This blog was written by Tony Brock with National Medal of Honor Griffin Institute / National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, a CLC member of the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce as a part of our Business Resource Sessions.
We’ve got a big problem: Most executives are not effectively leading their people (directing their time and talent) towards mission achievement. This is important because, externally, the market is becoming exponentially more competitive, and, internally, organizations are becoming increasingly more disrupted.
The result is that too many executive leaders are working harder and longer in isolation of the drama of small things. It’s costing you a lot of money (certainly) — but, even more importantly, it’s costing you time (which is our #1 non-renewable resource).
In strong economic times, we can afford to be unstructured. However, that’s not the case now and it’s only going to get more challenging. Left unchecked, you increase your risk of being left behind in the coming economic wave.
The good news is while others struggle in isolation, you’ve already made the critical decision to partner for success. Active participation in the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce — sharing and learning from one another — is a powerful first step. There is power in partnership. There’s increased strength in coming together to work towards a common goal. Hint: The same is true for the people within your individual businesses.
During this Business Resource Session, we learned:
- Why is Leading Mission Alignment critical to success?
- Who‘s ultimately responsible to lead this effort?
- What are the focus areas for greatest ROI?
- How can we leverage it for 10X results?
Leading Mission Alignment is critical to success because the drift from organizational alignment (and, therefore, the shift from operational high-performance) is a natural function. Left unchecked, it will happen. The science, grounded in Newton’s 2nd Law, states that, “over time, the net entropy (degree of disorder) of any isolated, closed system will always increase or stay the same.” Think about that: Left unchecked, organizational chaos will naturally increase over time.
We’ve all seen it. It doesn’t mean we have to accept it, but it does mean we’re better positioned if we acknowledge it — so that we can deal with it. It’s not feelings, it’s physics. So, it’s our responsibility as Executive Leaders to acknowledge the reality of entropy and functional drift — and then assertively Lead Mission Alignment.
Ok, how? Well, as a framework, we can think about our organization — our expedition — in categories leaders can influence. While all are important and interrelated, the first three are critical for Executive Leaders. These deliver the greatest return of investment (ROI) and are most directly within our sphere of control.
- Vision & Mission
- Business Intelligence
- Strategy & Plans
- Organizational Design
- Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities
- Culture: Policy, Procedures, and (Daily) Practices
- Measuring Effectiveness & Performance
- Education, Training, and Experience(s)
- Redirecting & Reinforcing Behaviors
- Expanding & Strengthening our Network of Partners
By designing our Vision & Mission, we communicate our future tense aspirational and inspirational purpose, and our present tense problem, solution, and value proposition. Business Intelligence addresses the existing market conditions and what matters to us in making the most effective decisions possible. By creating a Business Intelligence cycle, we start to refine what questions we ask, how we get information, how we analyze the data, and who to share it with. Finally, we design our strategy — how we intend to position ourselves in the market for mission achievement and our plans (thinks goals, objectives, and timelines) to make it a reality.
Leading Mission Alignment is simple, not easy. However, it stands to yield the greatest return on investment for our business precisely because it focuses on getting everyone’s time and talent on achieving our shared mission. It’s both a tremendous source of competitive advantage and almost impossible to be successful without it. Most importantly, it’s our responsibility as exceptional Executive Leaders. So, let’s get to work — together!
Learn more: National Medal of Honor Museum Griffin Institute | Tony Brock