El Movimiento es Vida
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Zombies have been a “thing” for quite a while now. Personally, I don’t get it. But – to be fair – I’ve never met one so I guess I shouldn’t judge.
Even Brad Pitt jumped on the zombie bandwagon in the 2013 movie “World War Z”. Brad’s character is Gerry Lane, a former UN investigator called in to investigate the zombie pandemic. I enjoyed the movie.
I recall one scene where they are being hotly pursued and break into an apartment housing a spanish speaking family watching TV. It is a temporary respite at best, and as Gerry leaves the apartment he enourages the family to keep moving for their own safety.
“El Movimiento es Vida” – Movement is Life.
Movement is life for leaders, as well.
As leaders, we are entrusted to move the vision and mision of the organizations we serve forward. And post-pandemic, this is a challenging endeavor.
The 2021 Gallup State of the Workplace study uncovered the following unsettling facts:
1) Only 13% of those surveyed are satisfied with their jobs
2) Only 20% said that they feel fully engaged at work
3) Only 30% said that they felt recognized and appreciated for what they do
Wow.
As leaders, then, what do we do?
One of the best ways to jump start forward movement and re-engage your team is to put a renewed emphasis on clarity.
Some years back, Lexus had a tag-line that I loved – “The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection.”
My version of this for leaders is – “The Relentless Pursuit of Clarity.”
The pandemic pushed us apart. Remote work became the norm. No matter what amazing technology we possess to connect us, the reality is that lack of face-to-face interaction creates gaps. Gaps create confusion. And confusion muddies the waters.
Plus, we all had to adapt. Churches, temples and synagogues, for example, lost a significant share of their regular attendance, so they’ve needed to re-think how they go about staying in touch with their constituents. This adaptation brings change and confusion as well.
Now is the time to make things clear once again.
Clarity is critical at three levels: clarity of purpose; clarity of roles; and clarity of plans.
Clarity of purpose reminds us about what our vision and mission is.
Clarity of roles reminds us about who plays what part in the accomplishment of our vision and mission. It establishes boundaries and bright lines, which is empowering to team members and fosters confidence.
Clarity of plans allows us to translate the vision and mission into action.
Establishing clarity and communicating it at these three levels will help your team re-engage and get their energy and enthusiasm back. Everyone likes to know what part they play in the big picture. They will feel more valued as a result.
This week, take a few minutes to rate yourself on clarity. Has your vision or mission changed? Have roles and responsibilities changed? Have your plans changed? More than likely the answer to at least one of those questions is yes.
Now, how can you make those changes clear?
Remember – clarity creates empowerment; empowerment increases organizational capacity; and increased capacity leads to greater impact.
And greater impact is what leadership is all about.
