On my short list of must-read books are a couple written by Patrick Lencioni. One of those, focused on the leadership qualities required to run a healthy organization, is The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive.
Why is this book important? Because it hits the nail on the head in its identification of four ACTIONS that leaders need to take. They aren’t things to just think about or discuss. Rather, they are about ways to better execute. Better execution is a challenge for all of us and, I think, a great way of thinking about how to focus a leader’s efforts.
To simplify the “to-do” list as four verbs, we get this list:
- Build
- Clarify
- Over-Communicate
- Reinforce
BUILD
To do anything else in this to-do list, a leader must first build a leadership team whose underlying value is trust. The trust comes from team members knowing each other more than superficially, and it enables leadership meetings and conversations that are open and honest, especially when digging into difficult topics. Lencioni describes the interaction of the leadership team as “getting to know one another at a level that few groups of people ever achieve.” I think that he is talking about Authenticity – a quality that we all should seek in our professional and personal lives.
CLARIFY
Lencioni refers to “organizational clarity” – a clear purpose that guides all activity. When the leadership team lives and demonstrates this kind of clarity, it causes the rest of the organization to act with a new level of autonomy and empowerment because everybody is working with the same understanding and same answers to key questions like “Why do we exist?” “What are our fundamental values?” and “What are our shared goals?”
OVER-COMMUNICATE
Nobody is kept in the dark in a healthy organization. While that may sound obvious, it is sometimes the obvious things that matter most, and that often get missed. In fact, Lencioni’s advice on how to over-communicate an organization’s purpose and values may sound just as simple: tell people often, and tell them in multiple ways.
REINFORCE
Finally, organization clarity, coming from an effective leadership team, is best communicated when it is reinforced through a system that is less bureaucratic and more human. Communication that is built on the direction and purpose that people have created and adopted is going to resonate with individuals and, even when the organization is going through challenges or change, enjoys a consistency with values and purpose – and a consistency with the teams and people critical to the organization’s success.