Although it may seem obvious, I think we oftentimes miss it. We tell ourselves that everyone knows it but do they really. I think many projects and organizations fail because individuals don’t understand it.
People need to know, to be told, and to be supported in understanding just what their job is, what their goal is and just what their organization is trying to accomplish. Far too often we are dropped into organizations where the leadership assumes that those on board know exactly what they are supposed to do, or they are assigned so many tasks that they can’t separate the chaff from the wheat.
This is particularly true in small companies. Often we think that we can assign many tasks to individuals because one or two aren’t enough to fill their time. After we get finished with the assignments, those who are assigned the work are overwhelmed and spend their time stirring the pot rather than succeeding.
In the military we learn that we have a mission. It is assigned by the President and the leadership know exactly what it is. When that occurs, the members of the armed forces go out and do what it takes to succeed. World War II is a prime example of that.
However when the mission is confused, or when the military is restricted in carrying out its orders, things seems to drag, and from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to the squad leader on the front line, hesitation and confusion reigns. We saw that in Vietnam where we won nearly every battle but lost the war.
In our organizations we need someone in charge of each thing we are doing who thinks its his or her job to make it happen. They must, at all costs, succeed and reach an assigned goal. They must know when they reach it, and be rewarded for reaching it.
If they have multiple tasks and multiple goals, they will surly fail, or at best revel in mediocrity.
You have two choices. Hire people to focus on each task and succeed at it or reduce the number of tasks.
There is no other way.
JVH
