Alignment

The key to making progress is to connect and align the flow of time, where we've been, what we've learned, and how it serves what's important now and where we hope to go...who we hope to become. How does being here, working on this project, doing this job, practicing this craft, being with this group fit in? Does the work support our why, and our purpose? Does it help us achieve our dreams? How does our point of view, our expertise and our work benefit those around us? Who does it serve? Will it make things better? Or, is it a placeholder, a myth or facade of some sort. Perhaps it's what we're supposed to do according to someone else's plan, and their why.

Why are we here, now? Where are we going? These might be be the two most important questions we can ask, both ourselves and anyone joining our team.

Letting Go

Our past, including just a minute ago, clarifies why. It shows what we stand for, what we believe and what we prioritize. We tell by our actions if we're organized, financially driven, caring or careful.  The proof is in the pudding as they say.

Our why changes. As we receive inputs, we form new points of view and new priorities. We change our minds. It's one of the fortunate and unique abilities of being human. We can modify almost any behavior if it's important to us, if it helps us get to where we're going. What we choose do in the present determines our future, who we will become. So, if doing what we did yesterday doesn't help make a better tomorrow, we can change it, both for ourselves and for those around us. The key is to choose to see a better tomorrow, to define it...and then do something to get there, which might include letting go of the why we had yesterday.

Digging

Why?

It's the fundamental question great leaders ask. And they do it incessantly. Why does this happen? And why does it happen this way? It's not used to demean others or gain status...to prove someone wrong. It's a mindset and posture of research, learning more about the world around them...so they can change it.

Making things better requires understanding. And sometimes, unintentional understanding. Digging around with intention, learning about things randomly, often sparks a new idea. Sometimes it's a bad idea. But, as we know, bad ideas lead to good ones...eventually.

It's now easier than ever to dig. Books are available to everyone. So are videos, lectures and college level courses. Much of this information is free, or nearly free. The costs are time and a computer. Yet, despite access, people choose not to dig. What a shame.

Dig around, stir up some dust...and go make a dent.

What Are You in Business For?

In other words…what’s your purpose? Why are you doing what you’re doing? And no the answer shouldn't be “for money”. If it is…you plan to sell-out at some point. So surely your exit plan has already been developed. Would you share that with your employees? Your customers? More often the money part is about sustainability…how can someone keep their dream alive, live comfortable and pay their bills along the way. Just don’t confuse purpose with sustainability. Many people do…and the result is a disappointingly (for both you and your customers) short-lived effort.

1. Now list any clear actions which illustrate your purpose. Not slogans, promises or mission statements. The things you do to and with your customers. Your customers are raving about the highlights. So you can start by listing those. What would be missed if it were changed or eliminated?

2. Now list any actions which may be perceived as self-serving and might even be getting in the way of doing more of #1. What are your customers (internal as well as external) annoyed about? What won’t be noticed if it gets eliminated?

Now you know where to start…both shoring-up and repairs. Sometimes it’s processes or physical attributes of your product or service which need to be changed. More often it’s people and the culture which need adjustment. 

Need a plan? Now you have one.

Why is more important than What

What does it mean to hire someone successful?

What it shouldn't mean is hiring people who work the hardest, the fastest or the cheapest. And it shouldn't mean hiring people who will simply follow instructions. Because these people will get tired. And when they get tired of that work, tired of you, they will go away. People going away means you need to find new ones. And that costs money. Turns out it costs way more to keep finding, hiring and training new ones (then putting up with people growing tired, being unhappy, firing them, defending lawsuits, etc.) than just hiring people that choose to stay a long time. Unhappy people get tired…happy people stay awhile.

What it does mean is hiring people who want, care about and value the same things you do. And it means hiring people who make the choices you would make. It means finding people who are aligned with you and as a result are happy doing what you do.

Success and happiness are not about stature and money. Those are outcomes, results of deeper convictions and associated actions…one's core values. As a society we like to measure success in the results a person has achieved (experience, job titles, college degrees, kids not in jail, compensation history, etc.). And to some degree this is fair since the outcomes are directly tied to a person's world views, culture and the choices they've made throughout life. But given the possibility that two people with generally the same outcomes may have arrived there on completely different paths, with different ideals, a different series of fortunate or unfortunate events, different teachers, different parents, etc., it's worth digging deeper. 

What (someone has done) is not what's important. Because what is not what you're paying for. You're actually paying for Why…why they chose to accomplish something…not the fact that they arrived. What a person is likely to accomplish (in your organization) is based on how they will act, how they will relate to and connect with others and how they feel about themselves and the people around them. If they found their way to past accomplishments doing things you wouldn't do or wouldn't be proud of doing, it's best to know that up front so you can either avoid them or mitigate the misalignment in some way. This way you'll both be happy.

So why then are we hiring, promoting, firing, measuring performance based on What people do instead of Why they do them? Mainly because the way we've been measuring outcomes has been baked-in for ions, from pre-school through retirement. It's basically a life of multiple choice and whoever has the most awards, stripes or certifications wins. And besides, it's far easier to measure results than it is to asses core values. College Degree? Check. Ability to type 50 words per minute? Check. Didn't get fired for stealing? Check. Trying to determine how someone is wired…much more challenging. But not impossible.

Here's how I do it…at least how I start anyway. The first question I ask a candidate (Hint, it has nothing to do with work experience, GPA or how many people they managed.)? What are your dreams? What do you want to do with the rest of your life? Okay, that's two questions. But you get the picture. Here's another question I always ask…what do you do for fun? Usually these two (three) questions tell me more about a person (and why they do things) than ten of the more standard HR questions ever will. And it always, always changes the tone of the interview. It loosens things up. It makes it okay to be human. Now, with the standard HR stuff out of the picture, we can get down to figuring out if we're both going to be happy…with each other. Try it…it's fun.

The easy thing to do is to find people who are experienced and seemingly a good fit based on their abilities, which is their aptitude measured by past performance…stuff they've done well. You'll get some good hires this way. And they will do their jobs well...at least for a bit. But for long-term success culture, happiness and personal fulfillment win. Personality, character, love of the game, and passion for the same things the organization stands for trumps productivity and efficiency every time. So go find some dreamers.