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Retrospective Induction |
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Occasionally we've
been privileged to work with clients who have made strong
financial progress in their business - to a point - and then
stalled. When we carry out a basic audit of what has driven the
business up until this point, we often find that it is the
vision and values of the founder, but all too often the founder
is the only one who knows what those values are and what that
vision is!
In the words of one client, "It's in here (pointing to
his head). I know what it is, but I've never really spelled
all of it out to my team. I give them bits of it as they need
it, but there are always things to do other than sit down and
navel gaze."
The challenge for a team working from pieces of a map is that
they don't have enough of the big picture to contribute strongly
at a strategic level. They can contribute tactically (short
term, project by project), but even then they don't understand
how the piece of the puzzle on which they are working has to
dovetail with other future actions or other pieces that their
leader may be building elsewhere with other members of the team
or even with other teams. |
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In instances like these, we begin with a value elicitation then proceed to a
vision and mission statement (often using the crayon picture process outlined in
Chapter Two of
Solving the People Puzzle). Then, with the team engaged, we tease out the
vision, mission and value statements.
The effect on both the team and the leader is always the same: a deep, exciting
understanding of where they've been heading up until now, a new long, clear view
into the future for the team, and profound relief on the part of the leader that
he or she has finally gotten it out in a way that others can see, grasp and sign
up for.
The subsequent effect - as the VMV is rolled out to the whole team as a sort of
belated induction, and as it starts to colour and shape marketing, interaction
with customers and other stakeholders, and as it assembles and harmonises the
energies of the team as a whole - is quite staggering, even for one who has come
to expect it.
The bottom line here? It's never too late to induct the team into your vision,
mission and values.
For a great guide to use in eliciting your VMV's with your team
click here.
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