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Clarify, Clarify, Clarify
By Steve Sjogren | May 31, 2006
The name of the game is to go from the “shotgun” approach to become a laser beam when communicating to your people and your city who you are and what you stand for. Move from using a chainsaw to surgical precision!
As I am communicating to the gathering crowd who are jumping on my new “bus”, as I gather a team in Tampa, and those who are coming together from across the US to move to Tampa with me, I am communicating very clearly “where” we are going. We are going on a journey, so to speak, from Cincinnati, to Bucca de Beppo’s at the Brandon Town Center just off of I-75 on Tampa’s east side. That is not to be confused with Miami. Now Miami is a fine place. I actually like Miami. I’ve been there on vacation a few times. I love the variety of the place, but that’s not where this “bus” is headed. I have told our gathering crowd all about the place we are headed, how exciting it will be when we get there, the kind of people who are there, how open-hearted they are, how many diverse cultures are there and the way we will need to think in order to effectively connect with the people at Bucca de Beppo’s.
As I have coached lots of leaders who have been slugging it out in various levels of frustration, it is notable that they have usually been suffering from one of two issues:
- They have decided to change the sign on their bus halfway across the country! That is a very bad thing to do… and to a large degree, dishonest. I believe that radical departures from a clearly established plan should be unusual. When you change directions halfway across the country on your trek, so to speak, you are bound to lose credibility with your most dependable, level-headed, straight-thinking leaders. Those are the kind of people you need to grow a great organization for the long haul. Think long and very hard before you change the sign on your bus!
- Sometimes the people rise up and insist on changing the sign. The ultimate message is “If you don’t change directions, we are leaving and taking all of our friends from here – you will have no one and nothing left…” All of those messages are variations on the same theme – the use of fear and intimidation. Someone else or a group is trying to tell you that they know better than you the direction for your organization.
All seasoned leaders who have weathered through their own “World War I” and perhaps “World War II” have developed skills for dealing with this problem without losing focus.
More on clarity tomorrow….
Steve Sjogren
Topics: Leadership, Clarity |
May 31st, 2006 at 6:14 am
“Move from using a chainsaw to surgical precision!”
Given your history with doctors and their “surgical precision”, or lack thereof, I couldn’t help but laugh at this statement. Thanks for all your inspiring posts and podcasts!