Have you ever wondered why some organizations succeed and some struggle? Why do some athletic teams find success and others don’t? Why do some nonprofits find success and others struggle to have impact?
It’s a perplexing question. Organizations have similar equipment, have access to the same hiring pool of people, operate in the same market, and yet some find success and others don’t. Similarly, athletic teams in the same conference with similar funding levels, have access to the same recruits, practice the same number of days, play similar schedules, and yet some find success and others don’t.
I have identified five keys to consider:
· Leadership: Jim Collins, in his book Good to Great, refers to this type of leadership as a level 5 leader. I am referring to authentic leadership, not just having someone in the position of CEO, manager, director, or head coach. This leader is confident in ability but humble in approach. This leader excels in communication yet listens to others. If you were to meet this individual, you would not automatically think of them as being in charge; however, after spending five minutes with them you would want to follow them.
· Purpose: The organization has a clear purpose that unites the team members. The organization realizes that a team culture is preferable over a group of talented individuals and that team is formed when people unite over purpose/goal. Organizations that clearly communicate not just what they do, but why they do it, connect with people.
· Key Drivers: Organizations that narrow the focus and clearly identify 2-3 key drivers to success will more often experience long-term favorable results. Furthermore, when organizations take the next step and organize their entire structure around those key drivers will drive down unnecessary cost, eliminate divisiveness, and create a relentless focus on what drives success.
· Ownership: Now, I am not referring to the stockholders or owners of the organization. I am referring to transforming the workforce from a renter mentality to an ownership culture. In my book, People are the Plan, I talk not only about the value of creating an ownership culture, but also mapping out a plan to make that happen.
· Connect to the Market: Organizations that truly value understanding the key aspects of their market and connecting to the market will be better positioned to generate sustainable success. A solid understanding includes a thorough understanding of all the opportunities in the market, a segmented approach to these opportunities in meaningful groupings to evaluate, an understanding of competitors in the market with their strengths and weaknesses, and an honest assessment of where our organization is equipped to succeed.
So why do some- in the same market – with access to the same resources – with the same product/service – succeed and some struggle? I would suggest looking at those five items above. The most intriguing factor is that those five items don’t require massive capital investment, don’t require innovative technological advancement, nor require expensive third-party consultants.
In fact, any organization can work toward those five keys and start that work today!
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