I hear a recurring issue from CEOs. They’re frustrated with the silos that have formed in their organizations and don’t know how to break them down. Everyone is so focused on his or her own priorities, and therefore, there’s no alignment.
We’re currently in one of the most competitive job markets in the history of business. Top talent has become a precious commodity, and the ability to recruit and retain A-players can be a differentiator between a stagnant or declining company and one that is vibrant and poised for growth.
According to a recent study by IBM’s Smarter Workforce, 1 in 6 employees are actively looking for a new job and 46% of employees would consider a better job opportunity even if they weren’t actively looking.
Most leaders agree that the customer experience (CX) can be the difference between a vibrant, growing business and one on the decline or stagnant. The strongest companies regularly monitor their CX and constantly look for areas to improve.
But how many companies put the same focus on the employee experience (EX)?
In his iconic business strategy book, Good to Great, Jim Collins shares what he calls the “flywheel effect” — a transformational phenomenon that he observed in some of the world’s most successful companies.
It’s not about a single big idea or innovation, nor one groundbreaking marketing campaign or lucky moment. Instead, it’s a gradual, focused progression — much like pushing a massive flywheel forward, turn by turn, accelerating momentum until it reaches a breakthrough point.
the clearest vision, the perfect strategic plan and an exceptional product or service, but without the right team, you won’t get too far.
Legendary business guru Patrick Lencioni, author of The Ideal Team Player, says to look for three essential values in every team member. “It’s the combination of the three where the magic happens.”
I recently attended Patrick Lencioni’s first-ever UnConference, an event focused on teamwork, leadership and organizational health. Patrick, the acclaimed author of Five Disfunctions of a Team, The Advantage, and many other books, delivered a wealth of information around maximizing the “health” of your company. Additionally, he had several renowned CEOs who shared their leadership strategies and successes in driving winning cultures in their organizations. One of the most extraordinary was the keynote from Alan Mulally, the legendary former CEO of Boeing and then Ford, who is credited for turning Ford into the number one automobile brand in the USA.
Alan has been on Fortune’s list of World’s Greatest Leaders. He’s also known as one of the kindest, most authentic leaders. As he spoke in depth about the leadership principles that have guided him throughout his career, I could absolutely see why all of this was true. In fact, he believes that Skilled and Motivated Teams are the foundation of every successful company, and he showed us his Principles, Practices and Management Systems which were printed on a single sheet, and said he reviewed this with his team before each meeting.
