The Momentum Fundamentals: We Actually Use Them
Momentum CEO Marlene Clark and Senior Leadership Coach Tracey Nelson in conversation (photo credit: Sarah Uftring)
It’s the middle of August, and this means a couple of things:
The number of “out of office” auto-replies I get on a daily basis is declining as people return from vacations.
People are returning from the justifiably lazy days of summer and getting back to goal-oriented work.
It got me thinking about Momentum’s Fundamentals. We’ve had them for so long, it’s easy to take them for granted. But they are actually the foundation of how we operate and what we use to teach other organizations how to intentionally create a work culture that is both positive and productive.
What I love most about the fundamentals is their simplicity.
If you want people to behave a certain way, you have to let them know what you expect. It’s also smart to find out what they expect from you. Our 15th fundamental, for example, is…
SET AND RECEIVE CLEAR EXPECTATIONS
Communicate your expectations clearly; make sure people hear what you are asking. Take care to understand what’s expected of you.
So not only do we set and receive clear expectations, we have this written down as a fundamental – as a clear expectation that everyone in our organization does so as well. This fundamental is just one of our 26.
After you define the behaviors you want, you must find a way to put them into practice. We call these rituals – something you do over and over again – until it becomes integrated into the way things are done in your organization.
It’s likely not every coworker will have the same level of enthusiasm for something like,
“Respond to every situation by looking for how we can do it, not why it can’t be done.” (another of our Momentum Fundamentals)
It takes more than just stating the fundamental and giving people a chance to practice.
What makes the biggest difference is you, along with the rest of the leadership team, providing in-the-moment coaching and feedback on a daily basis. And, of course, you have to model your commitment to the fundamental behaviors yourself.
This isn’t the whole formula, but it’s a good start. Here’s one way to look at it:
Culture = Behavior = Performance
Discover how to consciously create a productive culture in your workplace. Contact Momentum.
If you want to increase your and your organization’s performance, we can share our whole framework for building a high-performing culture. Feel free to bounce your ideas off anyone here at Momentum. We’re pretty passionate about this and would be honored to help you.
All my best,
Comment below
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Fundamental of the Week #15: SET AND RECEIVE CLEAR EXPECTATIONS
Communicate your expectations clearly; make sure people hear what you are asking. Take care to understand what’s expected of you.
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