More C's, Part One...
Cores – Whatever your company cores might be, be fiercely disciplined to sticking to them: core focus, core values, core customers/market, and core competencies. Far too often, entrepreneurial minds – those with hundreds of ideas at any given time – are tempted to stray from the established cores. Distractions from the agreed-upon cores can be confusing to the team, can spread resources thin, and can confuse the market.
Core focus is comprised of two things: the organization’s mission/cause/purpose, which establishes the WHY it does what it does; and its core competence or niche, which clearly lays out what it does better than the competition.
Staying true to the core is critical for process, consistency, scalability, and profitability. Straying from the core in the face of the temptation of bright and shiny things can upset the flow of the organization; and rather than providing an advantage, can disrupt high-level execution. Floating around like leaves in the wind, moving in one direction then another, and then another, can have serious consequences on business performance, brand identity, and profitability.
Do not confuse staying true to the core with being rigid, having blinders on, or damping down innovation and never changing. Rather, quarterly or at least annually, put core commitments under the microscope to ensure that the advantages continue to deliver, that competitive advantage is not eroding, and that opportunities with a strong fit in the company’s vision and big-picture strategy are being seized intentionally. If new opportunities are consistent with the vision and if management is nimble enough, then the company needs to respond. This is about execution, alignment, measuring, adjusting as needed, and achieving results.
Compromise – It seems that we have lost sight of the advantages that compromise can bring and instead have become deeply entrenched in rigid dualism. This mindset can be found in business, politics, communities, and families. Rather than listening to the opinions of others or considering facts that are different from our own, we shut down the opportunities to learn and grow without real consideration.
Compromise is not weakness. Rather, it is a willingness to appreciate that no one position represents the entirety of reality itself. There is no perfect viewpoint that contains the absolute truth of any one situation.
Rather than becoming entrenched in ‘either-or’ thinking, a willingness to listen to the positions of others opens the possibility for even better solutions. The potential solutions that result from ‘both-and’ thinking, while not easy to reach, can be greater than any solution obtained through consideration of only one viewpoint.
Consensus – While nice to achieve, the endless pursuit of consensus is futile. It is nearly impossible for all parties involved in an issue to fully agree on one outcome that fully satisfies everyone. “Wait a minute,” you rightly say, “Didn’t you just go on about the virtues of compromise?”
Well, yes, and here is how I see the difference between the two. Compromise requires all parties to be willing to move off their own point of view in search of a better solution. Consensus can be a killer; the process can be slow, ineffective, and end up producing a watered-down outcome that makes no one happy.
The best way forward, in my view, is to allow those involved the opportunity to express their opinion and/or proposed solution – once. No politicking, no pressure, no judgment of others’ positions. If you are far from a solution that the team can support, then you work to incorporate the best of the points made. Crafting this solution can be hard, it may not even be possible, but it is in the spirit of cooperation that healthy and effective teams work successfully and move forward to compromise. Once a solution has been found, you vote. It may be overly simplistic and, perhaps, naïve but the majority wins.
All stakeholders have been allowed to contribute their ideas and potential solutions. Efforts have been made to bring forth a greater solution than the ones that were presented. If I do not get my way, I am able to support the outcome because I have been listened to, valued, and considered. I am willing to support the outcome with the greater good of the organization in mind.
Not perfect, but effective. Just as you cannot make all customers happy all the time, it is not in the best interests of the organization to continually strive to reach a consensus, when it is not there to be had.
Compassion – In an environment where good people are increasingly hard to recruit and retain, does it not make sense as part of a healthy work environment to extend compassion to your valued team members?
Compassion, as I see it, is the highest point on the sympathy/empathy continuum. Compassionate leadership requires a willingness to be fully open to the vulnerable expression of others and to be the most human version of yourself. A culture of compassion creates an environment where all members of the team are part of something larger than their roles, tasks, and achievements; where all are truly human beings not simply human doings.
Compassion means that I am willing to carry it with you – both your suffering and your joy. It’s a king of alchemy of the heart.
And why is this important in the workplace? Won’t employees take advantage and walk all over management? Maybe the odd person will, but those people are not the right people. The overall effect of compassion is to raise the entire level of caring, commitment, motivation, and loyalty to the greater purpose of the organization – and increase retention of the right people.
Until next time!
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