Many years ago a great mentor of mine was coaching me on assessing my team. He asked if I was holding a winning hand in my department. At first I was taken back by the notion that he wanted me to associate each member of my team with a card. Then I started to think about it. Was I holding a winning hand based on the goals of the Company and the people that were on the team?

This was my hand at the time –

1. Ace
2. Ace
3. Queen
4. Queen
5. 10
6. 5

Now, if you know anything about poker, that hand might or might not be a winner. The best thing that came out of that exercise was what I did after the initial assessment. I made sure that my Aces and Queens were challenged and knew how much value they added, I helped the 10 focus on her strengths to over come a few obstacles and lastly I gave the 5 a chance to re-group and think about what his career goals were, along with laying out what he needed to do to stay on the team.

So my question to you is simple. How do you know when to hold‘em and when to fold‘em?

Leaders – Are you being Visionary?

All businesses and business leaders know that having a compelling vision is the foundation for a Company’s future. The vision is what can motivate the leaders and employees’ actions on a daily basis that leads to growing the Company.  Here is my take on the subject – Crafting a vision should not be reserved just for Presidents and C-level Executives to complete at some off-site retreat.

All leaders, no matter their level in an organization have the responsibility to craft a vision.  Leadership at all levels should use a well-crafted vision that supports the organizations vision to help guide their teams around daily work tasks and project completion. Combining the Organizational Vision and the Vision crafted in individual business units or project teams bring the Vision to life.

So what does it take for anyone in the organization to craft an effective vision for his/her team? Based on the Everything DiSC Work of Leaders  research there are three main drivers to crafting an effective vision; Exploration, Boldness, and Testing Assumptions.  Leaders at all levels can learn to use these drivers to build a Vision that inspires and motivates. Learning to use these drivers will help leaders improve performance.

1.      Exploration – When all is said and done, a Vision seems so simple. In fact, some of the most successful organizational Visions are those that have the fewest words.  For example, in the 1960’s, Nike Corporation’s vision was “Crush Adidas”. Pretty much says it all.   Although a great vision often sounds simple and elegant, a good deal of effort and insight has usually gone into developing it. Project Leaders should develop a process to help see all the possibilities of the project. By looking at the business from the 30,000-foot level versus the ground floor, a leader can help their team see the broadest picture of the business.  The biggest trap in crafting a Vision is succumbing to the urgency of completing the vision by choosing too quickly.  Here are some tips:

o   Make it part of the daily thought process as a leader to always look for new directions or ways to improve the business.
o   Put the brakes on criticism and judging of new or different ideas. Embrace diversity of thought on the team and get out of the “same old / same old” thinking.
o   Take the time you need to craft a Vision that inspires you as the leader. If you are not excited about the vision, then keep on exploring.

2.      Boldness – A well-crafted vision is not always a game changer or market disrupter. Being bold is about going about things in a new or different way and having the intestinal fortitude to try new tactics or strategies. Pushing the outer edges and creating a slightly larger playing field can be what a team needs to move to the next level. Think Star Trek!  Being bold is about challenging the team or department to take their performance to the next level even if that next level is a small step. String enough small steps together and before you know it you’ve made a huge leap.

o   To make an impact take a chance and be adventurous
o   Activate your team to come up with bold ideas – see what success looks like

3.      Testing Assumptions – A vital step in crafting a Vision is to get feedback and ask to be challenged.  Not doing so may find you on the wrong end of the children’s story the “Emperor’s New Clothes”.  Don’t get so committed to your “Vision” that you are deaf to the feedback.  This is not to say all the feedback will need to be acted upon, but time should be taken to surface potential problems. Besides, asking for feedback and being willing to make adjustments is an excellent leadership trait and will get you more buy-in from the team when the vision is complete.

o   As a leader, you have to get out of your own head and into the head of others by asking questions and testing the assumptions. .
o   There are going to be bumps along the road when creating a Vision, anticipate them and you can usually avoid them.
o   Learn techniques to challenge the status quo.

Businesses are far more successful if Visions are crafted at all levels. The days of the CEO having to drive the organizations behavior through a Vision they developed is old business methodology.  While the CEO may be responsible for the overall Vision, each leader within the organization needs to define a Vision for his/her group or project.   Use the three drivers: exploration, boldness, testing assumptions to make it happen.  The end result will be a more cohesive and productive team – focused on a common goal. 

How do you think your business would benefit if leaders at all levels craft a vision for their projects?

When I look at the economy and what many businesses are faced with today, HR Executives should be:

1.  Aligning measurable objectives to the Company objectives - Each person in the Company should understand how they contribute to the success of the company.  Align all jobs with specific measurable results and tie them to the goals of the organization.  HR wanted a seat at the table and here is one way they can contribute.

2.  Ensuring employees are not just satisfied, but also truly engaged - All Companies should be measuring this and implementing strategies and tactics to increase the retention of top performers.  There are easy to use tools out there so this doesn’t have to be a huge expense either.

3.  Teaching leaders how to lead effectively - Developing leaders takes time – we don’t have time.  So what do you do?  Take the time and it doesn’t always cost a lot.  It is great to send someone for an Executive MBA, but there are other resources that are very effective in developing leadership traits, they can even be FREE!  First you have to identify his/her strengths and weaknesses (360 or other assessment).  Then create a plan and follow through.

Human Resource Management is complex and has many moving parts and doing more with less isn’t going away, but if you focus on results and developing a team of highly effective and productive employees you will increase your chances of winning the race in 2012.