How to “S” Your Organization & Team to Success!
I’m a BIG believer in having a process that allows your vision of success to come true! Whether your vision of success is professional, personal, in a relationship, or all of the above… the process is the “doing” part and is the vehicle that will take you there. If there’s one thing you take from this, I hope you remember having a VISION a DREAM is not enough! Everyone has a vision for how they want or wanted their lives to be, professionally and personally, … so what! The homeless person living under the bridge had or has a vision… it’s not enough. Rather, it’s a starting point; allowing you to then develop a process to bring it to fruition.
The process doesn’t have to be perfect… the truth is, you won’t know how good the process is until you start! Some people, organizations, and teams get stuck attempting to perfect the plan instead of simply starting a process, losing valuable time, morale, and money. So, how do you start your process and what does your process need, evolving your leadership, work/life harmony, and that of those around you?
We already discussed it’s necessary to have your vision; what do you want to get out of the process and how will this process benefit the organization, your team, the world? I’m honored to train organizations across the country of my Leader’s 3: Your Vision & Vision Factors, Expectations, and Rules. If you don’t know them and share them about your mission; how are you people supposed to know and do?
Now that you have your Leader’s 3, it’s time to develop a process designed for success… and your process needs the 3 S’s: is it Sensible, Solid, and Seamless? I’ll share a recent example (depending on when you’re reading this) on how I created and run my non-profit charity, The Andre Young Foundation, launching in November 2020.
Sensible
Your vision and process may make great sense to you… perhaps you’ve done it before or see it so clearly in your head. However, if it doesn’t make sense to your organization, your team, those that have to carry the process out it will either not get done, be done slowly, or poorly. It’s not because your people are lazy or don’t care; typically, is because they don’t understand how it works, how it benefits them, or the bigger-picture all together. Remember, you are 100% responsible for the clarity of the vision, process, and creating a safe place for your people to ask questions and give feedback. They are 100% responsible to ask for clarification and provide feedback to possibly fine-tune the process as they are the ones on the frontline!
I decided years ago I wanted to give back to families in transition… men and women with children going through the transition of recent divorce and separation. I dabbled in the past with assisting but decided it was time to make it official. The truth is, I wanted to make a difference but was not enthused to start a non-profit, have a board (no disrespect to our Board Members… you guys are awesome!), have consistent Board Meetings, etc.; however, I was married to my dream of not only making an impact as a professional speaker, trainer, and author but also giving back to help families through a time that was my hardest.
As with any new endeavor, the mission and the process MUST BE sensible and understood by everyone to create buy-in, great morale, and intentional servitude. Therefore:
• The Mission and Process must make sense: is it reasonable, doable, and how will it be done?
• What are the Vision, the Expectations, and the Rules?
Once I was clear on the mission of the charity and how it would work… it had to be Sensible to my accountant, Sensible to the state to accept it, Sensible to our Board Members to come aboard, and finally Sensible and clear to the public or else they won’t donate!
Solid
Is your Process solid… does it yield results? As a leader, after explaining the vision and mission, it’s sensible, you’re now ready to put your people in the right seats:
• What are the superpowers of those on your team?
• Put them in the right seat and delegate appropriate tasks
• Ask what they are excited about regarding the tasks, questions they have, anxieties about the task, and what they learned most after completing the task… enhancing their leadership skills to later teach someone else!
• Know, explain, and share your role as the leader; transparently updating your team about the success or lack thereof regarding the process
The attorney on the Board connects us with various Family Law Firms; allowing us to partner and assist the families they serve and the community… working smarter instead of harder to identify families in need. Our other Board Member is a great connector and visionary; allowing us to properly fund-raise and expand our demographic of impact in the future!
Now that everything is Sensible, the process is Solid with everyone in the right seat, it’s time to get Seamless!
Seamless
Full disclosure, I’m old school and resisted online shopping for as long as I could and held on tight to the concept of going to the store or malls to get what I wanted. However, over time I became more and more frustrated with going to shop with money in my pocket but not finding what I wanted or buying what everyone else was already wearing. COVID also eliminated the old school way I enjoyed doing things… so Amazon it was… and WOW! Of course, you already know this, but I was so impressed that anything and everything you want is at your fingertips… but most of all, I was impressed by the seamlessness of it all. You like it, you press it, swipe to buy, and it’s at your house in two days… WHAT!!!
I’m not suggesting your results will be as quick as Amazon, the immediate gratification of that is almost criminal… however, I am suggesting your process, professionally and personally, be as seamless and as easy as possible. The more seamless it is, the more likely you and your people will follow-through, leading to greater returns!
I initially shared I did not want to have a board… for the simple reason I didn’t want to have so much more to do; however, that’s not how non-profits work. To make it Seamless I chose to brainstorm, collaborate, and fine-tune. When you’re in Seamless mode:
• Share your plan for the vision and meetings
• Ask what your people desire to get out of being a part of the mission and what they’d like to get out of the meetings
• Know what Language they speak and choose to speak it (The Leaders 7, in my book, 7 Ways to Lead)
• Know how they learn best and apply it (A Leader’s Nicely, in my book, 7 Ways to Lead)
• Lastly, make it easier for people to work with you!
During the first meeting with the Board I learned they wanted to be of impact to the community and give back to families. One board member is a Family Law attorney and sees the negative impact divorce has on families and children daily and the other is a former Mental Health Therapist and worked with families in the community for decades. I learned one member’s (Leader’s 7) top two Languages were Goodie-Time and Quality Minutes… this allowed us to fine-tune and adjust from all virtual meetings to alternating virtual and in-person at local restaurants. I also learned scheduling can be an issue; instead of designating a date and time every month due to legal trials… it made sense to contact the board on the first of every month and select a date and time via text. Lastly, I learned each of their learning styles was auditory… therefore we can talk, and I didn’t have to create bullet-pointed notes to email out.
Now here’s the cherry on top of Seamless… make it easier for people to work with you! You can do this in several ways:
• Regarding the charity, I was not prepared to do much fundraising to start. Therefore, I set aside three pro bono training sessions: two for underprivileged schools and one for a 1-on-1 Growth Session; providing a win-win. An organization doesn’t have to pay my full fee, donate to my charity, and impact their community and mine.
• Regarding business, meetings, prospects, etc.… after ending a call or meeting… offer two dates and times for a Follow-Up Meeting. It will keep you from chasing, them from feeling annoyed or pressured, provides a sense of urgency to the matter, and an overall reduction in tension.
• Lastly, find out what your people want, need, and how they like to receive it and it’s hard to lose!
Whatever process you’re using now or plan to begin… is it Sensible… not just to you, but to who you’re selling it to? Is it Solid… do you and your people have an actual plan of action, everyone knows who’s doing what, when, how, and why? And… is it Seamless; easiest to do and have you made it easier for people to work with and for you?
“Having a Vision or a Dream is not enough. Rather, it’s a starting point; allowing you to then develop a process to bring it to fruition” – Andre Young
Written by Andre Young
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