Most entrepreneurs can clearly see a vision for their business. Their problem is that they assume everyone else in the organization can see it too. Most of the time they don’t, and as a result, leaders end up frustrated, staff become confused, and the company gets stuck in the mud without any traction to move forward.
After a recent EOS session, the owner made a comment about the importance of repetition in mastering a skill. Specifically, he was talking about the weekly Level 10 meeting and, after just six meetings, how much better his team was becoming at identifying, discussing and solving issues, getting things done, improving communication and team health. He told his team, “Imagine how much better we’ll be after 52 weekly Level 10 meetings?”
I traveled to Peru one summer to help build a school. My job was to construct the baño (bathroom). The area didn’t have electricity so we did everything with hand tools. As I dove into the job, I realized that it would take us three to four times longer without electricity. It was frustrating for all of us. We knew what we needed to do but we didn’t have the right tools for the job. This same thing happens every day in business. People are given a task but don’t have the right tools to accomplish that task. One of the biggest resources or tools that your people need is your time and attention. Not to take on their issue as yours but to help them think it through their task at hand and build their confidence so they can tackle their job.
More often than not, we have to make decisions with less-than-perfect information or insight. That’s just life, especially as a leader. The biggest common denominator of great leaders and great leadership teams is the ability to make good decisions with less-than-perfect information.
Great employees stay at companies, not for the money or the benefits, but for the culture. Employees want to work at companies where it feels great to come to work. They come in early and hang around at the end of the day because they love being around other great employees. Your culture is built on your core values. People love people who share their values. For an example of one such company, see my post on the Netflix culture here.
