Align, Engage, Pivot, Gain Momentum!
It is never too late to lead better. Lead for alignment.
Only with alignment and momentum are performance breakthroughs possible.
Only with Aligned Momentum can a business be vibrant: Valuable, Relevant, and a Great Place to Work.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader. ~John Quincy Adams
In this series I am focusing on the performance review, which for many organizations has failed to meet its goal of improving performance of the team(s) overall.
To catch up here are links to
Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3
Consider a Pivot from the single annual performance review, which for most organizations is ineffective or harmful for a variety of reasons (see Part 2) to a more continuous flow of performance conversations, with managers who are able and willing to help people rise and build great teams, and including future-look conversations held separately from any review (see Part 3).
A well-orchestrated Pivot requires first defining the desired state (vision), discovering what is right now, and then communicating the vision and strategic direction so that each person or group can choose their best next steps (because a successful Pivot involves orchestrating many shifts by many people all aligned toward a common vision/desired state).
Sometimes you’ll have to take a step back – and it may be a big step. Continue reading “Orchestrating a Pivot from performance management to performance momentum (Part 4 of 4)”
If what you want is a vibrant business, consider – what will it take to orchestrate change – to Pivot – from performance management to performance momentum?
Performance momentum only happens when people are clear about the strategic direction, objectives, values, and how they fit. Alignment and engagement drive momentum. Vibrancy is evident, in (and for) the business and the people who work there. Continue reading “In a vibrant business, performance is inspired and reviewed. (Part 3 of 4)”
Part 1 of this 4-part series ended with a question: Does a “bad” (ineffective, even counter-productive) review result from being delivered by a “bad” (out of touch, controlling, low emotional intelligence, or worse) manager?
My answer: Sometimes, yes, but not always. Continue reading “What’s harming the effectiveness of performance reviews? (Part 2 of 4)”
Employee reviews weren’t meant to be ineffective or harmful to the morale of people you want on your team. However, too often, the performance management processes and policies organizations ask managers to follow, and promoting the wrong individuals to manage teams, are causing performance reviews to fail.
An employee performance review exists for performance improvement. Performance, in this definition includes both achieving in one’s role what the organization most needs from them and doing so in keeping with the organization’s core values. Continue reading “Performance Reviews are not inherently ineffective. But most need to change. (Part 1 of 4)”
For teams to execute strategy brilliantly, a leader must be clear. Clear about the vision (the direction). Clear about the strategy (the way to move closer toward the vision) in a way that each person can understand the role they play to brilliantly execute that strategy. Clear about the purpose (why the company exists) and how the strategy aligns with this purpose.
One leader who inspired others, and connected to them with his communication in an actionable way, was Steve Jobs former CEO of Apple.
Input about how to BE as a “Leader” is plentiful. There are also books on management, which is part of the issue in our lack of leadership, which I’ll discuss briefly later.
Should you be more competitive and guided by The 48 Laws of Power or should you be more empathetic and guided by Emotional Intelligence? Answer? Be aware of both and be authentic to who you really are and why you are on this earth doing what you do. This is about balance.
First, envision how you want to BE, as a leader. Then, become aware of how you are BEING now (you’ll need to search inside and ask others whom you trust). And then, determine your best next steps to Pivot from the you right now to the you that you intend to be.
Here is one scenario to help you get clear about how a possible imbalance of your own masculine and feminine traits may be holding you back from being a great leader, or from meeting the expectations of a work role. I encourage you to collaborate with trusted others to understand how you are BEING so that you can then determine how you might change. Continue reading “Leadership today: Balance masculine and feminine traits”
As a leader, you are positioned to orchestrate change. You may have teams already working together in a nimble way, and a way in which change comes naturally. Bridge these styles (and often unique languages) together, and you will find that leading – and orchestrating change – throughout the organization comes more naturally.
(When there is alignment and engagement and empowerment, you’ve reached a state of Aligned Momentum)
It is only in the state of Aligned Momentum that performance breakthroughs are possible.
It’s up to you, the leader, to ensure that all players come together to make one enchanting sound. Make communication and clarity a top priority.
Making better, more nimble decisions involves access to relevant facts; clarity around your strategic direction, vision and values; consideration of opportunity costs; the impact on and from other people … and awareness of your own triggers and blind spots.
Continue reading “Making Better Decisions Requires Collaborative Action”