From boardrooms to lunchrooms across America the discussions are the same. In
the lunchrooms the question is, "who are we and where are we going". In the
boardrooms the question is, "where are we going and how do we get there".
In either case the results are the same. Direction Drift. You won't find the
concept described in management or business books because I just made it up.
After 20 years of working with clients in dozens of industries ranging in
sales form one million to several billion dollars I have come to the
conclusion that this is one of the biggest challenges facing corporate America
today.
The consequences of direction drift are many but they can be summarized into
just 5.
First. A lack of communicated direction contributes to poor employee
performance and productivity. Second. A lack of clear direction increases the
likelihood of wasted corporate resources. Third. A lack of focused direction
adds a negative element to corporate culture mainly, the "here we go again
syndrome". Fourth. A lack of consistent direction adds a great deal of
uncertainty to the attitudes of employees whose primary function is to take
the organization where it is headed. And Fifth. A lack of confident direction
is a signal to employees, the marketplace and your competitors that you are
vulnerable and unsure of your objectives and strategies.
What is the cause of this malaise?
I believe there are five distinct contributors to this problem. One. Senior
management is not in touch with the reality of either its organization or the
marketplace. Two. Senior management is stuck in a historical perspective and
is unable or unwilling to revisit their role and fundamental purpose as a
business entity. Three. Change is coming so fast and furious that
organizations are unable or unwilling to develop a correct perspective on what
is really happening in the world, whether their world is a regional or
international arena. Four. Arrogance and or ignorance prevents management
from admitting that they need to rewrite their mission statement and
strategies. Five. Inaction seems safer than wrong action.
I repeat, time is running out.
The world is not going to sit idly by as organizations wait for a sure and
safe path into the future to become evident. Somewhere in the world today
some organization is zeroing in on your customers. You can ill afford to
continue to adhere to a philosophy of wait and see. Boldness, responsiveness.
clear vision, flexibility, fast response time and courage will be the
benchmarks of future successful organizations.
There are three areas that I encourage you to consider if you do not want to
become a casualty in the coming years.
One. You must put in place a system of open, honest and top down and bottom
up communication. Two. You must tap the resources of your most valuable
asset, your people. Three. You must do more than listen to your customers,
you must think ahead of them and offer them what they want, not what you want
to give them.
There are any number approaches and philosophies available to executives today
from TQM to Principle Centered Leadership. All of these will fail if you are
not clear on your direction and objectives. Anyone of them can propel you
with lightning speed into the future if you know where you age going and why.