Leadership

Don’t Hide Your Why

As a leader have you ever felt as though you were the only one who was engaged or motivated?

Business is vastly different than sports. In sports teams play together for a stated length of time (the game/season) and it’s easy to see how well the team is competing (the scoreboard). In contrast, business never ends and the score isn’t always evident. So, if you are leading a company, division, church staff etc. you must act differently than the coach of a sports team.

As leaders of organizations we are typically very clear as to why we started the company or endeavor. In fact, we even likely told the employee when they were hired about our vision. Maybe it’s the very reason that person chose to join the organization. However, the mundane competes each day against the vision. Therefore we must continually re-inforce the Why which creates the What we do each day.

Most people want their work to have a larger meaning than to simply make money or to provide the basic needs of life. So if you are leading an organization and feel that you are the only one who is engaged I want to encourage you to not hide your Why for the organization. When you share your Why there is a tremendous ripple effect that occurs but it must be repeated and re-iterated over and over. In fact it is our job as leaders to cast the vision of where we are headed. Continually casting that vision of “what is possible” creates a level of discontent and motivation for a good employee. I’ve listed below some of the positive ripples which occur in an organization where the leader regularly casts their vision and the Why behind it.

Sharing your Why,

makes you vulnerable
makes you accountable
lets the team know if progress is being made towards the greater good.
inspires others to join your mission.
ensures that the organization stays on the right track.
focuses energy and resources in the right direction.
gives good employees creative license to come up with better ideas or the What to do each day.
allows you to share your faith or belief system.
makes you a Real Person.

So this idea of sharing, being vulnerable and accountable makes you a person that your team can identify with and follow. Remember that people do not work for companies they work for people.

This sharing process isn’t a one-time event. A good leader continues to share and live out the Why daily! Being a leader that inspires is important but this also makes sure that everyone is inspired and headed in the right direction. Which, I believe is what every organizational leader desires; an organization where everyone is in sync and on a mission.