What if your team isn’t confused about the direction? What if they just don’t believe in it?
I’ve been thinking about that lately when it comes to the Vision/Traction Organizer.
When the V/TO isn’t landing with the team, I think our instinct is often to assume we have a communication problem.
Maybe we haven’t talked about it enough. Maybe people don’t understand it. Maybe we need to keep bringing them back to it.
And sometimes, that probably is the problem.
But sometimes they understand it just fine.
They know the Core Values. They understand the Core Focus. They know the Core Target.
The question is whether they connect with them.
That leaves me with three questions:
- Do your people share your Core Values?
- Do they believe in your purpose, cause, or passion?
- Are they energized by your Core Target?
If the answer is no, explaining the V/TO again probably isn’t going to change it.
They simply may not be a fit for your organization.
That can be a hard thing to admit, especially when someone is talented, experienced, or has been with the company for a long time.
But that also doesn’t mean making a snap decision about someone. It means being willing to call the Issue what it is. If someone doesn’t share your Core Values, believe in your Core Focus, or feel energized by where the company is going, communicating it more probably isn’t going to change that.
At some point, you have to stop asking, How do I get this to land? and start asking a harder question:
Are these the right people to take us where we’re going?
Get clear on the Core. Then get honest about who belongs on the bus.
