You can’t build a great building on a weak foundation.
I’ve found this time of year is not just about making resolutions. For organizations, it’s also about engaging in initiatives. Maybe some brand-new idea taking shape into action or executing existing stuff in more efficient and effective ways. Regardless, executing initiatives requires that an organization has a firm foundation upon which to build its future success.
This is not just an organizational reality or team dynamic; I challenge each of us to embrace our own individual initiatives – the things we want to achieve personally this year – and then consider if we have a firm foundation before executing our plan.
What makes up a firm foundation?
In a recent leadership forum in Miami, I got to hear from a trusted colleague and friend, Richard Fagerlin. Richard is the President of Peak Solutions, Inc., a company focusing on leadership and culture development. In our time together, he shared his thoughts about cultivating three foundational facets when implementing initiatives. They are Clarity, Cohesion and Execution.
Clarity represents a degree of understanding; specifically, regarding the depth of understanding to ensure all parties involved know precisely the what, why, how and to what extent. “We know what to do”.
Cohesion represents the state or action of working together; specifically, regarding how all necessary people and actions operate as valuable parts of a united whole. “We’re doing it together.”
Execution represents the act of getting the initiative done; specifically, regarding the energy and effort required every day to accomplish targeted goals, actions and behaviors. “We’re getting it done”.
When all three of these facets are defined, understood, and fully engaged with passion and purpose, initiatives seem to move forward in a healthy way. It’s when one or more are absent or fall short, that’s when we have challenges and maybe even difficulties. For instance:
Having cohesion and execution, but no clarity, causes reckless behavior. Which can end up having a frustrated team wondering what, why, how and to what extent. If you have clarity and cohesion, and lack execution, you can end up getting stuck in analysis paralysis and never really getting it or anything else off the ground. If you have clarity and execution, and lack cohesion, it can feel right except all parties can end up doing their own thing and inconsistency becomes an acceptable norm.
So, what’s the goal? It would seem striking a balance and ensuring all three are in check is a healthy place to start.
“Organizational health is the single greatest competitive advantage in any business.”
This Patrick Lencioni quote suggests culture and its relative firm foundation is much more than just a three-element alignment for an organization. If you zoom out, I believe you can see all sorts of ways and means to ensure that one or many have access to professional and personal development. Consider the opportunities like systems, processes and programs designed to elevate success, learning, connectedness, awareness, mindfulness, health and well-being.
Co-Founder Kym Russell has always stressed that our greatest resource at Russell Cellular is people – every single team member that makes up our RC Family. And when we can support one another in our pursuit of the mission, priorities, objectives and calls to action, whatever our job function, we are not only successful…we are also healthy – operationally, organizationally and culturally.
When we all aim for the next right thing and we do it often as second nature behavior even and when no one else is watching, that is what is healthy can look like when flowing downstream from culture. It’s an upstream pursuit of caring for every person and providing the best wireless experience to every customer, every time… and best employee experience to every employee, every time.
Adoption & Maintenance of a Firm Foundation
Let’s say the vision and all the elements are in place, now what? Well, to be fair, that is the age-old question. Most organizations are rarely short on vision, although they are not always crystal clear. They aren’t short on ideas, although many still lack wisdom. They are never short on intention, despite feeling the pain of slow results and not deviating from the plan when necessary. All of that to say, starting is hard, following through and sticking with it is harder.
Paying attention to and sticking with the three elements above is a great place to start. I would also, as either a leader or follower, evaluate and consider some of the following components that make up a foundation; like leadership, communication, self-discovery – team discovery, learning, goal setting, expectations, standards, coaching, feedback, measurement, performance reviews, support, conflict resolution, and surveys. Each lends perspective and attention to the levels and depth of any foundation.
Stating the obvious, build the foundation before you build the house. A house will only ever be as good as its foundation…so, make it solid, make it strong before you make anything.
As you contemplate what makes and maintains a firm foundation – organizationally or personally – consider the following questions.
Foundational Questions for Lasting Success
- What’s the ‘root’ why behind your initiative?
- What is the ‘truth’ for this to move forward?
- What’s the difference about ‘this’ time?
- What’s the ‘wise’ first thing to do?
- What’s the ‘one’ thing that needs to happen and keep happening throughout?
- What could go ‘wrong’?
- What’s the ‘best’ measurement?
- Who really ‘benefits’?
- During implementation…What’s ‘right’, ‘wrong’, ‘missing’ and ‘confusing’?
- How will we know we ‘won’?
Want to learn more perspectives about building a firm foundation? Visit our podcast or visit one of our locations.
