Page 182 - Fearless Leadership

Standing for the Success of Each Other 169

Shape the Future: Align on Action

As in any partnership, you will have breakdowns. Committed partnerships
are like any other relationship in that respect. The difference is that com-
mitted partners anticipate the breakdowns, and they align on how to
recover.
Most breakdowns occur due to unmet expectations. It is essential to
make sure your expectations are clear and explicitly communicated.
Always recheck your alignment to ensure that you are on track and head-
ing in the same direction.
Leaders skip the most fundamental principles and forget to ask the
important questions, such as “Who is going to handle this?” “By when
will it be complete?” and “Who needs to be included?” Perhaps we con-
sider these questions to be too elementary or basic, but the lack of rigor
in asking and answering these questions is what leads to breakdowns,
incomplete action, unmet expectations, and disappointment. The disci-
pline in a committed partnership is to be explicit in all matters to elim-
inate the automatic act of filling in the blanks, making up stories, and
distorting facts.
The Long-Term Advantage of Committed Partnerships

The agreements and actions of committed partners offer a long-term
advantage: you create the stability needed to achieve business results by
building stability in how people work together. Let’s face it: all of this is
easy to understand but difficult to apply. But when a fearless leader
emerges and raises the standard of his or her organization to 100%
accountability and committed partnerships, business results soar. Leaders
change direction and think and behave in a new way. Escape hatches
and excuses are eliminated, and everyone is accountable for expanding
the game.
When you keep relationships solid and stable, you balance the unpre-
dictability of a changing environment. A solid behavioral platform gives
people a way to optimize performance. When you allow relationships to
disintegrate, you can count on bedlam inside your organization. The sta-
ble agreements of committed partners and the way in which they con-
stantly attend to the quality of their relationships give your organization
the power to survive any storm and prosper.