How Not to Screw Up a New Leader: People (Part 4 of 4)

You just promoted a new leader. Don't just throw them into the ocean of teams to see if they can swim. Please give them the fundamentals of research, proven critical elements of success. This is the fourth and final of a four-part series to give you an overview of that research. In our first newsletter in this series, we discussed the first critical element of a great team leader: Trust and its three key components: Character, Competence, and Caring. In the second edition, we discussed People and its three fundamental elements: Diversity, Engagement, and Autonomy. In the third edition, we covered culture, which is safe, connected, and purposeful.

#4 Critical Element: Execute a Clear Strategy

A great team leader and engaged followers operating within an excellent culture are not quite enough. They all must be committed to rowing the boat in the same direction, and the leader is at the helm of that boat. And the organizational rudder is the strategy. While strategies can be overly complex, as you might see in larger organizations, at a basic level, it boils down to three simple questions: Why, What, and How. These are the questions leaders must get their people to answer and agree on to sail forward.

Why?? Great strategies start with the simple question: Why? Three words answer this question: Mission, vision, and values. Mission describes why the team exists. It’s functional, rooted in action, and practical. Vision describes our team’s aspirational future state. Where do we want to be in 1-3 years? If all goes well, what will we look like and how will we be functioning? Values are fundamental moorings that we hold tight no matter how successful we become. They’re like the immune system of a team or any organization, and when it gets compromised or corrupted, the organization gets sick and ceases to thrive.

What?? Once we know the “why”—the team mission, vision, and values—then you must get busy executing on the “what” that gets you there. That requires setting big goals that stretch, not exhaust people. Often, people are too cautious setting goals, leaving a good bit of their game on the practice field instead of playing to win. Former Stanford professor, researcher, and author of Good to Great, Jim Collins, talks about setting BHAGS—Big Hairy Audacious Goals. Great leaders help teams think big because most of us think smaller than our capacity to perform.? Each goal needs to support both the mission and especially the vision forward. Big vision, big goals.

How?? Goals point us in the right direction, and objectives get us to the exact destination. It’s like a GPS system—first you put in the city, then the street address.? Goals are like the state and city settings, and objectives are like the street and specific address. To be effective, objectives need to be S.M.A.R.T.—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. In other words, it’s like giving someone specific directions to another person’s house. In the best teams, both goals and objectives cascade down from the top to every part of the organization. It’s up to leaders to help everyone stay connected and accountable to the Mission, Vision, Values, Goals, and Objectives of their team and organization.

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