The Peril of Uncommon Objectives: What to Do When Your Team Lacks Initiative

In today's post, I'd like to tackle one of the top three problems our clients ask us to help them solve. That problem is that the frontline employees or those in the middle of the hierarchy don't take enough initiative to speak out, get involved, and make things happen.

In case you’re wondering, the other two problems are as follows: 1) People in leadership roles who were promoted as a result of technical expertise now lack the skills to be effective at leading others; 2) People working in functional silos instead of working together to formulate and implement collaborative solutions.

What all three of these problems have in common with every other problem in an organization is that they only exist because leadership either—consciously or unconsciously— created them, or they are actively contributing to them, or at the very least, are tolerating them rather than taking action to solve them. Many, if not most, of the problems in an organization come down to uncommon and opposing objectives between the individual and the group, and it is the job of leadership to bridge that gap.

Now, if you’re a leader and what I just said rubs you the wrong way, you might be thinking, "Everything cannot be leadership's fault! Don't people bear some responsibility for their own actions and choices?!"

My answer is that, while not everything is leadership's fault, it is certainly leadership's responsibility. Yes, people are not children and every person is responsible for the choices they make and actions they take. But people are also reasonable, in that we don’t just randomly do things; there are always reasons behind the things we do, and those reasons are determined by the conditions in which we find ourselves. And one of the most essential responsibilities of a leader is to create the conditions in which people freely choose to work toward achieving a common vision, be that for the organization, their team, or their community. Hence, once again, leaders must step up.

Then you might ask, "Well, what can leaders do if people are just interested in doing the minimum and don’t necessarily want to get involved in improvements?!"

First, I'd suggest that you read the previous edition and reserve judgment when it comes to people’s intentions. Like you, everyone wants to be part of something extraordinary and if they are not showing up like that, something is in the way. Secondly, let me frame the issue of people's lack of initiative to get involved differently for you so you can see whether there’s anything you can do to address the root cause of the issue or not.

Please consider that just as your company does a cost/benefit analysis to determine which projects or initiatives to take on, every employee at your company is constantly running a cost/benefit analysis on whether or not they should provide honest feedback, make suggestions that may go against the status quo, or suggest improvements that may not have widespread support.

Everyone is constantly weighing the benefits to themselves, their team, or the company against the potential downsides and the damage such “positive” actions can do to their personal brands. Will I be labeled as a troublemaker if I bring up an issue with the implementation plan for a project that has gained significant momentum? Would my constructive feedback be appreciated or will I be shunned for being critical and unsupportive? Should I speak out when I detect groupthink keeping us blind to potential issues or will I be shunned as not being a team player? Should I take on a bold transformation or should I just play it safe because I may not ever live it down if I fall short?

These are questions that people are always asking themselves in the back of their minds. And the answers they come up with will determine whether they take action or quietly stay in their lane, play small, and stay under the radar. As an example, let me share an anecdote from my own experience.

Decades ago, only a few months after I started my professional career with Procter and Gamble, I got a chance to attend a meeting where my boss's boss asked for our thoughts and opinions on some problems we were experiencing in the operation. I certainly was no expert on the problem or the solutions, but I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and I felt grateful to have been asked for my opinion. As someone who was fairly new and hadn’t yet lost sight of the forest for the trees, I felt it was my responsibility to share the observations I had made. We had a healthy exchange that I felt very good about, but during the break, something happened that made me question if I had done the right thing. A few people approached me to thank me for voicing my opinions and telling me that they were amazed by my bravery!!

Bravery!? Wait a minute! Was what I just did dangerous?! I had no idea I was being brave! Should I have kept my mouth shut until I learned the lay of the land? Would there be negative consequences for my bravery?!

Well, I continued to be "brave" at several more meetings, but I have to admit that over the years I became more and more conservative in calculating whether I should just blurt out my ideas or weigh the potential consequences. Some of that comes with professional maturity, but I have to admit that I have been guilty of withholding feedback or improvement suggestions about potential problems, simply because I considered the personal risk too high. When the business and the individuals have common objectives, employees don't hesitate to do what's right for the team because they know it’s also good for them. But if doing what's right for the company feels like it may not be in the individual employee's best interest, eventually they will choose to do what's right for them because that’s just human nature.

If your team members are not showing initiative, it could very well be because the culmination of the systems, processes, and culture in place have led them to conclude—often rightfully—that they are better off keeping their heads down and doing what they have been told rather than going for anything extraordinary. As Andy Stanley so eloquently put it: “Leaders who don't listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.” I would say that the same applies to organizations as a whole.

As a leader, you can change that. If you are at all interested in getting the most out of all the talent that your organization has worked so hard to acquire and develop, you must change that.

If there are topics you find to be of special value to you, or if you’d just like to get in touch and chat about what’s going on with you, simply reply to this newsletter or send me an email at [email protected].?If you’re experiencing challenges that you would like my perspective on, or you’d like to explore how we can partner with you to support you in your transformative journey, please click here to schedule a call with me.?I’d love to hear from you.

Further Reading

If you’d like to learn more about topics covered in this week’s newsletter article, check out the related resources I’ve included below.

Let’s have a chat!

Clients and audience members at my talks frequently tell me:

• "I felt like you were talking specifically to me!"
• "Your perspective is so real and practical!"
• "Are you sure you don't work at my company? Because you were talking about exactly what we’re dealing with!"

I love hearing this feedback because my intent is always to make a real difference in your team's mindset and behaviors, which ultimately shape the culture, results, and fulfillment in your workplace.

The top problems we solve for clients with our coaching, speaking, and consulting services are:

1. People working in silos and lack of collaboration toward a shared vision.
2. Functional experts in leadership roles who aren’t equipped with the right skills and mindset to lead effectively
3. People in the middle or frontlines of an organization failing to take initiative and be accountable.

If you’re experiencing any of these issues—or other challenges you would like to get some expert guidance on—feel free to reply to this message and let me know your situation. I’ll get back to you very shortly with my thoughts on what you can do to start making progress.

Alternatively, click here to schedule a free discovery call to discuss your situation in more detail and to explore if and how The Ghannad Group can partner with you to transform your culture and results. During our conversation, I’ll share practical ideas and insights relative to your situation and we can jointly determine whether we can support you going forward.

If you found something of value in this edition of the newsletter, I'd love to discuss it with you in the comments below.?And if you'd like to share that value with others, I encourage you to do just that by clicking the Share button below as well!