Page 183 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win
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THE WHY OF WORK
2. Create a Clear Line of Sight Between
Actions and Outcomes
When there is a clear line of sight between what we do and
what we value, we find work more meaningful. When liv-
1
ing in Michigan a number of years ago, Dave and his dad
decided to attend a public broadcast of a championship box-
ing match from Las Vegas. One of the fighters was from
Michigan and a hometown favorite. The rowdy fans watch-
ing the broadcast were loudly supportive of his efforts. At
about the third round, Dave leaned over to his dad and said,
“I don’t think he can hear us in Vegas!” All of the fans’ yell-
ing was having no impact on the outcome of this fight. This
obvious conclusion dampened the enthusiasm Dave and
his dad felt. Without a line of sight between their yelling
in Michigan and their favored boxer’s ability to perform in
Vegas, their interest eroded. The hometown advantage of
crowd support dissipates when the crowd cannot be heard.
In a training program, a leader did a presentation to
employees on the company’s stock price over the last decade.
He charted stock price against earnings, competitors, capi-
tal structure, strategic initiatives, and market conditions.
Participants were convinced that a higher stock price was in
their best interests—they knew a higher stock price meant
more money and job security for them—and they were
highly motivated to make the stock price go up. But when
they were asked how they could impact the stock price with
their actions over the next 90 days, they were mostly stymied.
Their interest and desire for higher stock prices remained
high, but when they could not plainly connect their daily
actions to the longer-term goal, they were like the Michigan
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