Yesterday there was a USA Snapshot infogram on the front page of USA Today depicting the number of bills that Congress has passed into law. The most: 84th Congress (1955-56) that passed 1,028 bills. The least: 112th Congress (2011-12) with 238 passages. The current 113th Congress is on path to break the record with only 15 bills passed so far this session.
Think of what chaos would ensue if the different departments in your organization acted like the petulant members of our Congress. The business office wouldn't cooperate with those who need to purchase. The marketing side would refuse to promote programs that didn't fit with their own agenda, even if it benefited the organization as a whole. The grounds staff would only maintain the one section of the building that was sympathetic to their beliefs. Those who were to deliver the services would spend all their time pointing fingers at the others instead of working out a compromise.
Surely there are more than 15 things that members of Congress can agree on if they remain focused on the goal of advancing the welfare of the country. I am reminded of the pyramid from Simon Sinek in Start with Why: first figure out WHY you are doing something, then pay attention to the WHAT that needs to be done to achieve it before ultimately dealing with the details of HOW to get it done.
The representative government that was once a model for the world has lost its focus. They have become like kids in a sandbox that spend so much time fighting over the toy that it breaks in the process and neither has anything to show for it.
Take a close look in the mirror. Are you acting like members of Congress and fighting for individual needs more than the whole? Are you genuinely willing to make compromises and "reach across the aisle" in your organization? If you're honest with yourself, are you offering solutions or reciting obstacles? Focus on the WHY and the big picture becomes a lot clearer -- and is worth the sacrifices you need to make to achieve it.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Source: USA Today USA Snapshots Do-little Congress? August 7, 2013
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