Slowing growth and economic uncertainty has put more pressure on already busy leadership teams. The result is that things are beginning to feel chaotic. Here one leader tells her story.
What was the problem / opportunity?
‘It is beginning to feel a bit chaotic around here’, said the member of the Leadership Team. From the nodding heads, it was clear others were thinking the same.
‘The busier we get, the more difficult it is to make real progress, and the more we seem to be pulled in different directions’, the director continued.
‘An awful lot is going on, but with time & resources being scarce, it feels like we are trying to do too much. It just doesn’t feel efficient, sustainable or even a desirable way to work!
The leadership team’s data (source: Pitstop AnalyticsTM) put numbers on the chaos:
‘Caught up in the busyness of the day to day – in the endless procession of meetings – there is little time to think or to think strategically. Thus, rather than responding to events, we are reacting, amplifying the confusion and uncertainty.
The feedback is that: ‘Rushed and ill-considered changes to strategy and structure are generating a lot of noise and interference’ concluded the leader.
What was the goal?
A goal was set to boost clarity & alignment re:
- Key Priorities – taking it from 67% to 80%
- Key Results – taking it from 71% to 80%
Amidst all the busyness it seems people appear to have lost touch with ‘the why’ – the vision and why it mattered. Taking the score for ‘clear and compelling purpose’ from 65% to 80% was set as a goal.
Ultimately, the leadership team had its eye on Productivity & Efficiency. Presently, at a ‘disappointing’ 65%, the goal was to increase that figure to 75%+.
What was the solution?
‘The uncertainty in the market seems to be amplified by a lack of leadership clarity & alignment re key priorities & initiatives’ explained the director.
The leadership team’s data had put clarity and alignment re priorities at 67%, with clarity regarding the right results just a little higher at 71%. The implication was that the team could be pulling in different directions (and even pursuing the wrong priorities up to a third (100%-67%=33%) of the time.
‘We are all working very hard, but I don’t think that’s the answer even if we could work any harder. Boosting clarity and alignment regarding our key priorities and initiatives is key,’ she continued.
‘This is an opportunity to clarify what is really important and what is not’ said the leader, characteristically putting a positive framing on the situation.
‘This will enable us to align resources and focus with a greater intensity on the key priorities and initiatives that matter most’ she concluded.
‘All this change and uncertainty is sometimes scary, but it is exciting too,’ reflected the leader. ‘I must keep reminding myself and my team about that’, she added.