How would you finish this statement: Your Company Will Only Be As Great As…………..

I’ll get to how I believe the statement should be completed at the end of this article, but if you’re not sure, maybe you’ll pick up a few obvious hints along the way

Part 5 of this article series brings to light three important things a CEO must do for his/her workforce: (1) Communicate one concise and transcendent goal; (2) Communicate an inspiring, visionary description of what success looks like when the company achieves it’s transcendent goal; and (3) Align the entire workforce (whether 3 people small or 5,000+ employees big) with the strategic business plan for achieving that one transcendent goal so that the vision for success will be truly realized via measurable results.

As a student of Collins & Porras’ book, Built To Last, I would argue the above three items represent the CEO’s ultimate role and responsibility to the organization everyday, all the time.  Put simply, its called providing direction, so that everyone can point in the same direction.  And thus, avoid confusion, cynicism, replication of efforts, the classic CYA mentality, fear to make decisions, and so on and so forth.

1) Communicate one concise and transcendent goal

Consider, as an example, the following 5-year goal and subsequent visionary description for my clean technologies venture:

Green Axis, Inc. is the world leader in providing cost-effective, green energy solutions.

• Our products are zero fuel; zero emission energy systems
• We offer a breadth of solutions that can accommodate commercial and industrial businesses, data centers, homeowners, and government agencies
• Our technologies integrate wind and solar energy, enabling homes and businesses to obtain on-demand power from renewable sources, while generating revenue from the utility company
• We eliminate customers’ recurring costs for their electrical power needs
• We have created hundreds of new green jobs
• We have become a model “leadership, growth and people company”

Now consider the following feedback Green Axis received about the “Company Vision” from a judge in a recent business plan competition:

“Overall vision comes across way to broad – sounds like you want to be everyone’s solution, which just doesn’t sound practical for a business long term objective.  Would help to see you pitch more as a proof of concept than as a business.”

Notice how the judge would’ve been more comfortable with a short-sighted vision of simply achieving a company milestone!  As the CEO of your company, you should not be comfortable with such shortsightedness.  Although “proof of concepts” and milestones may be critical, they’re only pieces of a bigger picture…your vision for success.

That said, here’s a tip for creating a transcendent goal.  Consider a simple statement of who the company is or what the company wants to become in 5 years.  Not 6 months, but 5 years.  And yes, it should absolutely be great and emotionally hook your workforce.  No doubt about it!

2) Communicate an inspiring visionary description of what success looks like when the company achieves it’s transcendent goal

What does it look like when you become the company you want to become, or achieve the revenue number you want to achieve, in 5 years?  Describing what achievement looks like will help people visualize success and their specific role in helping to achieve it.

And don’t just discuss your company’s goal and visionary description at the beginning of the year, but discuss it every day of every week to the very best of your ability.  Imagine how inspiring this could be to your workforce at an economic time like this.

If as leaders we are hesitant to speak transcendentally and uphold a vision of success for our company because we are fearful of failure, only one thought comes to mind: self-fulfilling prophecy.

3) Align the entire workforce with the strategic business plan for achieving the transcendent goal so that the vision for success will be truly realized via measurable results

I know this sounds like a mouthful, but its important to remember why aligning a workforce is so critical: So that results can actually be measured and achieved.

Once the 5-year goal and vision for success has been formally communicated, all personnel and departments must tailor their daily work activities toward achieving that goal.

Everyone should know what the 5-year goal is.  Test them…randomly ask your teams and employees throughout the year what the company’s goal is.  Further ask them what some of their personal goals for helping to achieve the larger, transcendent goal is as it pertains to their unique roles and responsibilities.

Everyone must have goals – and a clear path for achieving their goals – if they are going to get the company to the place you need and want it to be in 5 years.  No ifs, ands, or buts, about it.

Here’s a friendly reminder: this is what your management team is for.  Are they doing their job overseeing the clarification and achievement of goals in your workforce?  Furthermore, do you empower management to do this job well?

OK…so here’s my final thought on the question I posed earlier:

Your company will only be as great as your vision for success!

What’s yours??

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1. Everybody possesses the ability to lead.  This means that every member of your workforce can develop his/her unique leadership skills and abilities to achieve improved results. It’s a common myth that a select number of us are “born” leaders.
2. Leadership is a journey.  Leadership characteristics are developed and improved over time. Consciously and consistently developing our leadership skills will accelerate our results.  Compare the skill sets you possess now to those of five years ago.  How are you doing?
3. Leadership is a personal choice.  If we don’t take the initiative to grow our leadership potential, we will achieve limited success.  We create our future, our companies and the world when we take responsibility for developing our leadership potential and the potential of our workforce.  On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your initiative for developing your leadership potential?  How about that of your workforce?
4. People get results, not titles. We must first be effective leaders personally, before we can be effective leaders formally. Both formal and personal leadership require personal power – we get results from people because our behaviors are those that earn people’s trust and respect, thus people are eager to follow our lead.
5. Leaders face failure head-on.  When mistakes happen leaders act on courage and adhere to their values to keep leading.  Remember, it’s who we are in times of intense challenge that define our character. Which of your leadership characteristics are shining through at work and at home during this challenging time in our economy?  Are you a lighthouse or a weather-vane?
6. Leaders set goals.  Goals act as a compass for success.  If we don’t set written goals we are at high risk for losing sight of where we are going personally and professionally.  Leadership requires pointing everyone in the same direction.  Are you setting written goals?

What might you add to this list?

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