by Bruce Cook
It was Easter on Sunday (most of you knew that) and as is our family tradition, we climbed to the top of Dunmore - a nearby peak offering happy pictures of the Scottish countryside (including sheep) and a hazy view of Loch Lomond.
More importantly (to me) is the cairn (a pile of rocks marking the high point) atop Dunmore where I know some of my mother's ashes reside. For years, Mom always checked-in on Easter to send her love and to be sure I had gone to church, so I thought it fitting to forever link her memory to this annual family tradition.
I visit the cairn atop Dunmore at least once a year which provides a forced but welcome reminder of Mom’s warmth, her kindness, her service, her faith, her resilience and the simple joy she brought to all who knew her. Upon her passing I promised myself I'd work hard to try and live my life more like Mom's.
I know I don’t always live up to that promise, but fortunately I can see the top of Dunmore from my house… so I don’t have to go far to find a regular reminder to get myself back on course.
This type of reminder - or 'guiding beacon' - is not uncommon in today's world. We wear wedding rings as a constant reminder of our commitment. Some wear a rubber band around their wrist to help remember a self-promise or resolution. For many (not me) it's a tattoo, or a sticky-note on the fridge - all personal beacons to keep us on the right track.
Inspiring Teams
Sports teams do this too. Football teams often paint their guiding mantra - Teamwork, or Unity, or Never Give Up, or whatever - in the locker room above the door or tunnel that leads to the field. Typically each player gives it a slap as they pass through - a quick but powerful way to realign with the core purpose of what the team are collectively trying to achieve.
Similarly, we often see college basketball players on the bench wearing the team beacon... or one provided by Nike. Some are effective, some just brand marketing.
In the corporate world, almost every sizeable organisation has a mission statement and a set of values. Most are printed in the annual report and some are painted on the walls. Our local high school does it too.
Sometimes these team slogans or corporate values work but more often they don’t. Too often well-intended beacons are more like old abandoned lighthouses with no electricity or power of any kind. You can see them if you look, but they‘ll never really guide anyone anywhere.
Getting Personal
So what’s the difference? What makes the effective guiding beacons work? The key is that the effective beacons are personal. The rubber band around your wrist is likely more effective than a T-shirt someone handed you as you walked through the door. Your rubber band - or my pile of rocks - has a personal connection with a meaning that matters to the individual.
In the corporate world, most leaders/execs realise that you can't be totally top-down with your values. If you want the staff to buy in, you need to involve them in the process. For many this means you send out an all-staff email saying that you are reviewing the company's values and everyone's views are welcome. Those who wish can attend a meeting and join a committee that will craft the new company ethos. There. Everyone had their chance, so all are in agreement and we can get back to work. Nice try.
If you know me, you know I see most things in shades of grey. Very few company's get the development and communication of their values completely right, but most make an effort. They are somewhere in the grey. They try to include the masses, but the personal connection is often lacking. Not surprisingly, many old-school leaders know they need to go through this exercise, but they don't really want to hear what the underlings think.
The organisations and teams that succeed and thrive, the ones that the future stars want to be a part of, are the ones that truly work hard to make that personal connection with their people. They do this in a way that makes the team believe they are part of something that is on the path to something just and meaningful. This is not easy, and it takes constant effort... not just a half-day workshop and some new posters on the wall.
If you want to establish a beacon that truly guides yourself or your team in the right direction, it takes continual assessment and reflection, and a willingness to hear what others think or need. When that happens, and happens consistently, the beacon begins to connect to the core of the individual. It becomes personal... and powerful. You no longer aimlessly overlook the beacon. It gives you a chill, or a lump in your throat every time you see it. It drives you forward with confidence. It makes you want to be more like Mom.
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