Our Culture Blind Spots Assessment helps leaders and teams unearth what underlying culprit could be keeping them from the culture they intend to build. Most of the time these issues are hiding in plain sight, eclipsed by the everyday busyness and demands we face as leaders. But in order to improve anything (which we all want to do!), we must first know where we stand. We must first know what it is that we don’t know. 62% of those who have taken the Culture Blind Spots Assessment have found that Organizational Clarity is the sneaky thief that is sucking the life out of their team.

What does it look like when you’re blind to creating and supporting organizational clarity? It looks like team members who are unsure about how their roles support the vision of the organization. It looks like meetings that waste time and are ineffective. It looks like hiring and onboarding processes that are scattered, siloed and inadequate to truly add the right people to the team and prepare them to succeed.

If 62% of leaders who took the assessment discovered that Organization Clarity is the place they need to focus their efforts and energy, it’s very possible that this is an area you need to focus too. Here are some ways to multiply your efforts...

These aspects of leadership--your org chart, job descriptions, meeting structure, hiring and onboarding processes--they may sound like bureaucratic, boring necessities. In reality, though they are the systems of structure that provide essential clarity to those you lead. And they must not be neglected or ignored.

See, your strategy and your priorities have likely shifted in the last year. It could be that you formerly provided an in-person service that is now one you deliver digitally. Perhaps you’ve adjusted to a completely remote team though the product you sell remains the same. Maybe it’s that you’ve been forced to innovate in-person offerings in ways that have stretched and demanded more from your team than you ever thought possible.

And with these adjustments, it’s possible that how you’re structured may not be serving your strategy. And let me be clear: Your structure must serve your strategy.

Your org chart must reflect clear reporting relationships to prevent bottlenecks in decision making. Your hiring and onboarding must yield team members prepared to move the vision forward. Your meetings must be purposeful and effective--no sideways energy, only actionable discussion. 

Your structure must serve your strategy. When your team is not clear on how their role does this, it creates gridlock. Organizational paralysis. It will cause your team not to be able to move your mission forward. 

So, here are some questions that will help you reflect on where you measure up with regards to Organizational Clarity:

• When you look at your org chart, does the allocation of personnel reflect alignment with your purpose and goals? In other words, are the right people doing the right things to accomplish the right goals?
• Does everyone on your team have a job description, and have those been updated within the last year to reflect adjustments to your team or organization’s strategy? 
• Do you utilize values-minded agendas for meetings? (Follow up questions: Are they shared in advance? Who is responsible for capturing action steps from meetings? What does accountability for action steps look like?)
• Do you hire based on the mission, values and strategy of your organization AND onboard to strategically set new team members up for success?

About the Author

Jenni Catron is a writer, speaker, and leadership coach who consults churches and non-profits to help them lead from their extraordinary best. She speaks at conferences and churches nationwide, seeking to help others develop their leadership gifts and lead confidently. As Founder and CEO of The 4Sight Group, she consults with individuals and teams on leadership and organizational health.

Jenni is the author of several books, including Clout: Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence and The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership.