Team essential 3: SHARED PURPOSE AND VISION - Why Why Why

"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It’s got to be a vision you articulate clearly and powerfully on every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet."

In a crisis, a unified vision and purpose become the guiding stars for a team. 

As Simon Sinek says, start with why.... indeed, because if not, why on earth would people be motivated to join in? 

When everyone shares the same understanding of the goals and the mission, it creates a powerful sense of direction and focus. Set this as your priority one! Repeat, repeat, repeat and then stick to it! 

Each team member has to know their role (if not - wait till team essential 7) and how their contributions align with the bigger picture, ensuring coordinated efforts even in the midst of chaos. This shared purpose not only drives action but also strengthens commitment and resilience. 

Without a unified vision, a team can easily become fragmented, start working on non-essentials and lose sight of what truly matters. Don't let short term problems shift or forget about your "why"! Short term firefighting problems should be linked and held against the why and whether that is serving the "why". So many companies, (leadership) teams are stuck in "shorttermism" not having any other purpose than quick fixes and hence without even noticing: longterm struggle and repetition of old resurfacing problems. 

In challenging times, a common purpose is what transforms individual efforts into collective success. 

Reflective Questions: 

- Is your team aligned around a clear vision and purpose that guides their actions, especially when facing a crisis?

- Are you adjusting the language you use to clarify your vision so everyone in your teams and company understands – and see what is in it for them so they share your vision?