Many organizations are feeling the effects of the Great Resignation. We see that burnout is a big contributor. According to a Predictive Index study, 45% of employees say many of their team members seemed burned out at work.
Many senior leaders are frustrated by their organization’s failure to successfully execute the strategic objectives. Most assume it’s because of burnout or a lack of engagement or commitment.
In most cases, the cause is a lack of alignment in the team. Team members are either not clear about what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, or they simply don’t agree.
To succeed in today’s uncertain and fast-changing environment, organizations must focus on alignment at every level. But this is easier said than done. A common misconception is that leaders can force alignment through control. Yet that is further from the truth. In fact, alignment cannot be achieved without a high level of trust.
There is a strong correlation between trust and alignment. When trust is low, alignment will be low and vice versa. While many teams believe they are working well together, without trust and alignment, their work is not as effective and can cause high levels of burnout.
How do you foster trust and alignment?
If you align and trust in your team, you will see collaborative efforts leading to meaningful and successful work. To be effective, your team must focus on 6 main areas of alignment:
1. Purpose: Why we’re here
2. Values: What we stand for
3. Vision: Where we’re going
4. Goals: What we want to accomplish first
5. Priorities: Where we need to focus
6. Roles: Who is accountable for what
If all team members are clear about what they are doing and why they are doing it, they are more likely to be committed to fulfilling their responsibilities.
Through working together, organizations can generate better ideas, have increased efficiency, share the workload, make faster decisions, and have a higher level of trust.
Alignment is crucial for high performance. When trust diminishes, relationships become more distant, often leading to conflict and burnout. An engaged and committed team aligns on values and a vision and requires a high level of trust to make the vision happen. Team members need to know they can trust their leader and each other.
To find out if your team has alignment and trust, contact us about our Team Alignment assessment.
