Leading for Excellence (Part 1 of 4)

Why do some organizations succeed and some fail?  Given similar demographics and models in the same market, why does one business thrive and one struggle?  Any given community can support (given available resources) only so many grocery stores, pizza parlors, and burger joints.  In the non-profit world, competition, while not as visible as in the for-profit world, is still very real.  A leader’s ability to “lead for excellence” will determine the success or failure of any given venture, whether it is non-profit or for-profit, public or private.  It is not enough that a leader is charismatic, dynamic, or  infact “excellent.” That excellent leader must lead for excellence in his or her team and organization.  Excellence needs to be the predominant culture and vision of the organization, from the CEO all the way down to the janitor. 

I have distilled the domains of excellence into four main measurable areas: Selection & Training,  Vision & Outlook, Attitude & Energy, and Strategy & Planning. 

Where these four areas converge, we find excellence.

Selection & Training

It all begins here: 

First:              

We must select, train, and sustain people to find meaning in their work, and we must place people where they are most likely to find this meaning.  This will occur when a system is designed to address finding meaning in all three areas mentioned (selection, training, and sustaining).  This must start right from the start of the “front-end” hiring process.  Once hiring is complete, we need to provide training that helps team members find meaning in the work they were hired to do.  As leaders, we must continually seek to sustain our employees’ feelings of fulfillment in the work that they do. 

 

Second:          

As a lover of gardening, I have spent hours upon hours - graph paper in hand - planning the layout of a vegetable garden.  I take into consideration things like: sun exposure, amount of shading of the plants growing next to them, harvest and replanting schedules, fertilizer types, drainage and watering needs, pest attraction, etc.  I love this analogy in relation to systems and leadership.  The job of a leader, like the gardener, is to ensure that each individual is, and feels like they are, an integral part of a system rather than just a collection of parts.   When we are part of something greater rather than just a collection of parts, we can build a sense of fraternity in the organization and will provide added strength and resiliency to our team and to each individual.  For this to be accomplished, the leader must have a proficient understanding of group dynamics.  A leader must understand and know his people in order to know where in the group dynamic the employee fits the system.  This is a function of a great HR person who will work closely with executive staff.

Third (and leading to the next area – Vision & Outlook): 

All staff, not just identified leaders, need to be converted to the service of organization’s mission and values.  All roads – All programs – All activities BOTH lead to AND emanate from Values and Mission.  A leader exudes the mission and values of the organization. 

A leader who wants to “lead for excellence” must 1) be tuned into the front end process of selection and training by helping meet their employees personal needs, while at the same time 2) be tuned in with the group dynamic and see where people fit to meet the needs of the system, all the while they are getting their own needs met.  Then 3) while people are getting their own needs met and the system is getting its needs met, leaders must see that both people and system are meeting the needs of the mission and values of the organization, and that the mission and values are conversely meeting the needs of the people and system.

Do you need support in evaluating your organization’s selection and training efforts?  Are you looking to devise new ways to gauge the meaning your organization is engendering in your employees?  Contact me for a 1:1 consultation, or workshops and in-service trainings on selecting and training that helps employees find meaning are being scheduled now.