10 Goals and Practices for Leading Teams: No 1. Be clearer on the team's purpose

Introduction

In today's rapidly changing world, it’s easy to lose your way waiting for circumstances to change in your favour.  One thing that helps build the essential trust needed in teams is to be clear, and even to be clearer, on your team’s purpose.  This purpose is necessarily unique - otherwise you don’t know the value that only your team can create, within the organisation, for its customers and other stakeholders.  

The Goal:

To be clear on the unique purpose of the team. 
What value does this team need to create - that no one else does? 
How clear is everyone in the team on that?  What do people find unclear? 
What value do stakeholders gain from this purpose?  How do we know?

The Practice:

Help each team member to find their own contribution to the team’s purpose.  Each should be able to represent the team's purpose, not just their own, to anyone outside the team.  Spend time with your most important stakeholders ensuring that this purpose is valued by them and if not, iterate the purpose with them so expectations align. 

Keep the purpose in front of mind. Frequently state it during meetings, in 1:1’s and with stakeholders.

Links to the other nine Goals and Practices for Leading Teams:

No 1. Be clearer on the team's purpose

No 2. Appreciate team dynamics - and use them to team better

No 3. Let's ditch SMART objectives and replace them with OKRs

No 4. Empathise with our stakeholders - more, with skill

No 5. Don't motivate your team - create the conditions for them to motivate themselves

No 6. Make performance a team game

No 7. Agree on how to disagree

No 8. Don't delegate, or empower - coach

No 9. Let the team engage with uncertainty

No 10. Learn to self-manage - together