Roadtripping
At some point, most of us have embarked on a road trip. We have piled into a car with friends or family and driven miles upon miles across the countryside. Singing along to the radio to pass the time, we have cruised long stretches of America’s highways and byways.
For me, there’s no joy in sitting in a vehicle for hours just for the fun of it. I live in Atlanta, and the idea of being cooped up in a car conjures up dreadful flashbacks of being stuck in traffic. However, if I know we’re driving to the Grand Canyon or the Rocky Mountains, then I can endure several hours on the road. Envisioning the endpoint of the road trip creates a shared excitement that makes the drive fun and worthwhile.
Casting an Attractive Vision
Unfortunately, too many employees feel like they’re stuck in a traffic jam rather than journeying to an exciting destination. That’s because their leaders have not given them a compelling vision. As a consequence, instead of going somewhere special, many people feel like they’re just spinning tires and wasting gas.
People want a destination; they don’t just want to be on the road. As a leader, it’s your job to rally excitement around a vision. Within the next month, pose this question to your team:
What excites you about your job?
Examine the answers closely.
Do your teammates articulate enthusiasm about a common vision?
Do they seem authentically passionate about what they do?
The answers will be revealing and will help you to measure how well you’ve been able to articulate a persuasive vision to your team. Regardless of what the responses indicate, it’s a healthy exercise to revisit your vision and to make sure it’s a powerful impetus to motivate your people.
