As a leader, you’re trying to create an impact by striving for exceptional results.
During this journey, your team members should understand the purpose of your team. Why does this team exist? Or, if you want to go macro, why does this company exist?
Surprisingly, many leaders are unable to answer this question. A recent survey found that 55% of corporate employees cannot answer the question ‘why their team exists?’ clearly.
Unclear Purpose Cause Problems
If team members are not clear on the purpose of their team, they will invent their own purpose. They will end up planning and doing the work according to their own purpose, which may or may not be in sync with the broader agenda. As a result, the team, as a whole, ends up with directionless work and low productivity.
Being the leader, you owe it to yourself, your immediate team, and to your broader team to articulate your team’s purpose.
Clarity of Purpose is the Leader’s Responsibility
Clarify your team’s purpose so that everybody’s clear. Each team member should understand it, and at the same time, they should be able to articulate your team’s purpose to anyone.
This is not to say that you hire a branding expert to craft a mission statement.
Use simple, clear, and pragmatic English to explain why your team exists.
If it makes people scratch their heads, then you’ve failed.
Clarity of purpose leads to work that’s aligned to that purpose. You get more leverage, you increase your chances of hitting your goals, and most importantly, your team becomes more engaged and collaborative. Clarity of purpose drives individual performances and team performances.