01. Clarify Purpose
Clarify and continuously communicate the purpose of your organization.
This is a foundational step toward fostering a team culture marked with high levels of motivation and engagement.
In his 2009 book Start with Why, Simon Sinek argues that communicating your purpose is the essential act responsible for capturing the hearts of both employees and customers.
From an organizational perspective, consistent communication of a purpose that is clear, concise, and inclusive of all team members will remind your people they are a part of a larger whole unified by a shared purpose.
The leadership of WinShape Teams constantly saturates the workplace with our purpose, which is, “To build strong, healthy, and fulfilling teams that change the world around them.” They understand that clarity of purpose across the organization keeps us aligned and on-mission.
02. Clarify Strategy
Clarify and communicate an organizational strategy that is aligned with your purpose.
Your people want to know that they matter. They want to know their individual efforts are adding value to the mission of the organization.
It’s up to you, as the leader, to show them how each piece of the puzzle fits together in a way that propels your organization toward its preferred future.
Clearly communicate concrete short- and long-term goals. This encourages various departments and project teams to establish defined milestones, as they support the achievement of organization-wide goals. Failure to do so can be costly.
Pursuing a strategy that is not explicitly tied to your purpose can result in a sense of confusion and frustration among employees who may feel that their efforts are being wasted on an unnecessary initiative.
03. Clarify Responsibilities
Clarify and communicate role responsibilities and expectations.
Nearly half of employees in a recent study reported lacking role clarity in the workplace. A consequence of this reality is that many people, instead of taking initiative to help create the clarity they crave, will often regress into a state of disengagement.
In other words, you’ll end up with employees who, rather than demonstrating creativity and initiative in their work, will be hesitant to act until given specific directions.
As a healthy alternative, work to ensure that every employee achieves clarity not just on their daily role responsibilities, but also the boundaries within which they can (and are expected to) freely traverse without fear of reprisal.
Encourage feedback from employees in order to better understand the practical needs of your people when it comes to improving team clarity.
You possess a special opportunity to drive your people toward a better future by creating clarity.
You Can Promote a Healthy Culture in Your Organization
Creating clarity of purpose, clarity of strategy, and clarity of responsibilities are three imperatives that you, as a leader, can champion to promote a healthy, sustainable culture for your organization.
Instead of tolerating misalignment or blaming others for disengagement, recognize that you possess a special opportunity to drive your people toward a better future by creating clarity.
