How does an organization reduce the “drama” or “noise” in favor of value added activities?
I am reminded of the following wisdom: “Vision without execution is a dream. Execution without vision is a nightmare.” The challenge of any organization is in clearly communicating a vision to its stakeholders, whether internal or not, and then to execute on that vision. If you do things backwards, you end up back-peddling and creating “drama”. Often it is those accused of exposing the follies that are blamed for the creation of “drama”, when in fact the accountability lies more with those who created it by failing to enunciate a clear vision for whatever process they are engaged in.
If you are a charitable organization, whose mandate is not made clear or whose choice of where to spend donor funds changes at the whims of the leader, then you in fact have a boss, not a leader. A wise man once told me “a boss turns people off, a leader turns people on”. That organizations’s leader will lose his followers the moment they can bolt, unless their sole purpose is to collect the paycheque they receive from him/her. As “everything has a price”, it does not mean that an organization cannot be run that way, it just means that everyone is clear in what they are involved with.
As that organization (and you may replace charitable one with profit or community geared ones) grows, the ability for it to execute will be stifled, if at every turn people are expecting a change of wind based on the top gun’s whims. In fact one might say that there is a void of leadership which then creates a vacuum, into which many good people and causes may be sucked.
For any organization to wish to remain relevant and for it to wish to lead, it must have a clear vision, which is communicated and for which elements from within and outside are selected to deliver on that vision. You can throw all of the resources you want at an organization that fails to communicate a clear vision or does not have a properly structured team, and all you will get is “drama” and waste those good resources in a heartbeat. Blaming, pointing and then releasing ownership are the elements you will most often see in any organization which lacks clear leadership.
So no matter what you are running out there, its suggested that you run it from a basic vision, which you communicate to any stakeholder you wish to have as a part of your journey. If its shareholders, let them know when they expect to know and find a way to BEAT expectations, or suffer the consequences. If its an internal team, be clear about everyone’s role and responsibility and what you are all rowing towards. Again, this is not my personal judgment on what you row towards, just a statement that you will want to communicate a clear and truthful goal, because you will then attract (or not) the right people for that mission.
Think of it like the “north star” of a sailor’s journey. Even in a storm, a sailor knows where to point. In turbulent times of any situation, you have a “north star” to keep you steady while you ride the storm. If you fail to keep your eye on it, you will not survive the storm. If you fail to express and gain agreement on it in the first place, your journey was doomed from the start.
Drama belongs in the theatre or the movie screen, where people are willing to pay for it. How are you helping reduce the drama around you today? That’s my “question du jour”….
Sass