What do you want to be when you grow up?
This is a common question for young people as they prepare to join the adult world. Interestingly enough, this same question is circulating in organizations as leaders design strategic plans, develop targeted leadership strategies or align and engage talent with organizational goals. “Where are we headed?” Emerging leaders and key talent may be asking a similar question: “Will this organization be the right fit to help me reach my full potential?” Others, after experiencing change in the organization, may be asking, “What does this organization stand for?”
Today, people are craving a sense of purpose at work as they are asked to do more with less, assume more risk in their job choices and struggle to align personal values with their work. They are looking for answers about the roots of the company and want to know what leadership is thinking. As a result, many companies are finding that it’s time to do the vital work of defining or redefining organizational vision, mission, purpose, values and culture.
Waste of Time or No Time to Waste?
In this hurry-up climate of business, it might seem difficult to spend time defining or revisiting foundational messages. After all, it’s not the 1950s or even the 1980s. Don’t leaders need to be in the trenches with their people?
At The Bailey Group, our answer is Yes and No. Taking time to go upstream to define the future and the core foundation of your organization provides an invaluable reference point to inform the answers to downstream decisions. If one knows the direction of the company and its core values, suddenly choices become more clear for efficient decision-making and implementation. You can have the best of both worlds in terms of a clear vision and aligned objectives along with faster response to decisions.
To get where you need to be to meet today’s demands and realize tomorrow’s dreams, a small investment of time by the senior team can provide context, relevance and priority. The Bailey Group has developed clear methods for senior teams to engage in this upstream work efficiently and productively — coming away with direction and understanding of their role, alignment with their colleagues, and a sense of excitement about what the organization can become when it grows up.
This is not simply a leadership retreat. The process of defining or revisiting foundational messages can result in a stronger bond among senior leadership, but also increased engagement with organizational goals. Elements of the process include:
- Establishing Vision – the future of the business and where it’s going, which guides its top strategic focus for the next 2 to 3 years
- Declaring Mission – the space in which the business operates; its core purpose
- Defining Values — qualities that the business stands for and how to express them in daily business behaviorally
- Embracing Culture — the experience of the company for its people and customers and how that compares to current culture
- Selecting Leadership Core Competencies — skills, expectations and types of leaders needed for the future
- Assessing Gaps — elements that are missing to achieve the vision, meet the mission, live the values and shape the culture and leaders for a successful organization.
The Bailey Group has helped senior leaders navigate this process in a matter of weeks, which in turn has led to the client’s successful design of its talent management and leadership development programs, implementation of strategic plans, communication with internal and external audiences and engagement of employees …to name a few examples. The foundation built by this team will serve many purposes and result in an integrated roadmap to guide the organization in the future.
If you would like additional examples of how cutting to the core of foundational messages has benefited other clients of The Bailey Group, contact us for a short consultation.
763-545-5997
