Why Misaligned Leaders Are Killing Transformation
[Article]
“I agree.” Two words I hope I never hear again in business.
They are said far too easily and for far too conveniently to compel transfor- mation in organization. And yet, leadership teams sometimes act as though getting to agreement is the golden ticket for progress.
Agreement is insufficient to drive change.
That’s true both personally and professional- ly. Think about all the New Year’s resolutions that get dropped by the end of January – peo- ple agreed with them when they are made with no real idea of what it would take to deliver. The same holds for professional decisions, like a significant transformation plan. Leaders agree to it in concept as a good idea without considering how they as leaders will need to change to deliver. And so they stay misaligned and fail to deliver together.
Even simple business behaviors like ‘collaboration’ are readily agreed to, only to fall victim to misalignment.
How often have I heard “we need to collabo- rate more around here”, knowing that all the people nodding their heads might have big in- tentions, but they have little fortitude to actu- ally do anything differently.
Transformations fail to deliver fully in over 70% of attempts this statistic has remained stubbornly consistent for decades.
I believe part of the blame for that lies with leaders who too readily agree that the transformation is necessary without doing the hard work of figuring out how they will need to lead differently to successfully deliver.
Instead, they focus on being good sponsors of how other people need to change while being misaligned to how they need to change how they lead. But transformations fail while leaders are off doing far more important things.
If leaders want to succeed and fully deliver on the value of transformation they need to stop agreeing and start aligning to lead differently.
Alignment work forces leaders to grapple with the often-invisible pressures and influencers on decisions, and by making them visible leaders change how they show up in crucial moments. To align your team, you must create the space to talk about how you lead together, including giving voice to mindsets and group dynamics that influence decisions.
It can feel uncomfortable, especially with how easy agreement is, but it is the key to accelerating transformation.
When leadership teams do the hard work of figuring out how to align and lead together, they create new behaviors and identify decisions that they will need to make differently. They work through how to shift their individual mindsets and group dynamics so that when the inevitable tradeoffs come up that make transformation hard, they are ready to make new and better decisions.
If you want to succeed at transforming your organization, stop agreeing to it in concept and start aligning to how you and your colleagues will need to lead differently to take your company forward. Start with aligning on how to lead and your transformation will start to thrive.
Want more on this topic?
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Karrikins Group’s Alignment Institute offers a roadmap for getting from agreement to alignment through consistent actions. By focusing on building strong leadership teams and fostering a culture of collaboration, organizations can unlock their full potential.
Are you ready to take your leadership to the next level? Connect with Karrikins Group to learn more about how we can support your journey.