T.G. Wall Management Consulting, LLC
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<< Back To Leadership Unlimited Archive April 2007 Last month I talked to two people, whose companies had radically different displays of Congruence--the element of Trust that shows how well what you do reflects what you say. (See the end of the column for a free download of the questions from the Strategic Alignment Survey, which measures Congruence, and other elements of Trust and Alignment.) Bill is a senior manager in a small company that imports and distributes products for agriculture and industry. In his late forties, he is intense, always thinking about the business, continually looking for ways to improve profitability. We were talking about the role of the senior management team, and the importance of leading by example. The owner believes that employees are the key to serving the customer, a belief shared passionately by Bill, and the other members of the senior management team. "I wouldn't have it any other way," says Bill. "I joined this company because I knew the owner, and that he's the type guy who means what he says, and leads by example." The company is successful, and their practices show that they value the frontline employees. "We believe that the frontline employees are the most important people in the company. It's their actions that keep our customers happy, that maintain great relationships with our suppliers and vendors." This is why when Bill sees a problem, he checks first with the employees to get their take on the solution. It's also why morale is so high in Bill's company. Contrast Bill's situation with Rita's. Rita is a senior "Morale? It's terrible," she says. "The employees aren't Employees aren't consulted about changes that affect them, about solutions to problems. "Solutions," says Rita, "are mandated by senior management, with no employee input. And the solutions usually make things worse, not better. Employees see that senior management cares about themselves, and not the employees." Communication is poor, and management's actions often express a disregard for the employees, so that employees don't believe for a moment that management really cares about them. And it shows in low productivity. What Bill and Rita are talking about is Congruence, the When Bill's senior management team says they care about employees, they're believed. When Rita's team says the same thing, they're not. The two behaviors that build Congruence are Straightforwardness and Honesty. Being straightforward means communicating clearly and often, giving people clear goals and responsibilities. It means telling people what is expected in performance, and identifying the rewards for successful performance, and the consequences for falling short. Being honest means telling the truth all the time. Honesty means that if we can't tell someone something, we say so. If we don't know the answer, we say so and promise to find out. If we make a mistake, we admit it. When we're straightforward and honest, we meet conflict head-on, and don't sweep important issues under the rug. Bill reports another benefit to being straightforward and The opposite will happen in Rita's organization. Good people who see no consequences for poor performance, who see a disconnect between what management says and what they do, will leave the organization. Also, poor performers will be more likely to stay, which reduces effectiveness and profitability. This tale of two companies demonstrates that what senior management says MUST be congruent with what they do. The same applies to your team. If you're the team leader, you're the 'senior management' of the team, and you must be congruent. That means being consistent, being straightforward, being honest. What are you doing to display Congruence? How would the people around you rate your being straightforward and honest? If you'd like a free copy of the 58 questions from the
Until next edition, keep leading the way! Copyright (C) 2007 by Terry Wall
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