Why the Mismatch?

The things we learn by asking our team members the right questions, and actually investing the time to listen to their replies, and by intentionally observing their behaviors provide a tremendous framework for understanding what makes them tick - even with the occasional mismatch between what they’ve shared as goals or desires and the actions they take toward those stated objectives. To earn authentic influence with our teams and to really help them work toward their own individual purpose, ideally one that connects well with our clearly stated organizational purpose, we simply can’t write off any mismatch we see between their words and actions as dishonest or uncommitted. We need to work to understand what’s really driving that difference.

My tolerance for “news” from the mainstream media is extremely low. The little bit I absorb during the 10-minute elliptical warm up I do on gym days is all I can stand. Even then, I do all I can to focus on the more realistic options - like videos of people falling down, or whatever - but at least half of the TVs at 6:30am are tuned to an agenda driven channel. The level of BS coming from any one of those channels at any time is more than enough reason for each of us to develop a belief that society as a whole is screwed. Much like that constant barrage of doom and gloom, my time in human resources exposed me to some of the most undesirable scenarios that I’ve ever had to deal with. Addressing so many unsavory situations, much like the so-called “news” that any given mainstream media outlet wanted to shove down our throats, left me a bit jaded toward people in general. I developed a keen eye for catching any possible disconnect between what someone said and what they did, and I was quick to form an opinion based on that.

With that in mind, I’ll share something that I truly believe - but something I have to intentionally remind myself of on a regular basis: the majority of people that you and I interact with on a daily basis are genuinely good people who are incredibly honest and very willing to work hard. Despite what the media attempts to feed us or what we experience from a specific cross section of society, there are indeed a lot more good people than there are bad. Praise God for that!

Here’s where you may be wondering how I can believe that and still reference the stats John Maxwell shared with me about the number of folks who fall short of meeting expectations; in August 2015, he told me that 80% of the people around will not fulfill what’s expected of them. Truth be told, I’m convinced that the percentage is actually higher today - but I still believe the vast majority of those people are good folks. I believe that particular disconnect stems from two things: unclear expectations on the front end and a lack of accountability on the back end. Couple that with not having a clear individual purpose driving them, or a definite organizational purpose to completely commit to, it’s kinda hard to even question many of them for not meeting expectations!

As we lead our teams, recognizing the mismatch between their words and actions, then working to understand where that comes from, will be a solid starting point in helping each of them identify their own individual purpose. Then we’ll have a baseline to work from in order to connect what drives them to what we’re working to achieve as an organization. I have no doubt that you’re thinking this sounds like something more complicated and more involved than you possibly have time for. With the right tools though, understanding what’s behind their words and behaviors, and providing them with the communication each team member needs to connect those dots in their own mind, can be an extremely simple process so we’ll dig into that soon!