FireFly Facilitation

When an organization harnesses the power of common purpose, a wealth of positive energy is unleashed. Synergies develop, excitement grows, and momentum builds. Tensions also tend to melt away in light of mutually held goals.

Sadly, an alarming number of companies miss out on the benefits of a shared vision. Instead, they flounder because their leaders fail to join together in a common purpose. Suffering from misalignment, these organizations waste precious energy and are held back from realizing their full potential.

To enlist others in a common purpose, leaders must emphasize two essentials: 1) unity, and 2) clarity. If either is missing, the consequences can be disastrous. To illustrate, let’s look at three childhood pastimes.

1. Tug-of-War

Due to the silos within many businesses, leaders develop separate visions. Although each vision may be clear, there’s no unity or singleness of purpose. Like a game of tug-of-war, competing visions pull the organization in opposite directions. Divided from within, the organization squanders its energy on internal squabbles rather than focusing its attention on customers.

2. Twister

When an organization has unity but lacks clarity, the result looks like a game of Twister. Everyone works at cross-purposes and the organization ends up as a tangled and jumbled mess. Without a clear purpose, chaos and confusion reign supreme. Lacking direction, people get in each other’s way and wind up frustrated.

3. Catching Fireflies

When a group of kids decide to hunt fireflies, they have no trouble unifying around a clear vision. The goal? Catch as many as you can. The children don’t have lengthy arguments over the best-sized jar to use, nor do they agonize over which net has the greatest firefly-trapping potential. They’re so excited and energized to capture fireflies that they will make the best of whichever supplies are available.

Summary

When an organization enjoys a common purpose, tremendous energy is present to propel it forward. However, absent of clarity or unity, companies squander their energy by infighting or running down uncertain paths. The responsibility rests with leaders to paint a clear picture of success and to make sure all parties agree with the organization’s vision for the future.

If you’re at all familiar with the world of Winnie the Pooh, then you recognize Eeyore. He’s the dull, gray donkey who drains the life out of everyone around him with his negativity. He shuffles along slowly and lethargically, usually with his head down. Eeyore is such a stubborn pessimist that nothing seems to excite him or to make him smile. Quite literally, he’s a jackass.

Unfortunately, Eeyore-like behavior isn’t uncommon in the office. Joseph Folkman and Jack Zenger list “lack energy and enthusiasm” at the top of their list of Ten Fatal Flaws That Derail Leaders¹. Their list doesn’t come from speculation, either. Folkman and Zenger reached their conclusions after methodically researching the 360° feedback of thousands of underperforming leaders.

Bringing Back the Fun

Other than sleeping more and upping caffeine intake, what can be done to enliven a listless leader? I’d like to suggest that, done well, the strategic planning process has potential to infuse life into a wearied leader or team. By forcing everyone to consider what is and is not important, strategic planning focuses energy and enthusiasm on those aspects of business that make the greatest difference and drive the business results.

We move from stress to distress when we can’t connect our activity to meaning. We’re easily overwhelmed by the tasks in front of us when there’s not clear strategy to help us prioritize our work or identify success. Strategic planning cuts through the clutter, and attunes us to the reason we go to work every day. By giving us a sense of purpose, strategic planning helps us to find fulfillment (and even fun!) in the workplace.

¹Folkman, Joseph and Zenger, Jack. “Ten Fatal Flaws That Derail Leaders.” Harvard Business Review. June 2009.