Get 'everyone on the same page'

One of the prime attributes of a successful leader is to get everyone on the same page in respect of overall vision, strategy and plan a company has.

This task is more abstract than the nuts-and-bolts, day-to-day aspects of a company's operations. Getting everyone on the same page can be achieved only by making every employee understand that they are ultimately responsible for the overall success of the company.

Each employee must be led to understand that everything he or she does is vital not only for his or her own job stability but also for the company and customers.

When teams are not on the same page, things go wrong. Time, money and resources are wasted. Frustration builds and spreads throughout the team, and everything slows down. Mistakes are made. Quality takes a nosedive.

Customer loyalty is compromised. Business partners are confused. Blaming, finger pointing, justification and throwing people under the bus emerge as a new skill set. Yes, we have all lived what I just described - and most of us prefer never to live it again.

Challenge

However, when teams are on the same page, things go right. Time, money and resources are maximised. The morale is high, and work moves along quickly and efficiently. Mistakes rarely occur because everyone is knowledgeable, committed and accountable to the processes, procedures and systems - so much so that innovation perpetuates constant improvement.

Businesses keep evolving, the operating environment goes through dramatic changes following natural cycles. Getting everyone on the same page and keeping them that way is a frequent challenge.

Stop talking about everyone getting on the same page if you don't have a page for everyone to get on. Too many leaders set up themselves and their teams for failure simply because projects, expectations and outcomes were poorly - or never - defined.

Creating the right outcome and winning in business can only be achieved through a coordinated game plan that everyone understands. The next time you say, "We need to get on the same page," I hope someone steps up and asks, "May I have a copy of that page?" If your leader doesn't have one he is not a good leader.

Begin at the top

Getting everyone on the same page begins at the top. The most frustrating aspect of coaching leaders is their propensity to not play the same game they want everyone else to play. It's impossible to get everyone in a company on the same page starting from the middle. That is a guaranteed recipe for confusion and frustration. It must start at the top.

Telling the team, 'Hey, let's have a meeting so we can all get on the same page' won't accomplish everything.

Just like getting and staying physically fit takes working out and eating well every day, so does getting on the same page. One meeting is nothing more than the players' room speech before the game kicks off.

Then it's charging out on the field with play-book in hand. It's huddling before every play. It's about execution and achieving excellence.

If you can accomplish that in one meeting, I will write a book about you being the greatest leader in the history of business.