Strategic Commitments: How to Foster Employee Zeal
By Tom von Gunden
No business strategy can succeed without sustained cross-functional commitment to execution. Seems obvious, right? What may not be obvious is how to gain that commitment, especially in scenarios in which the strategy brings with it significantly aspirational – even daunting – goals and challenges. The strategy may be so new or expansive as to seem to be beyond the organization’s current core competencies and, therefore, beyond individual contributors’ current responsibilities or skill sets.
Whether the strategy is a natural extension of current paths or requires the paving of new paths, people must become comfortable with it. What we’re talking about, of course, is buy-in. How can an organization help all its people become comfortable enough to get behind a strategy and drive it forward with sustainable zeal? The answer leverages a fundamental psychological difference in how people come around to an idea in business and in life in general. Put simply, some prefer to be told, while others need time to ponder.
Here’s How I Think About It
Tellingly, this difference also shows up in mundane aspects of daily life – for example, in how people make purchases as consumers. In that sense, buying into a business strategy is not unlike buying a product or service. Some consumers require extensive time to consider a wide range of choices. They approach the scenario with skepticism and a raft of questions. My mother was like this. She took three years to choose a new dinette set, a process I well remember from being a young witness to her diligent drill-downs of furniture sales reps. Others are willing to accept a singular recommendation from a trusted source. As a consumer, I’m like this. Just tell me what to buy so I can quicky move on to using the product. (For the record, I am not at all like this in a work context. There, I need to fully vet the idea before I can comfortably commit.)
For simplicity of illustration, call these differing populations in a business context the “What?” Crowd versus the “Why?” Crowd. From an employee engagement standpoint, the former is listening for the announcement. The latter is hoping for an invitation to be listened to. From an execution commitment standpoint, the former seeks direction, the latter requires rationale.
How can an organization help both types get on board with a strategic go-forward? Easy (sort of): Honor and overtly accommodate those psychologically determined “acceptance preferences.”
Satisfying the “What?” Crowd
Those in this crowd want clarity. They are not particularly – or at all – comfortable with ambiguity. In fact, the narrower the view or the more explicitly and definitively outlined the strategy or initiative, the better. Why? Because their heads are already moving – or desiring to move – toward practical application, toward the translation of strategies into work streams.
How to accommodate this preference? Be declarative. Express certainty. Publish concise communications that briefly summarize the “why” while focusing primarily on the “what.”
At the same time, be sure to surface and leverage the “What?” crowd’s pragmatic perspectives on feasibility. Folks in this group can be excellent pressure-testers of an idea. If it’s too loose, they’ll know because they can quickly ferret out what isn’t workable. Their expressions of anxiety or questions about practicality may illuminate holes or flaws in the thinking. As a result, quick huddles with this group can help tighten or adjust the strategy on its path to acceleration.
Satisfying the “Why?” Crowd
Those in this group want an opportunity to weigh in. Not only are they comfortable with ambiguity, they are suspicious of decisions that seem to have been too quickly arrived at. For them, there are no foregone conclusions. Everything is open to re-examination.
How to accommodate them? Invite them in for strategy ideation sessions. If appropriate, do this in early to middle stages of the strategy-shaping process. At a minimum, make sure this happens at least once in advance of announcing a major new strategic initiative. Like those in the “What?” crowd, the “Why?” crowd is good at pressure-testing an idea, but less for feasibility than for reasonability or necessity. Those in this group need to feel that the rationale is solid. Typically, this means comparing the strategy to other possible strategic avenues that could be pursued instead. In a “this versus that” comparison, they need to feel certain that “this” makes more sense.
By engaging the “Why?” crowd earlier, perhaps separately, you will also be doing the “What?” crowd a favor. They will be protected from the potentially frustrating ambiguity and questioning that may otherwise be temporarily re-inserted into the process in order to appease the “Why?” crowd’s need to dig into the rationale.
Building a “How?” Culture
Ultimately, for any strategy to be supported with sustainable zeal by all involved in driving it forward, everyone needs to be given some autonomy to shape their own approaches to the “How.” That goes for those in both crowds – the “What’s” and the “Why’s.” To that end, be careful not to convey that there is a singular, pre-conceived path to the strategic goals of the initiative. Once you have established “What are we doing?” and “Why are we doing it?” let the “How do we get there?” emerge from the genuine engagement likely to have been secured by accommodating the get comfortable preferences of both groups outlined above.