When do we win?
Peter Jackson recently released the film "They Shall Not Grow Old," a documentary on the First World War. It chronicles the stories of young British men who enthusiastically signed up to "fight the Jerries", but soon lost some of their fervor when confronted with the confusion and chaos of war. As one gentleman from the British citizenry said, "We were all enthusiastic to do our part, but about a week in I wished I wasn't there."
After watching this fantastic film, I realized that it gives our modern world an accurate glimpse into the horrors and disillusionment that soldiers have witnessed and endured. But it also provides an excellent example of something that I see so often in my work.
I call it the four phases of an undefined effort. It goes like this…
"This is a great idea - let's do it!"
"Does anyone have any idea when we will be done with this?"
"Whose idea was this anyway?"
"Are we finished?" or, "I think we finished," or "Did we finish?"
While our modern culture no longer accepts religion or government without personal consideration, in the early 20th century, society generally kept their head down and followed the herd without questioning. As one other soldier in the film remarked, “In those days, you just did what you were told.”
Over time though, we discovered that in order to create the highest performance, we cannot simply front load our cause or work with enthusiasm, belief, and buy-in. We must intentionally weave the answers to “why are we in this?” and “when do we win?” into the very fiber of our ongoing communication and processes. Otherwise, disillusionment will set in.
In the Industrial age and prior, there was a general belief that with a surplus of laborers, any problem could be solved. That's not to say that strategy didn’t play a part. The equation was essentially strategy multiplied by available labor. It was a brute force approach, but this equation has changed over the last 20 years. The demand of the modern worker and the "war on talent" has created a great need for meaning in the workplace.
Here are three steps that I recommend for maintaining the engagement of your team throughout an effort.
Have a strong reason “why” that is communicated all the time and in everything.
Map out smaller wins in the process and recognize them.
Have a clear definition of what it takes to win. Go back and do the first step some more.
The Harvard Business Review published an article stating that 9 out of 10 people will take less money to do more meaningful work. This signifies that the world of work is less and less willing to give their hearts and commitment without purpose. Don’t miss this next part.
The “why” is the meaning provider that attracts and retains talent. So, regardless of generation, stronger performance comes when leaders intentionally and clearly communicate the “why” and the “wins”.