#28 Dan Urquhart | Clarity, Unity & Accountability

Unlocking Team Success Through Crystal Clear Communication It was Patrick Glencione who said if you can get all the people in your organisation rowing in the same direction, you can dominate any industry in any market against any competition at any time. So how do we do it? How do we dominate any industry at any time? How do we come together as a team and achieve the desired results that we all agreed to achieving? Teams get put together to win, and nobody wants to be a part of a losing team. Nobody wants to be a part of a mediocre team. Everybody wants to be a part of a team that's achieving amazing results, and every team member wants to play a part in achieving those results. There's something in the human condition that lifts when we, as teams, achieve things that are insurmountable. But the problem is when the pressure's on, we often don't do what it takes. So today we're going to have a look at what it takes to dominate. We're going to talk about clarity, unity and accountability. The three things are going to really move the needle for you guys as a team. Everything that you do within your organisation matters, It really does. But a lot of what we look at are byproducts. They're byproducts of leadership, team and culture. And they're also byproducts of clarity, unity, and accountability. And that's what we're going to dig down in today. That's what we're going to RIP into. So let's get going. Firstly, what is clarity? Clarity is unmistakable expectations. So it's a commitment to communication. It's a commitment to understanding one another. It's a commitment to knowing one another know how each other works. It's a commitment to knowing what's expected. It's a commitment to knowing the process, knowing the system, knowing what good communication looks like within your organisation. It's a commitment to being clear on the mission, the vision and the core values of your organisation, why you exist, where you going and how you going to get there. You as a team need absolutely crystal clear communication. Let's have a think about it like this. Armed forces and emergency services, they understand that communication is often life and death. And So what they do is they create ways of being sure that there is no communication breakdown. And we in our organisations, we turn up everyday and, and sometimes communication is hit and miss. We haven't even decided what good communication looks like. And this causes often communication breakdowns. There's a really good quote around communication that says this. The biggest mistake or the biggest issue with communication is the illusion that it's taken place. And This is why emergency services and This is why armed forces get it so right. You hear them talking in call signs, you hear them saying over and out. They often repeat what was said. And the reason is because they know that the communication is life and death. Now, am I suggesting that we and our teams have start have call signs and and say over and out? Probably not. But what is it that makes you communicate well as a team? Because one thing's for sure is that communication's often an illusion. We all know if you have a look around, don't point fingers at anybody. We all know in our teams those moments where we felt like we communicated, we thought we communicated and yet it either didn't happen, it didn't happen the way we wanted it to happen. It didn't happen in the time that we needed it to happen, or the communication actually didn't get to the desired person or with the desired result. And it's often because we haven't been clear about what good communication looks like. We have to be clear if we're going to be purpose driven, if we're going to be performance driven, if we're going to be achieve the desired outcomes that we's team want. We all want, we all want to be a part of a winning team. We have to be clear around communication and clarity is UN mistakeable. Expectations clearly set the first point of leadership. Leadership, team and culture is setting the expectation that we as leaders in our, in our, in our teams, in our businesses set the expectation and we as team members understand. Now before we move on to the next point, which is unity, let's finish on clarity. So there's two aspects to communication that we need to get really clear on. And it's this, there's a communicator and there's a comprehender. And so this is really important because we understand communication. Communication is I need something to happen or I want something to happen in a certain way in a certain time frame. So I communicate it, great, fine. But there's also a comprehender and this is what the armed forces get. They'll repeat back. The comprehender will say, have I heard right? Am I speaking to the right person? Is the conversation over those call signs and over and out? They are for the comprehender as much as they are for the communicator. And us and our teams need to understand that. If you don't understand what is said, that right there and then there's a breakdown in communication. Here's where communication, good communication, breaks down often with our teams. The comprehender doesn't ask enough questions. The comprehender just goes Yep, Yep, Yep, can't you see I'm busy, I want to get on. And so they half understand what was said. Good communication is the responsibility of the communicator and the comprehender. Performance driven teams get really clear around communication. Their clarity is crystal clear. They are unmistakable in the expectations around communication. Clarity is just a commitment to communication and it's one of the foundational aspects of a performance driven team. If you as a team want to get amazing outcomes in your business and your team, you're going to need to get clear around communication. Building Unbroken Connections for a Winning Team So the second point we want to talk about today is unity. What is unity? Unity is unbroken connection. It's a commitment to each other. It's putting your hand out, it's saying, hey, no matter what, I'm committed to you as a team member. It's no matter what we all head in the right direction. It's no matter what we all row in the right direction. It's all it's it's no matter what we're all on the winning team. We need to do what it takes to win and we're going to win together. You know that that really cool saying. I can't even remember who said it, but it's united we stand and divided we 4. Unity understands that for us to win, we do it together. You need each other. But here's what unity isn't. It's not always agreeing. Unity isn't the absence of issues. It's not the absence of adversity. It's not the absence of problems. It's the absence of strife. It's the absence of trouble amongst team members. It's the practise of dealing with things without breakdown in relationship. It's holding together under fire, it's achieving your goals even under pressure because that's what it'll take to win. You know, we're all tempted at times to think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. There's a there's an organisation out there where everyone gets on and there's no problems to solve. But those organisations don't exist. What makes winning teams is when teams are committed to each other, you are actually shaping the culture. Here at 1000 feet deep, we say it this way, that the strongest influence in your organisation is shaping your culture. And if that's not you, someone or something is shaping it for you. You can be the strongest influence in your organisation for the better, for the positive. No matter where you sit in the organisation, every team member gets to shape culture. Don't wait for the boss to shape it. What kind of organisation do you want to work in? Because it's your choice. Every time you're under pressure and there's an issue to solve or there's a disagreement, you get to shape the culture. Here's what Unity says. Unity says no matter what, we agree, even if we disagree. I'm committed to you. I'm committed to making this thing work. We don't have to agree. We don't have to be around each other's houses for barbecues every Sunday, although that'd be awesome. That's not what a winning team necessarily does. Winning teams are just committed to the organisation and the goals of the organisation. They're committed to winning with each other. Because actually, without unity you'll never be a winning team. You see, some of the greatest sporting teams weren't individually good just on their own. They were individually good that came together as a team and then worked together as a team. They covered for each other's weaknesses and they capitalise on each other's strengths. That's what a winning team does. Unity is a massive part of a winning team and so Unity is not always agreeing, it's the decision to be committed to each other. Accepted Responsibility Drives High Team Standards And what's the Third Point of a winning team? What is it that would cause us to be able to win consistently, to be able to get up for game day, to be able to serve our community, to be able to serve their customers, to be able to achieve the desired results of the organisation and enjoy it while we do it? That would be accountability. Now, accountability is often seen as a swear word, but it's not. You know what accountability is? Accountability is just accepted responsibility. Accountability is a commitment to the standards of the organisation. It's a commitment to each other. It's a commitment to the mission, the vision, the core values, the process, the system, the roles, the responsibilities. It's a commitment to the standards of the organisation. And it was Lauren Demas who said this. High standards only scare those who have none. Accountability is not a swear word, it's just us coming around and rallying each other to be committed to the standards who have already agreed to. The best type of accountability is pre agreed accountability and it's actually exciting. We, I tell this story a lot, that we had an NRL footballer coming speak at 118 development days and he played for a team that been in one grand final in 20 years and he played for another team, he'd been in 10. And he said the big difference between the two teams was that the team held each other accountable, that there was a culture of accountability among the team. But it started with the team that the coaches set the expectation, they empowered the outcome, they obviously carried their bit, but it was the team on a day to day level that held each other accountable to the standards of the organisation. They were the ones who wanted to win. They were the ones who didn't want to be embarrassed come game day. So they were the ones who held up the training standards, the commitment to how we do things, the commitment to the game plan. And you know what? That was the big difference maker in his view on why one team was in 10 grand finals in 20 years and one was in one. The commitment to accountability among the team members. And you get to do that as well. So accountability is putting your hand up. Sorry, Unity's putting your hand out. It's a commitment to each other. Accountability is putting your hand up. It's a commitment to the standard. It's saying, Yep, sorry I dropped the ball, but it's OK, I'll get it right next time. Where accountability becomes a swear word is this. Accountability only feels like an attack when you haven't committed to the result. I, I'm not sure who came up with that quote. I certainly didn't, but I thought it was amazing when I read it. Accountability only feels like an attack when we haven't committed to what the result is. Because once you've committed to the result, once you've committed to the outcome, the desired result, once you're committed to what winning looks like, accountability is just going back to what we already agreed to. This is how we do things. This is what it looks like. Let's just keep on moving forward. It doesn't matter that we've made a mistake. Let's just do better next time. We've committed to a standard, so it's not finding fault or blame, it's holding each other to the standard. Without standards, you'll never achieve your goals. No one wants to be on a losing team, but winning is never easy. We need to be committed to unity and accountability. We need to be committed to clarity, unity, and accountability. How to Maintain Clarity, Unity, and Accountability So all that seems great, doesn't it? Sounds awesome. But here's the problem. Clarity is most needed when there's confusion. And yet the lack of clarity and the lack of communication most happens when there's confusion, when there's tension, when there's breakdowns, often when there's a breakdown in communication when it's needed most. Good, clear communication is often given least. So This is why we need to be committed to clarity throughout every point of communication. The communicate and the comprehender need to come together and make sure that the outcomes are understood. What is expected during this season? What is expected through this task? What is expected through this process? What is expected through this text message? What is expected through this contract? What is expected through this process? We need to go back to the drawing board and have a look at what's not clear in our organisations and get crystal clear because performance driven teams are clear even under pressure, even when there's confusion, they just get really crystal clear on why it matters and what matters most. The next problem, unity isn't needed until there's disunity. Hey guys, we can all get on when everything's going great, but what about when the chips are down? What about when we don't agree? What about when there's a difference of opinion, you know? What about when you know you might politically believe something different than your team mate? If we're waiting to agree with everybody in our team about every aspect of the way that we live our lives and the way that we outwork our role, or the way that we go about certain tasks, you'll never have unity because that's not what unity is. Unity is simply a commitment to each other. Regardless of what you might believe about this, that or the other, you're committed to the person. Now please don't get me wrong, This is why accountability comes into the next step. Of course, you can't have a team member that says, oh, that's the process, but I don't follow it because I just do it this way. Once you've agreed that this is the way the organisation does it, this is where accountability kicks in. We are accountable to the process. We're accountable of good communication. We're accountable to respect, we're accountable to each other. But on the peripheral things, we don't have to agree on everything. We don't have to be best mates, but we are committed to each other as a team members. We're unified, we're headed in the right direction, we're headed in the same direction. But what we need to understand is that unity isn't needed until it's disunity. So we have to put a hand out often when we feel like at least we have to be committed to each other and find common ground so that we can move forward and win for the team. And the last tension, if you will, around what it is to win as teams is accountability. Accountability is often only required when something's gone wrong. And the quickest way to erode confidence, respect, influence with your teammate is to hold each other accountable in the wrong way. Scream at him, shout at him, don't say anything. Do it negatively and you lose influence with your teammate. That the right kind of accountability is pre agreed. It's just being able to hold each other to a standards already agreed to. Mission, vision, communication, core values, the process, the system. If it's not clear, make it clear. If you're not unified, find out why and you don't necessarily have to agree, just get clear around being committed to what it is that we're trying to achieve. Actionable Insights for Continuous Team Improvement So as we wrap guys, none of us want to be in losing teams. None of us come to work to cobbler flogging. None of us come to work to be disrespected. None of us come to work to take 5 steps forward and 10 steps back. None of us come to work to get customer complaints. None of us come to work to have interpersonal relationship issues, and yet this is a big part of what it is to work together as a team. The best of teams just have unmistakable expectations. They get really clear around mission, vision, core values. They get really clear on process, really clear on communication, really clear on what respect looks like, really clear on what the results look like. There's there's no communication breakdowns between the communicator and the comprehender because the comprehender asks if there's any lack of clarity. They just keep on asking. There's nothing wrong with asking. And so guys, as we work together to win, we have to understand that it's not the absence of problems, issues and tensions. It's what we do about it getting really clear. The second part is getting really committed to each other. It's unbroken connection. It's us being committed, putting a hand out, being committed to each other. It's it's actually one of the most powerful aspects of a winning team. United we stand, divided we fall. And lastly, it's accepted responsibility. We need to be able to put a hand up. You know, when we as team members don't take responsibility and accountability for the performance of our role, who will picture a sporting team where the full back just decides that he doesn't want to catch the ball anymore, you know, or front row or doesn't want to take the hit UPS they need to take up or make the tackles. Guys, we don't win as a team unless everybody takes responsibility for their position on the team. And so this is how we win. We get clear, we get unified and we get accountable. OK, for you winning teams out there who really want to go to the next level, here's what we're going to do. I'd love for you guys now as a team to have a talk about individually go around the room, around the table and ask what is your one take away and what is your one next step out of what we've spoken about today? This is where the power is. It's not in listening to it, it's in outworking it. It's in integrating what we've just talked about. Then collectively as a team, we want to ask what's your 1 next step for clarity? What's your 1 next step for unity? And what's your 1 next step for accountability? Where can we get a bit clearer? Where can we be a little bit more committed to each other? And where can we be a little bit more responsible for the performance and outcomes of our roles? You know what guys, performance driven teams that don't look for, if they can improve, they only look for where you might be an amazing team, and I'm sure you are, but there's always areas where you can improve. 1% of the time that's what we're looking for today. No one's failing. We don't have the talk in pass and fail. We don't necessarily even talk in right and wrong. What we talk in is where can we improve? Because that's what performance driven teams do and that's who you guys are. I'm so grateful that you guys have taken the time to invest in yourselves and in your team. And this clarity union accountability is going to take you to the next level. All the best guys. Cheers.