The diagram for organisational success (and confusion, anxiety, gradual change, frustration, and false starts)
The diagram below offers a clear explanation for every organisational situation you have ever found yourself. As a leader in your organisation, the good news is that you now know what to focus on to change your situation.
I would be surprised if you did not identify with more than one of the situations below in your organsiation right now. Don’t beat yourself up. Use the opportunity is to focus on what you can do to improve the situation.
Organisational success
All the pieces are there. You have a strong vision, the skills to carry it out, proper incentives to maintain momentum, adequate resources to apply to the strategy, all operationalised through a practical action plan. Now just be sure to keep all the pieces in place.
Confusion (lacking vision)
You have skills, incentives, resources and an action plan, but no direction. You give in to whichever environmental pressures are the strongest, or you allow the internal stakeholders to move to the path of least resistance at a cost of operational effectiveness.
Solution: Step up and lead! Dig deep and find something you and your team will live for, and possibly something to die for.
Anxiety (lacking skills)
You have a strong vision, proper incentives, enough resources, and a solid action plan, but you are lacking the skills. You are always concerned if you are doing it right, and your staff feel insecure and inadequate.
Solution: Either hire or acquire the skill sets or invest in training for you and your staff.
Gradual Change (lacking incentive)
You know where you are going, you have the skills, resources and action plan, but no one is motivated to get anything done. You are on a slow road to somewhere, but you may lose your inclination by the time you get there.
Solution: Find a way to make the vision real to those who will carry it out. Empower your people to be something more than they are.
Frustration (lacking resources)
You have vision, skills, incentives and an action plan, but you lack the financial, material or human resources to make it happen. You would change the world if not for cash flow issues, tight labour markets, or supply chain issues.
Solution: Get your resource management right. Attract and retain the right staff, get your accounts receivable in order, define your procurement processes.
False Starts (lacking an action plan)
Your vision is solid and you have the skills, incentives, and resources ready to go, but no one knows what to do next. The strength of the vision will prompt people to do something, but it is often not the right thing. Enough false starts, and you will lose all the other components.
Solution: Stop! Take a step back from being busy, write down that action plan, and stick to it for at least a day. Can’t focus? Find someone who can or who will free you up so you can get it done.