“A worthy relationship is an agreement that challenges and supports both participants.” – Joseph Rain
Good leadership takes on the challenging responsibilities of bringing people into agreement around a common objective. It’s the unity of thought in the opinions, values, character, and acceptable behaviors of a team that builds a winning culture.
Winning organizations embrace specific values and practices unifying their thoughts and actions. Knowing what you want and being clear on how to get there are the building blocks of cultural development.
The Power of Agreement is Good for Business
The win/win concept isn’t new when you break it down; it’s a win/win/win or a triple win mentality. When a transaction results in a win for the client/customer and a win for the employee, it’s a win for the organization, that’s the type of agreement winning cultures emphasize.
It’s your organization’s culture that’s driving the success or failure of your company.
Your people are already in agreement on something good or bad; the question is which? To what extent is that unifying mindset influencing your day to day operations?
Your organization’s culture is a reflection of the values of your leaders and employees, even if those values disagree with the ones written in your organization’s manual. So, how do you get everyone on the same page? The answer is an agreement.
The Power of Agreement Drives Your Business
“Where there is no vision the people cast off restraint” – Solomon
Provide your people with a compelling vision they can agree on, a winning culture begins with a unifying vision, and it’s the leader’s responsibility to get the buy-in. Your employees agree about many things, the health of your company is determined by what unifies them. Agreeing on a promising future will drive your company’s profits up, agreeing your best days may be behind you will drive your company into the ground.
As leaders, you must believe your best days are ahead of you. Your team must be in agreement that your organization’s greatest assets are your people. If leadership is influence, you must use it to ensure the health and well being of your employees; if you do, your people will ensure the health and well being of your organization.
These three simple agreements go along way to unifying your company.
1. Agreeing to Protect Your People Constant pressure produces stress, and prolonged stress produces anxiety, and prolonged anxiety reduces effectiveness and profitability. Hostile environments breed discord because your staff finds themselves surviving instead of striving. Give your people space to breathe by allowing them the luxury of a safe work environment.
Stability in leadership
The safety of knowing you have their best interest in mind
The freedom to express their feelings, ideas, and to ask for help
The space to learn from their failures
2. Agreeing on Transparency Allowing your people the liberty to express themselves freely is empowering; being honest with your thoughts and feelings creates an environment of trust. When empathy runs high, the lines of communication are open, the connections are stronger, and misunderstandings clarified.
Authenticity is challenging, but it helps your people to know they’re understood and valued, they’ll be more likely to solve problems instead of complaining about them.
3. Agreeing on Your Purpose and Priorities
Agree on the Purpose Nothing drives personal productivity, like having clarity on your purpose. When your people know what to do and why they’re doing it, they’ll have a sense of purpose. A sense of purpose adds value to an employee who, in turn, adds value to the organization.
Give your people clarity about the results you’re looking for, empower them to accomplish it making informed decisions along the way, and watch them flourish in an environment of shared values driven by a single purpose.
Agreeing on Priorities “He who every morning plans the transaction of the day and follows out the plan, carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life.“ – Victor Hugo
It’s always the big picture that determines your present priorities. Keeping the main objective in view keeps priorities properly aligned. When leaders fail to keep the main thing the main thing, both they and their employees will fail to prioritize their time and efforts. The most productive efforts, team meetings, and work relationships come from the agreed-upon purpose that drives the setting of present priorities.
“Someone who is too insistent in his own views finds few to agree with him.” – Lao-Tzu