Communicating the vision and translating a picture that others can see and follow is not a skill that all leaders are gifted with. When building alignment the full spectrum of human motivations, personalities, cultural understandings, perspectives and needs are at hand. This makes the journey as complex and unpredictable as ever.
Leaders who dread spending the time to build a team whose values, motivations and behaviours are in sync with another often realise too far down the track that commitment not compliance is the only way to move forward and facilitate change. Commitment at the emotional level.
Effective leaders understand that alignment is a dynamic process that happens on not only a rational level but more so an emotional one. To truly build organisational alignment the effective leader knows he must work hard with their employees and not mistake commitment with compliance and make it a tick in the bock process.
Alignment to the organisational vision must be a valuable process that when done correctly conserves much needed time and energy for the employees, provides a forum for questions and concerns (to minimise disruption further down the track) and unites and excites people, creating enthusiasm and a positive working culture. So how does a leader get their ducks in a row and create greater enthusiasm in the workplace?
Communicate Openly
Firstly we need trust and transparency in our communication that not only spells out what the vision is but why we are heading down this path. Leaders must shift perspective and make a deliberate effort to understand and target messages towards the common fears and concerns of their audience. In return the audience must feel comfortable with a well-structured message of the vision that says “he knows where he is taking us and how to get there”.
Go deeper than before
Leaders must suspend judgement and stretch to connect with others point of view. They must engage with their employees and managers in a deeper form of communication that shows that you really do care about their perspective. By engaging and making others part of the conversation you open the door to shared ownership and accountability. The Leader must be humble and vulnerable at the same time. They must form a neutral environment for 1 on 1 discussions and practice (practice, practice) listening rather than directing.
Be Inspiring
This is where the leader taps into the primal core of his employees passions by being expressive, energetic and positive and choosing key points of the vision that speak to the heart not the head. The leader must be authentic and real and paint a picture with their own body language that models a sense of excitement and commitment. The leader must be inspired and inspiring, giving his employees a common aspiration and shout out that says “Hey we are in this together and we are going to reach our goal!”
See our Work of Leaders program for more on how to build alignment to your vision and get buy in from your employees.