You Can’t Matter Until You Know What Matters
Leaders define what matters. Organizations grow weak and lethargic until someone creates focus and direction by explaining what’s meaningfully important. Leaders describe what’s relevant.
Things that matter capture attention.
In the absence of something meaningful,
insignificance prevails.
Distraction, frustration, and office politics dominate where people don’t know what’s important.
Focus:
Focus is magnetic, it establishes and clarifies direction. Everyone looks at and thinks about what matters. You ultimately go where you look. The most useful thing leaders do is point to what matters.
Don’t tell people where to focus.
Tell them what matters.
Diversion:
Everyone rows in different directions until someone explains what matters. Teams languish, meetings waste time, and effort grows meaningless without the guidance of something that matters.
Don’t tell people to pull together.
Give them a rallying point.
People:
- Pursue what matters.
- Reject what matters less for what matters more.
- Feel energized when doing what matters.
- Galvanize when they see what matters.
- Strive for success when they contribute to what matters.
- Fight for what matters.
- Fit in when aligned with what matters.
- Know what’s next when what matters now is clear.
- Endure when they believe in what matters. Struggle matters when you know what matters.
- Feel accomplishment when achieving what matters.
Connecting:
Most sink inward. But, leaders press outward by reminding everyone they don’t exist for themselves.
Every organization focused
on self-preservation is doomed.
It’s normal to focus on internal matters. But, leaders connect what matters inside organizations to what matters outside.
How can leaders explain what matters?
Check out the great list of leadership M’s on the Leadership Freak Facebook Page. While you’re there, add leadership N’s for tomorrow’s post.
It’s important to explain WHY it matters rather than just create a list of what matters.
Thanks Passionate! I’ll add that whys are inside people.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank you, Thank you!
I Concur!
SP
Finding how to connect what matters for the organization to what matters personally. For example, if job security matters to someone, explain how that need is relavent to the company goals. It is an individual approach and I think it works best for aligning those that have trouble making these connections on their own. It may give them the boost they need.
Thanks Anthony. I’ve found your suggestion to be the path that radically changes the leader/follower relationship.
Leaders learn what matters to people and then help them find relevant connections… it’s powerful.
Very useful addition!
My M word is Mirabiliary….means Miracle worker.
Miracle the word is often misunderstood, go figure! It means something not normally seen. Not as much the magical hocus pocus it is generally seen as. Whew, words get twisted somehow and so many people misunderstand so many of them! Whew!
Producing 72% team mate satisfaction with 7000 folks and a 15% dividend is a MIRACLE. When the average for every other Leader sum total is 70% dissatisfied. US companies according to recent gallop poll(fact).
Continuing to promote and practice ideas, strategies and techniques that produce 7 out of 10 American workers going home feeling no one at work cares about them is a CRISIS. Wakey, wakey!
Now, now PassionatePages I HONOR you, FINALLY another WHY CHAMPION! If you have not seen Simon Sinek’s understanding people and business on YOUTUBE, please do! Then check out Simon’s Favorite WHY company, Barry Wehmiller. Check out his story on YouTube, Bob Chapman Defining Moments.
It will not just stir your mind but touch your heart! Inspiring story but you will NEVER know till you take a little time and WATCH!
Then Passionate you will see just HOW right on target you are. Anyone else can to, free, watching videos on Youtube Free except your time and the shattering of the stuff keeping you from this new info, your old ideas.
Leaders can if they choose GET THEIR OWN HOUSE IN ORDER cause they, we, me cannot transmit what we do not have.
Get in touch with YOUR OWN WHY. Then you know how to INSPIRE others to do the same. Get Why’s out on the table and connect them and you are on your way!
If you are not in touch with your own WHY, sorry but you are disingenuous trying to connect with others with not having done the “work” yourself. You are in the tight unworkable spot of telling people to do as you Say not what you Do. You are a Liar. Temporary and doomed to fail cause it is not built on EXPERIENCE and HONESTY, but theory.
Leaders can explain what matters when two things happen, IN MY OPINION based on my EXPERIENCE.
Figure out FIRST, discover what MATTERS to you, YOUR WHY!
Then UNDERSTAND the way to CONNECT with others is help them become INSPIRED by helping them discover their WHY’s and CONNECTING yours and theirs.
Or keep doing it the way you have been that results in NO CONNECTION with 7 out of 10 people who work for you, around you with you have no connection with themselves or anyone else and leave work unfulfilled and feeling no one at work cares about them.
Just watch the video’s, THEN two very important things can happen.
One you can share with me with an INFORMED OPINION how I am completely off my rocker! Ok start watching I will be waiting on that INFORMED OPINION. Won’t happen, promise!
Next, you can see what PassionatePages and I are talking about and join us by becoming a WHY CHAMPION and help us change the world inspiring one mind at a time! it is a MIRACULOUS vocation.
Or just keep saying this guy is an idiot and I wish he would shut up. PassionatePages is wrong too! That ain’t really gonna help the folks you come in contact with. Truly Human Leadership will.
Start With Why.
I Concur!
Shifterp Back In!
Here’s the nugget I grabbed from you today.
“If you are not in touch with your own WHY, sorry but you are disingenuous…” Powerful
Hey Dan how about THE MIRACLE?????
PassionatePages spoke up about WHY, not just little ole longwinded me!!!!!
That is not normally a happening here, therefore, a Miracle!!!!
Ain’t life Grand?????
It is a Miracle and I am very grateful!!!!!!
Hope you, PassionatePages and Anthony all watch Simon and Bobs videos and share with others here what you saw and how you felt about it.
Just a-hoping!!!! Next Miracle I am looking forward to is ONE person watches those videos and comes back here and just says, “WOW”!!!!
That is gonna be Miraculous!!!
So who checks out this blog wants to be part of a Miracle?
Just watch those videos and come back here and share!!!!
Heck if I hadn’t I would do it to be part of a Miracle, why not you?
Have a great day, Dan
Uninformed opinions or none at all are so LAME!!!! Hehe
I AM
SP
“Distraction, frustration, and office politics dominate where people don’t know what’s important.” amen…
“Every organization focused on self-preservation is doomed.” Even better.
Hey Andrea, checked out your site, very cool!!!!
How about Leaders at companies who do not know what is important to their people?
When THAT is not clearly defined and interwoven into the tasks for the day it leaves lots if mental space to be filled with a bunch of other stuff. Daydreaming, gossip, Yada Yada Yada.
Understand people’s WHYs and then show them how getting their job done in a most excellent fashion helps THEM and everyone else who works there get closer to what THEY really want, rocks!!!!!
Trying to get people to DO to get you closer to what you want……LAME!!!!
Very impressed with your site.
Scott
Hi Scott,
If you check out the links page in my menu you’ll find this site http://www.startwithwhy.com is the one I put in most recently a week or two ago. I think you’ll really like his site. It’s definitely given me ideas how to approach my issues at work. Cheers, thanks for the compliment! Andrea
LOL, ask around here if I know Simon’s site!!!!!!!! LOL
I get an email from Simon everyday since I subscribed to his site. Have his book on my phone, shared his book with a co-worker.
If you have not seen Simons video on YOUTube understanding people and business I would LOVE your feedback. LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK!
Barry Wehmiller’s site might inspire you. It is Simon’s company that he feels most shows what he writes about.
Their video “We Make Great Mom’s” is JUST SO GREAT!!!!!!!!
Just think, a company whose written Vision is TO MAKE BETTER PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How can ya not LOVE THAT?
Then you know they have 72% team mate satisfaction AND 15% dividend to shareholders! Folks love working there and making money and over fist! WHAT IS THERE NOT TO LOVE??????? LOL
There is nothing not to LOVE, just something goin on you do not know nothing about!!!!!!!!!!
Good news is you CAN! For FREE! Man is that YouTube thingy great! IF USED! Not used kinda just sitting there! hehe
Anyway if you have not seen Barry Wehmiller University they actually have classes where they teach others what they practice!
So hopeful to hear how you feel about them!
Bob Chapman Defining Moments, will make your heart melt!
Just AMAZING, stuff!
Compliment richly deserved.
I Concur!
SP OUT!
that doesn’t matter! 🙂 lol see number 27J!
Well said! “Focus is magnetic, it establishes and clarifies direction. Everyone looks at and thinks about what matters.”
In organizations were everyone is focused on what matters, everyone becomes a leader.
I learned many years ago “the hard way” when I told my boss that I was giving him my best effort (14 hrs a day). He said very calmly, when have we ever measured effort? We measure results! It made me mad at the time but eventually it was a lesson learned to have a plan that everyone understood so we could obtain our goals in a reasonable work day. Thanks for this reminder as I will share this all important strategy with the team at work.
Great points. As I take over leadership of a state-wde social studies organization, I will continually have to grapple with that issue – What Matters! 🙂 Thanks
Just a suggestion. Who matters ? Everyone!!!
What matters to them? Them!!!!!
Why does it matter to them? You discover this and buddy up with them accomplishing this they will trust you and be loyal and help you accomplish what matters to you.
SP
Great thoughts! I agree wholeheartedly! 🙂