Where are we going?

As four travel companions and I piled into a minivan outside our rented home on the big island of Hawaii, we happily chatted about our morning spent snorkeling, getting fitted for gear at the surf shop, and gliding among the corral at Captain Cook Bay. After a glorious day on the water, hunger was setting in.

After a bit of debate (How about going back to that place with the great sushi? I’m in the mood for a poke bowl. Should we do something with that shrimp in the fridge?), our next meal was decided, and we headed toward town to pick up some groceries.

As we wound along Napoopoo Road, we all succumbed to the kind of tired one gets from a day of sunshine and playing in the surf. The energetic chatter slowly turned to silence. Our pack of five settled into the comfort of the car, the breeze through the open windows, and the beauty of the ocean views. And then the silence was broken by Maureen chirping, “Wait, where are we going?”
Had she not been listening? Was she distracted by tiredness? Did she not support the final decision? Was our destination more relevant to her now than it had been earlier?

From then on, we hijacked a term from the Toyota Management System and clearly stated our next “target condition” each time we set out as a group. “Our next target condition is…” became the rallying cry for where we were going and how we were going to get there — all toward the goal of a fun, harmonious group vacation. Our group crafted a tongue-in-cheek way to clearly and consistently make sure we were all on course. And because we used it so frequently, it became a memorable term that we still use today.

Where are we going? Communicating vision requires clarity, consistency, and frequency. It’s critical to your success and one of the biggest responsibilities and greatest challenges for business leaders.
In last month’s edition of the VOICE, I shared our strategic vision for Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce (GRCC), “Relentlessly grow, develop and support a thriving business community.” As GRCC’s CEO, it’s my responsibility to share and reinforce this declaration of where we are going to our staff, board, volunteers, and members.

For GRCC, we’re working on clarity by first defining — through the input of our members — the meaning of “thriving business community.” (By the way, there’s still time to give your input at surveymonkey.com/r/GRCC_Input).

Communication is two-way, and by including feedback from multiple perspectives, we’re more likely to craft a clear definition that also has the buy-in of those contributing to the pursuit of that vision. Buy-in is crucial. According to a PwC survey of 6,000 executives, one of the top five reasons plans fail is “lack of organizational support.”

Consistency and frequency go hand-in-hand. The more often you hear a phrase the more you will remember it. Leaders who continually reshape their messaging and change focus lose out on frequency. Think about the last time you learned a new song. It’s likely you put the song on repeat and sang it again and again until the lyrics flowed from your subconscious. The lyrics remained the same every time and, because of that consistency, the frequent repeats strengthened the neural connections in your brain, grounding it in your long-term memory for recall later.

Done right, you will seek every opportunity to reinforce your vision and the work you are doing to steer the organization in that direction. At GRCC, we are learning to present new ideas by declaring the strategic alignment and stating which initiative or priority is affected. This improves clarity by connecting our work toward achievement of the vision and helps the team tie their day-to-day work to strategy, which increases organizational support.

Back in Hawaii, when you consider all the reasons Maureen may have asked the question, “Where are going?” (not listening, distracted, lack of support, relevance), you can easily imagine similar obstacles from your employees. Through clarity, consistency, and frequency, you’ll increase your chances of breaking through. Aloha!