When it comes to “discretionary effort”, that extra morsel of human effort (we call it “oomph”) that each of us is capable of contributing when, but only when we want to, much of it is being withheld, owing to a variety of factors. Consider for a moment the following discretionary effort “limiter” that just might be in effect in your workgroup.
Despite billion$ spent on internal corporate communications efforts, too few of us have an effective understanding of the fundamental goals and priorities at play in their workspace. Think we’re kidding?
On the spur of the moment, and independent of any job aids, ask each member of your team to anonymously list, in writing, off the top of their head, the unit’s top three priorities – just three. Gather the answers and compare. If you’ve got more than three people on your team and the answers are identical, we’d like to hear about it.
We’ve posed the same question to many groups of senior organizational leaders (usually in a boardroom, with the CEO present), and upon collecting the results, without peeking at them, offered to bet the CEO $500 that the team’s listed priorities are not all the same. No one has ever taken the bet, and when the answers are revealed, their refusal to wager proves prescient.
As we’re busily shipping institutional knowledge out the door, please make certain that the organization’s sense of purpose, direction, and priority doesn’t leave with them.
book richard or bill to speak for your meeting