to create a strategic and realistic plan for bridging their gap(s).

Which route will you or your organization take when addressing your gaps?

If you have found this article insightful and would like to learn more about what it would look like to work together — defining your personal and professional visions and values, living and leading from a place of authenticity, and how to effectively bridge the gap from where you are to where you want to be — please click here to schedule a consultation with me. 

Also, check out my newly released book The EQ Deficiency, recognized by Forbes and The Enterprise Project as top reads for 2021.