Is your organization one where top talent goes to die?  Have you been successful in finding and hiring great people in your organization and then wonder “where they went” once they started working?  I’ve actually had clients admit that their company was the place where great talent goes to die.  But, they couldn’t figure out why especially since they already had great talent who were supportive of the company’s mission & purpose.

It may be helpful to understand, or at least review, part of the mind-set of top-performers.  In part, they need to know what success looks like and when they’ll actually reach that place. 

Top-performers also need to be challenged.  They won’t be content being contained in a box being told what to do.  They’ll shut down and eventually leave for another opportunity that challenges them and where they can grow both professionally and personally.

In this situation, the team wanted and needed to be part of building the strategy to company’s road to success.  They weren’t content with this task falling solely in the hands of the leader.

More importantly, the team needed to know that once they developed a strategy for success that the leader was going to buy into it.

Did you catch that?

Defining success provides direction to everyone inside and outside of your organization.  Whether it’s outperforming a specific competitor, capturing a percentage of market share, achieving an industry award or credential, being the best at what you do, etc., defining success gives your team a framework within which they function.  By clear, consistent and frequent communication, there is little question among your team, and others, about where your organization is headed.   Here are 6 or 7 ways in which defining your organization’s success aids in achieving it and making it stick:
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Inspire engagement When success is clearly defined, it provides a platform upon which leaders can tell their story.  “Storytelling” is one of the current buzz words in business and there is plenty of research to back its effectiveness.  Data and statistics engage the language centers of our brain.  But, when numbers are fleshed out with a story multiple areas of our brain are engaged, including the sections responsible for emotion thus making the message more memorable and “sticky” for the audience.  Whether your audience is comprised of your employees, customers or investors a “sticky story” keeps it in the minds of your audience and increases their engagement.  With so many messages competing for our brains’ attention these days it helps to stand out.

Increased Productivity Defining success provides a framework from which people can make decisions and execute.  The answer to the question, “Is this choice beneficial to our clients/organization/team, etc.?” becomes much easier to answer.  People no longer flounder with decisions when the desired outcome is clearly communicated.  Your team feels empowered to make clear decisions void of being micromanaged.   As a result, efficiency, productivity and morale improve.

Attract & Vet Top Talent Your organization’s definition of success lends itself nicely to a great interview to determine if candidates are a good fit for your organization.  Just because someone has “mad skillz” doesn’t mean they’re going to be able to play a role in your success.  But, when success is defined then questions can be asked in determining if a candidate has what it takes to play a role in achieving your organization’s specific and unique definition of success.  Is this goal important and inspiring to them and why?  What role would they play in getting your organization to the Promised Land and how would they do it?  The interview becomes much more rich and informative than a stale and unidimensional “yes or no” Q&A session.

Retain Top Talent One of the distinguishing characteristics of top-talent is that they need to know when they’re successful.  They require goals and a clear direction on how to get there.  When success is clearly defined in your organization, not only should this be used as part of the interview process, but it becomes a measure against which A-Players can gage their own success. High-achievers are more likely to be drawn to and remain with an organization in which they are or can become successful.

Attract Allies When leaders do the work in defining and communicating the vision of organizational success and the accompanying story, that story can be retold resulting in engagement of all sorts of resources for success - - customers tell more customers, great employees recruit more great employees, investors become interested, organizations offering complimenting products and services refer business, etc..  People can clearly understand and communicate to others what it is your organization does, increasing exposure and your success.

Critical components to success are to clearly define and communicate it.  Taking the time to do so shifts the bulk of heavy lifting off the shoulders of leaders and engages many others in promoting and working toward that success.  (Is that a 7th reason?)

Please comment with your thoughts and questions below.  If you enjoyed this post and/or know anyone who might benefit from reading it, please “share”!

The Golden Rule suggests that we treat others the way we would like to be treated.  No one likes to be micromanaged.  Plus the end result is never a good one.  So, why do so many leaders do it?  Let’s take a look at a few reasons.  Can you or any of your Executive Team relate to any of these?:
Facade of Control
There are people who are just simply control-freaks.  As a recovering control-freak myself, my personal opinion is that those who feel the need to control things lack the confidence to trust the truth.  The only thing that happens when you control things is that the truth is avoided.  If Johnny is left to his own devices and his resulting performance is subpar, NOW what do you do?   Now, you’ve got to accept reality that John isn’t a rock star and either mentor him or replace him.  But, if you continue to control the situation everything always turns out fine so there’s nothing that needs to change.  Right?
 
Inability to Mentor
Not everyone has the ability to mentor their team successfully.   As a leader, part of your job is to develop each member of your team so they grow to their fullest potential and advance in their career.  Top talent will be bored when they’re not challenged and eventually leave.  What will be left are likely your “C-String Players” (or worse).
 
Poor Talent Selection
Why would any reasonable leader delegate to someone who is either not capable of doing the job or wouldn’t perform in keeping with your company culture?  They likely wouldn’t.  Talent selection is key to halting the cycle of micromanaging.  Developing a team of top talent allows leaders to focus on leading instead if and how everyone else is doing their job.  Selection top talent doesn’t stop with skill set.  Before anyone is recruited to be part of your team they need to be a great fit for your organization’s culture.  And, in order for that to happen, your culture needs to be clearly defined.