CREATE UNITY
WHY IT MATTERS
When people work together and pull in the same direction their impact can be exponentially stronger than if they had worked individually. People aren’t only happier and feel more energy when unity exists, but their performance is also magnified. People will always give more to their work when they feel committed to those they work with. Leaders that can create a real feeling of unity among those they lead will find their people accomplishing more than they thought possible, while having fun doing it. They will see their people fight for results and for each other. Those leaders that fail to engender a feeling of unity will find their people struggling to get along, pulling in different directions, and feeling distrust and indifference towards the work.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that create unity believe in the power that is created when a group of people work together to achieve a shared cause. Instead of seeing their organization as a disparate group of different functions and people, they create the belief that everyone is on the same team, working towards the same goal, with different but equal roles. They help the organization feel like they are “all in this together,” instead of making them feel like they are in competition with each other.
Leaders that create unity know how to create a compelling goal the organization can collectively share and embrace. They use goals as a tool to define what needs to be done, where the organization needs to go, why any of it matters, and what everyone has to do. They make everyone feel they are needed and have an important role to play. They discuss the work in terms of “we” and “us” and not in terms of “I” or “you.” They know if they can get the organization to leave the starting line together, there is a greater chance they will end the race together. They excel at creating the feeling of “one for all, and all for one.”
Leaders that create unity share accountability for the work. They empower people to do their part. After ensuring goals are understood, they free individuals and teams to do their work. They give people the resources, tools, trust, and freedom they need to succeed. They teach people they will succeed or fail and be rewarded or penalized together and give them control of their fate.
Leaders that build unity purposefully design and organize the work of the organization to get accomplished through collaboration. They design integration into their systems and processes. They avoid creating unnecessary bureaucracy, but they ensure the only way to really get work done is by doing it together.
Leaders that create unity know that people who know and like each other work better together. They create opportunities for people to strengthen their relationships. They allow time for social interaction, team activities, and opportunities for people to engage on a personal level. They promote purposeful social activities outside of work.
Leaders that build unity know the importance of their example. They put themselves on equal standing with others and leave their office to work alongside the team. They lead “from the front” in creating and accomplishing the cause of their organization, never putting themselves above another.
BELIEFS
BEST PRACTICES
SELF-REFLECTION
WORDS OF CAUTION
When people work together and pull in the same direction their impact can be exponentially stronger than if they had worked individually. People aren’t only happier and feel more energy when unity exists, but their performance is also magnified. People will always give more to their work when they feel committed to those they work with. Leaders that can create a real feeling of unity among those they lead will find their people accomplishing more than they thought possible, while having fun doing it. They will see their people fight for results and for each other. Those leaders that fail to engender a feeling of unity will find their people struggling to get along, pulling in different directions, and feeling distrust and indifference towards the work.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that create unity believe in the power that is created when a group of people work together to achieve a shared cause. Instead of seeing their organization as a disparate group of different functions and people, they create the belief that everyone is on the same team, working towards the same goal, with different but equal roles. They help the organization feel like they are “all in this together,” instead of making them feel like they are in competition with each other.
Leaders that create unity know how to create a compelling goal the organization can collectively share and embrace. They use goals as a tool to define what needs to be done, where the organization needs to go, why any of it matters, and what everyone has to do. They make everyone feel they are needed and have an important role to play. They discuss the work in terms of “we” and “us” and not in terms of “I” or “you.” They know if they can get the organization to leave the starting line together, there is a greater chance they will end the race together. They excel at creating the feeling of “one for all, and all for one.”
Leaders that create unity share accountability for the work. They empower people to do their part. After ensuring goals are understood, they free individuals and teams to do their work. They give people the resources, tools, trust, and freedom they need to succeed. They teach people they will succeed or fail and be rewarded or penalized together and give them control of their fate.
Leaders that build unity purposefully design and organize the work of the organization to get accomplished through collaboration. They design integration into their systems and processes. They avoid creating unnecessary bureaucracy, but they ensure the only way to really get work done is by doing it together.
Leaders that create unity know that people who know and like each other work better together. They create opportunities for people to strengthen their relationships. They allow time for social interaction, team activities, and opportunities for people to engage on a personal level. They promote purposeful social activities outside of work.
Leaders that build unity know the importance of their example. They put themselves on equal standing with others and leave their office to work alongside the team. They lead “from the front” in creating and accomplishing the cause of their organization, never putting themselves above another.
BELIEFS
- You can influence unity by designing the organizing work in ways that require people to cooperate with each other.
- If you really want unity you will do whatever it takes to put yourself on an equal plane to your team, not above or below it.
- Unity is about feelings towards people. People won’t ever feel unity with people they don’t know or care about at some level.
- You can’t have unity without trust. Build trust and you will build unity. Destroy trust and you will never see unity blossom.
- Unity is given freely by people when they believe in the purpose or goal that is being pursued.
- Unity cannot be forced or coerced. It has to be planned for, invited, nurtured, and cultivated.
- If a group of people don’t start a trip facing in the same direction, it is unlikely they will arrive at the same destination.
- If you speak and treat everyone like “we are all in this together,” they just might believe they really are.
BEST PRACTICES
- Expect people to work with and depend on each other.
- Share full ownership and accountability for the work.
- Make everyone feel like a key to achieving the vision.
- Teach others to be tolerant of individual differences.
- Ensure clear and consistent communication.
- Gain the commitment of people to work as a team.
- Teach people to put “team” above personal interests.
- Allow a team to direct itself without micromanaging it.
- Take threats to team unity head on and resolve them.
- Create a real feeling of “we are all in this together.”
- Create a shared sense of purpose within the team.
- Reward people as teams, not individually.
- Create ways for people to get to know others.
- Build on the common ground people share.
- Be enthusiastic about working with others.
- Always talks in terms of “we” not “you” or “I.”
- Keep everyone moving in the same direction.
- Organize the work to require cooperation.
- Work side by side with the team, not separate.
- Help people overcome individual differences.
- Make work an enjoyable place to be.
- Solicit feedback and counsel from the team.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I see the organization as a single and unified whole, or do I see it as a disparate group of different functions?
- Do I work to help the organization feel “we are all in this together,” or do I just hope they feel united?
- Do I create compelling goals the organization can coalesce around, or do I fail to define unifying goals?
- Do I make everyone feel they have an important role to play, or do I favor parts of the organization above others?
- Do I speak to the organization in terms of “we,” or do I speak to the organization in terms of “I” and “you?”
- Do I put myself on equal standing with others, or do I put myself on a pedestal above them?
- Do I design the work in ways that require people to work together, or do I design the work to happen in silos?
- Do I create ways for people to get to know each other, or do I overlook the important social aspects of the workplace?
WORDS OF CAUTION
- Don’t overreact when discord naturally arises, because even the most untied people will sometime strongly disagree.
- Don’t stress if you can’t get 100% unity, or forget there will always people who just won’t be won over.
- Don’t accidentally discourage differences of opinion or diversity of thinking in your efforts to create unity.
- People tell me they trust me.
- I can easily work with employees who are difficult.
- I am most energized by working with a team where each member has the same goal.
- Two heads are always better than one.
- The best results are when each member of the team shares the same talents/strengths.