You just finished painting the picture for the team. It was an inspiring vision of the future. You felt like you knocked it out of the park. Everyone clapped and came up excited afterwards. You thought this is going to be amazing, we are going to do great things!

A few weeks go by. Nothing is happening. Everyone seems apathetic or worse, discouraged. What happened?
Words can inspire, but consistency in a few areas makes the vision a reality.

Action

You got everyone excited and inspired, but did you give them a plan? Imagine a coach giving you an inspiring speech to win the game. You head out onto the field and are looking at him for direction, but they spent so much time preparing their pre-game speech they failed to put together a game plan.

I know that sounds ridiculous, but sometimes leaders get their team fired up about a new idea, and then do nothing to move it forward. Or they fail to communicate clearly the steps. This lack of communication creates confusion. Confusion comes from lack of clarity.

 
When we are not clear, many people move more hesitantly or not at all. As the leader, provide clear action steps to get people in motion and keep them moving.

Accountability

This word causes some people to cringe while others do it naturally. If you created the plan, your next key is to make sure movement continues. Generally speaking, no one will be as fired up about the plan as you.

You took the time to create action items. Also include clear deadlines for accountability. A plan with no accountability can lead to chaos. Every member of the team has their own ideas of what is important. When you hold people accountable, you inspect what you expect.

What you expect should align with your plan, which matches your vision. You are simply keeping people on track. Like a basketball coach making all the players dribble with their left hand for ten minutes every practice because she wants them to be effective both ways. Hold your team accountable for the actions that keep everyone moving forward.

Attitude

As the team makes the uphill climb to accomplish the vision, we can easily get frustrated. I remember bushwhacking through the upper peninsula of Michigan. I was 18 years old about to enter college, and we used a compass and map to get to our location. I didn’t even know the destination, but I knew hiking through thick brush and trees while eating cardboard-like food on this two-week “adventure” was really testing my attitude.

This is how we can feel pursuing a vision. At one point, we bumped into someone who had venison. I had not had meat for quite a while at this point, and it tasted like a filet mignon to me. Every once in a while, our team needs a little venison to help their attitude. They need to see small successes that prove we are moving forward.

Take time to monitor your attitude and that of your team. Be a thermostat that raises the team’s attitude and encourages them. They may simply need a pat on the back or a listening ear. As the leader, your attitude is the greatest influence.

Which of these areas do you need to develop in? Take time to focus on one of these over the next week to help you and your team continue to move the vision forward. Need help being held accountable personally. Contact me for a powerful coaching session so I can come alongside you to help you lead your team toward your vision. Lead Well!

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