Vision, values and variety
Three of us had one of those off-the-cuff unplanned discussions on vision and values last week. I was meeting with staff of an international NGO to review results of training needs analysis to inform the planning of a learning intervention. It was obvious to us all that people need to know what the organisation has for its vision to distinguish it from others. Why continue to work for one organisation when you can move to another for more money, especially if the first one has trained you for higher responsibilities?
International development organisations find it difficult to compete on just salaries – the World Bank and the UN agencies can always pay more. So amidst the variety – the competition – how can you stand out? Do staff know what your values are? Not what it says on the Values page in some strategy document, but what it means in practice, in behaviour, in how employees are treated?
We discussed how Identity, Vision and Values are all related and lead into Mission and Strategy – how the organisation plans to move towards its vision. Structure and operations respond to the mission which in turn should be responsive to the context and the environment while still in pursuit of the vision.
I’ve been reading up on Leadership and Management. Having been taught through the writings of Peter Drucker and MBO (Management By Objectives), it’s been interesting to delve into Kouzes and Posner and their Leadership Challenge. Their 5 Practices of Exemplary Leadership closely equate to my own version of ACE Leadership – Articulate the vision, Challenge current practice and Enable, encourage and empower others. I have developed the analogy to a pack of cards:
- Ace of Hearts is the warm, come alongside leader
- Ace of Diamonds is the MBO, task-focussed aloof leader
- Ace of Spades is the hands-dirty, get-stuck-in leader
- Ace of Clubs is the team-builder, community leader
Which suit is trumps in your organisation? Happy dealing!
