The life of a CEO is a never-ending series of decisions that either drive business initiatives forward or move them in a direction you don’t want. What you say and do and how you say and do it drives results. So what are you supposed to do when you’ve got a project – that can not fail – looming and your team isn’t excited about it?
As a CEO, what you say and do and how you say and do it drives results.
Sure, you can tell your team to get on-board, but how likely is that to lead to a successful project plan, kick-off, implementation, etc.,? Your team can go through the motions and still not care about the project. They won’t think about deeper, tangent issues. They won’t work to develop collaborative relationships with colleagues so hidden interdependencies are uncovered. They’ll get and give only the information needed and move on. They won’t be able to think critically, creatively, and with care – because they won’t really care themselves. Simply telling them to get on board or holding a ‘fun’ kick-off event isn’t going to change anything. In fact if you do either of those, you’re going to further irritate and frustrate your team. Your team doesn’t want or need to be bullied and they certainly don’t want a pep rally. What they need is to know YOU believe in them and the project’s success.
What your team really needs is to know YOU believe in them and the project’s success.
Showing your commitment to the project is more than you saying, “We can’t fail.” Ensuring everything you say and do in relation to the project – from the initial planning to completion – conveys your commitment to it and your team’s success. Demonstrating your believe requires you to:
- Be there for them. Show up unexpectedly. Check in. Stay late when they do.
- Stay committed. Set and maintain the focus and priorities when curve balls appear.
- Listen to them for what is said and not said. Where are they struggling and why?
- Provide the needed resources or help find realistic work arounds.
- Believe and regularly say things such as:
- I know we can do this.
- What do you need from me or anyone else to move this forward?
- Where and how are we making this more difficult than it needs to be?
- Who else needs to be included or switched out at this point and why?
- What roadblocks are you facing that you need me or the executive team to clear for you?
If you’ve got a can not fail project facing your team, what are you doing to show them, you won’t fail them?
Copyright MMXXVI – Liz Weber, CMC, CSP – Weber Business Services, LLC – www.WBSLLC.com +1.717.597.8890 Liz Weber is an advisor to boards of directors, business owners, and C-Suite leaders. She’s a leadership, strategic and succession planning consultant, keynote speaker, and author. Learn more on how you can start building team commitment on LinkedIn.
