Is your team all moving in the same direction?
Leaders and organizations often struggle with this. It would be nice if we could just declare that, “Teamwork makes the dream work!” and suddenly everyone one in the organization is pulling in the same direction toward a common goal.
Not likely. To have a smooth-running operation, leaders must focus on their duty to each area of the Four Pillars of Leadership. Leaders, followers, culture, and mission.
Leaders won’t see the results they want until leaders fulfill their duty to themselves. They must know where the team is headed and how to get there. They must be competent and skilled enough that followers trust them to lead them in the right direction.
Leaders need to have healthy, motivated, and well-trained followers. Employees often hold back effort when leaders play favorites. Nobody wants to work for an overbearing boss. Followers need to be trained and developed so that they can carry out their job tasks.
Organizational culture is important. If you want employees to work as a team, then teamwork must be a part of the day-to-day life of the company. It must be modeled by top management and supported and rewarded by mid-level and lower-level leaders.
Mission. The “why” of the agency, team or work unit must be clear and concise. Clearly communicating “why we do what we do” goes a long way toward rallying followers to the greater good.
You might not get everyone pulling as hard as they can, all the time. But you just might get everyone at least moving in the same direction, and that is when we start seeing results. – DUTY FIRST Leadership.
Duty First Leadership 