Let’s face it; the executive team in any organisation sets the tone and the standard for culture and performance, doesn’t it?
Those two components, culture and performance, determine both short and long term success, don’t they?
Performance is also about innovation, not just achieving targets on time.
If the executive isn’t fully aligned regarding values, vision and mission, we’ll hear things like “The board wants us to achieve X by Y”, or “They want us to…”
Where the executive doesn’t take full ownership of the values or vision or mission, you can expect immediately to see lowered attitudes and confused performance, and innovation will be stymied in a flash by those words.
Words spoken by executive are very powerful, either in the positive or the negative or the uncertain.
It takes frank, respectfully robust discussion to get the executive team fully aligned. Their commitment to the values, vision and mission or core objectives must be complete and uniform.
There cannot be any variance in their words or actions; otherwise you’ll see that variance in the organisation.
Getting that alignment cannot be shortcut or assumed.
Failure to ensure that alignment is a serious leadership failure.
Do not be afraid to get expert help in assuring that alignment.
It can be achieved in a short day.
What do you think?
