Leadership Skills - Provide direction - Part 2

The hallmark of an effective leader is clear focus and direction. successful leaders operate with a vision of where they are going, and they use this vision to inspire their people and their organization.
Some leaders generate this vision and direction from within themselves and then develop support for it within their organization. Others work with their teams to create a vision together. In either case, it is this clear vision and focused direction that allow leaders to align and direct the energy and resources of the organization to achieve desired goals.
Successful managers align their vision with that of the larger organization of which they are part. They then work with their team to identify the mission and goals of the team, out of which comes the roles and responsibilities of each individual. This process helps ensure that each individual’s objectives and decisions support the larger vision and eliminates many activities that are counterproductive.
I am providing suggestions on how to create and communicate your vision for your area to clarify each person’s responsibilities in creating that vision. It addresses the issues of:

-Fostering the Development of a common Vision:
the foundation of an effective organization and team is a common vision and mission that is understood and accepted by everyone.
A vision is a statement of the future state that is desired.Each part of the organization should have its own vision of how it will contribute to the overall vision of the organization.
An organization and its parts also need a mission. A mission statement clarifies the organization’s present state by defining:

• What business it is in
• What the boundaries of the business are
• Who its customers are
• How departments and individuals work together
• What needs to be accomplished
• How success is measured

Your team’s vision and mission will focus its energy, clarify its goals, and set priorities in place. It will also help you and your team to reach agreement on team members’ roles and team’s direction.

-Providing Direction and defining Priorities:
People are most productive when they have a clear of what is expected of them, both on a daily basis and over the longer term. Being clear about organizational priorities enables employees to make appropriate decisions about the most important issues to tackle. you can take steps to clearly communicate the overall direction of a team to both current and new team members.

-Clarifying Roles and responsibilities:
Clarifying responsibilities increases ownership, alleviates conflicts, and eliminates unnecessary ambiguity. Furthermore, letting other areas know who is responsible for what allows your area to be more responsive to customer needs and can keep things from “falling through the cracks”. Role clarification is an ongoing process in a dynamic organization.

-Linking the team’s Mission to That of the Organization:
Sometimes employees are unclear about how their work ties into the organization; or they may be asked to do things that seem meaningless or unimportant. tying individual goals and tasks to the organization’s objectives can help employees view their assignments as important. Your contribution as an effective manager is to ensure that you and your people plan and act in a manner consistent with what the organization intends to accomplish.

-Making the Team’s Mission and strategies Clear to others:
Once you have a mission in place for your team, communicate it to others who are important to the success of your group. Doing so will help you gain the understanding and support you need to get your job done.