The First Question a Leader Must Answer

by | Jun 26, 2019 | Leadership | 1 comment

What?

It’s the first question a leader must answer.

This lesson was brought home to me as I was coaching my youngest son in baseball.

Throughout the game, I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated as I kept hollering for him to “back up the pitcher.”  I didn’t understand why I had to keep getting on him for it.

After the game, as we were driving home, he asked me what I meant by ‘back up the pitcher?”

My heart sank. I had assumed that he knew what I meant.  I knew what it was that I wanted, but I hadn’t communicated the what in a way that he could understand.

It’s an often overlooked mistake that leaders make with their teams:

  • What should we do today/ this week/ this quarter/ this year?
  • What is our corporate Vision?
  • What is YOUR Vision?
  • What should I do to align my work with your Vision?

By nature, people want to work for more than just a paycheck, they want to know that what they do matters, and answering that question is one of the most critical functions of a leader.  When the question goes unanswered, even the best employees disengage.

For many employees, a leaders ability to communicate the what is all they need.  It gives them permission to figure out the how.

And, it’s a question that leaders must not only answer for their employees, but also for their managers.  If a leader is constantly reacting, and can’t communicate what their team is working on (or, if what they’re working on seems to change every week), then someone else will eventually take the steering wheel.

If a leader cannot articulate the what, then they create a culture of reaction where much is done, but little is accomplished.  Their direct reports and peers see them continually prioritizing based on orders from above, while those above see them continually reprioritizing based on feedback from below.  It leads to a culture of chaos.

In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, the late-great Stephen Covey identifies the first habit of successful people as being proactive.  The first step to being proactive is having a clear Vision for what it is that one plans on accomplishing.

Covey’s second habit is to begin with the end in mind.  After identifying what the end looks like, they must then build the best path to get there, then  communicate what must be done so that their team’s activities are aligned.

Like bees, people smell fear.  They sense unpreparedness.  And they can identify a leader who doesn’t have a Vision and doesn’t know what must done.

As a leader, one of the best ways to ensure that you are communicating the what is by creating clear goals.


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About Me

I am the President & CEO of Service Express, a National Best & Brightest Company to Work For. Service Express has averaged double digit growth every year since 2001.

We attribute our success to a unique corporate culture that we call The Service Express Way. I am a member of the Young President Organization and sit on the Board of the Spectrum Health Foundation.