Out of alignment
A common theme has emerged in the last many months for leaders I work with, sending them scrambling for direction. Climate events, racial violence and discrimination, #MeToo, and the head-shaking economic inequities made worse during the pandemic have combined to cause employees to demand action. Leaders are experiencing escalating conflict, confusion, and anger, and are losing valued people. People are demanding internal processes that they feel perpetuate systemic discrimination and inequality be fixed, and that their organizations take public activist positions on issues outside their mission.
Everyone agrees this awareness and agency is a good thing. It’s forcing all of us to look at how we operate through a broader lens of consciousness and right the wrongs. What’s perplexing leaders is what to address, and how to address it. Most organizations moved at light speed to pull in outside consultants from the diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) space to conduct employee surveys and focus groups, carry out process audits, make recommendations, conduct training, and more. Early returns show these efforts are falling short, and in some cases, making things worse. And the external piece of this is especially perplexing. Organizations like Ben & Jerry’s were formed on a foundation of social activism. They have a clear remit. Other mission-driven organizations were not, and they’re not comfortable taking an activist approach or taking on issues outside of their mission of, say, planting trees in cities to equalize temperatures and mitigate carbon effects, to advocate for broader social justice.
Need an alignment job
When a car’s out of alignment, it can cause uneven wear on the tires, stress and possible damage to the suspension, and difficulty in steering. Expensive repairs and dangerous driving conditions can result if it's not brought back into alignment. When organizations get out of alignment, confusion, conflict, and even chaos can ensue. Performance suffers, the culture can feel toxic, and people quit.
These organizations have gotten out of alignment. They used to collectively know what they stood for and why, and how they were working toward their purpose. And while their cultures might not have been perfect, they were far from toxic.
The first and most fundamental step when this happens is to get the organization aligned — to revisit the solid core — vision + mission + values: are they still our truths? Do they need a refresh, or do we just need to remind ourselves what we stand for and what we’re here to build together? This can’t be done at the executive team or boardroom level and drop-kicked into the organization. All voices need to be heard. That doesn’t mean going for consensus. Far from it. It means that leaders listen to and understand feedback from the organization, take it under consideration, and decide. People who want the organization to have a broader social or environmental justice mandate can clearly express that in an open and transparent way. If the leaders decide after hearing people out that is not the direction the organization is going in, people whose personal vision, mission, and values are not in alignment with that direction get clarity, and can seek other work that allows them to thrive, contribute, and have impact. And for those whose personal values align, they stay and have renewed commitment. This is a neutral concept. There’s no right or wrong. There’s no judgment. There is clarity of purpose and direction for the organization and its people
Before this cultural moment arrived, organizations with a clear solid core have known that one of the most important advantages of having this foundation isn’t just that it tells us what to do, it also tells us what we’re not going to do. That helps organizations attract the people who are personally aligned with the vision, mission, and values.
And, it doesn’t have to be a months-long time sink. Communications tools and meeting routines already established within organizations combined with a good structured feedback process can make this inclusive, transparent, efficient, and provide the psychological safety needed to get all voices to speak.
After aligning on this solid core, organizations can then diagnose their challenges through that lens and choose the internal and external remedies with clarity of purpose and guiding principles. That’s not to say it will be easy. This is messy hard work that will take focus, dedication, and perseverance. And, sometimes it will feel like it’s off the rails no matter how well thought-out the process and fixes are. Alignment helps get us back on track.