It always intrigues me how little attention we pay to the words we use and how this can have such a significant impact on performance and relationships.
I recently facilitated a series of training workshops on problem-solving with the team of a two-partner accounting practice in suburban Melbourne. We talked about how the managing partner wanted to see higher levels of teamwork in the practice. As I like to work on real problems in the business, rather than theoretical case studies, this was an opportunity to get our ‘teeth’ into something ‘real’. The team were keen because it was meaningful to them. And they had another agenda: they wanted to show the partner that they already worked as an effective team.
But they were not sure how to start. I suggested starting with getting a deeper understanding of the problem from the person who flagged the problem. They were a little perplexed by this; after all, everyone knows what ‘teamwork’ means.
However, they agreed to ‘interview’ the managing partner. The key word that came back from these interviews was ‘proactivity’ – dealing with problems as soon as they arise, seeing what needs to be done, especially for clients, and doing it irrespective whose role it was. It was about not ‘stepping over or around’ problems but taking responsibility for them. They then asked him for some specific examples, which helped clarify his meaning further.
Everyone expressed surprise when we got together to discuss the results of the partner interview. “We would never have seen teamwork as being about proactivity” one participant said. “We would have tackled the problem in a completely different way,” said another. This would not have satisfied the managing partner. More than likely it would have increased his frustration – both with them and with me, as the facilitator.
One of the key challenges facing leaders in engaging their team is turning intangible problems into tangible ones. This is what we did, in this case, by interviewing the partner. Without clarifying the nature of a problem it is impossible for people to understand what is expected.
We all think we agree on what teamwork means, but when we investigate the specifics, we can find that no such agreement exists. And it is the specifics – the devil is in the detail – that often makes the difference in implementation.
In my experience, this lack of precision in communication causes some of the most significant problems in implementing strategy. And once the implementation gets onto the wrong trajectory, it is hard to get it back on track.
Strategic planning workshops are notable for developing general concepts with little detail or substance. You will regularly hear words like ‘teamwork’, ‘responsibility’, ‘accountability’ and ‘trust’ but little exploration of what these terms actually mean to the participants.
Whenever you are stuck at an impasse, ask yourself two questions:
- What does the word or concept, that we are discussing, mean?
- What would be happening and what would we notice, different from today, if we had this?
This provides a solid foundation for the next question – how will we know (measure) that we have this? It is often said that, what you can’t measure you can’t manage.
When we ask these questions, we arrive at a much clearer idea of what is expected and how we should implement the strategy.
How many intangible slogans, phrases and concepts stand in the way of your organisation consistently implementing its strategy?
About the author: Warwick Cavell, an Alliance Advisor with ATL Network, is a thought leader in communicating for results and strategy implementation. For over 25 years, he has helped leaders improve business performance by changing the way people communicate and work to solve problems – both internally and with their clients. He is a highly respected facilitator, coach, speaker and trainer, and author of regular blogs.