Get on the same page. We use that as a metaphor for alignment. To get on the same page, you have to be working from the same book. Sounds obvious, right?
Sure, it’s obvious that it’s important. Far harder to make happen!
Imagine a company that spans different sites, countries or markets. They are making, trading and supplying products or services. You want them to seize opportunity. Imagine they have been through a rapid period of growth and expansion. How do they work from the same book, let alone get on the same page?
“You’d be surprised”
I recently co-facilitated an event where ‘you’d be surprised’ became a bit of a mantra. This group of people were rapid, pushing boundaries, making stuff happen. Their energy and commitment was out of this world. Best of the best. Really impressive people.
As the team shared time together exploring their challenges and opportunities, questions emerged. In this space, where they could slow down and connect, they noticed a pattern. The pace of their work didn’t match the pace of how they communicated it across their company. There were some key, timely messages that weren’t universally known. Their discussions were punctuated with ‘you’d be surprised’ moments where the thing they were talking about was already happening – they simply didn’t know about it.
This is not uncommon.
Some high performing teams will be on the same page, reading the same sentence, at the same time – this is what we call ‘flow1‘ When a team works together well in a flow of work, they can communicate without words. A look, a glance and they know what the other is thinking. That flow requires experience and mastery of a craft; a crystal clear purpose or intention, and a deep connection with your team. Each of you will know your working styles and preferences, your areas of strengths and weaknesses so that you can anticipate what’s needed before it’s needed. You will constantly give feedback and adjust course to meet that shared purpose or intention. This flow requires connection, intention and repetition. These types of teams don’t need key messages or forums to communicate because they’ve integrated these constant feedback loops into their flow.
When you start to combine individual team flows into the company flow – this type of communicating without communicating isn’t scalable. (At least not at first!) You have to learn people, their styles, preferences and priorities. That work intimacy is difficult to replicate at scale.
There’s no easy fix. Building connection takes work. Organising people to be in the same place at the same time takes work. Communicating can easily become an industry of bureaucracy and broadcasting that misses connection. If this sounds like a familiar struggle, here’s a good place to start.
Have a common purpose. Make space to talk about why you’re doing the work, what the work involves and how you go about it.
If you know something – think, who else needs to know this? (And then tell them!)
Make time to talk. Without connection, you can’t have flow. (And connection is also an important part of feedback.)
Build in feedback loops. Create a pattern of feedback so you can respond to things as close to real time.
People will make choices based on what they think is important. Clearly define what’s important at your company. Have conversations where you talk about why you do things, what you do and how you do it. If you want to get everyone on the same page, start with making sure they work from the same book.
If you want to talk about a workplace challenge – I’d love to hear from you.
Rebecca describes herself as a hybrid between a bulldozer, 1940’s telephone operator and All-American cheerleader. She will cut through the barriers that get in the way, she will connect you with people and ideas that deliver your purpose and she will champion and support you every step of the way.
Utilising organisation design and development alongside process improvement methodology, Rebecca supports organisations to build the capabilities to work with complexity and rise to whatever challenge comes their way.
She has a track record of turning artificially sweet cultures into healthy, resilient, fun workplaces with the right skills and behaviours. She helps overwhelmed leaders navigate complex landscapes and cut through the noise to help they and their teams identify their quality measures and organise in the most effective way to deliver results.
Rebecca gets under the skin of problems and help people confront blockers to change – through personal development, building resilience, mental toughness and cultivating habits of professional curiousity.
At Rebel Edge, we don’t solve problems – we create environments where people solve their own problems.
CUSTOMER FOCUS • OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE • ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT • SERVICE DEVELOPMENT • PURPOSE DRIVEN • IMPACT THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE • CHALLENGE THE SYSTEM • POSITIVE DISRUPTION • SYSTEMS THINKING •DESIGN THINKING
We know that life’s challenges are unique and complex for everyone. Let’s connect with the hive mind and seek fresh insights from each other. The rebel salon is a different way of searching for insights to those tricky issues and stuck behaviours. The group will help you look at an issue or problem from different angles, giving you fresh insights so that you can take control and try something new.
Link under construction – but email me: rebecca@rebeledge.uk if you are interested!
Rebel Edge UK 
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