There are just five more gifts in our 12 (Leadership) Days of Christmas exercise that I have been unveiling one day at a time. (The details and past tasks/gifts can be found here.)
The 12 Days of Christmas song says that on the 5th day, the gift is five golden rings. Few things in our culture today have a stronger symbolic meaning than the golden ring as a symbol of marriage. A successful marriage requires effort to align the goals of both people. But when that is done well, the meaning and value in that relationship can be amazing.
The two key themes for today can both be found in last two sentences – alignment and meaning. And these two keys apply to more than a marriage.
Here’s today’s task/gift for you.
Ask yourself these questions . . .
– Does your team know the larger goals of the organization?
– Do they see how their team and individual goals align with this bigger picture?
– If not, what can you do as a leader to rectify the misunderstanding and misalignment?
The alignment of goals is important to the work of an organization. It reduces re-work, creates greater efficiency and productivity and much more. But the bigger value of clear alignment isn’t what it does for the organization, but what it does for the individuals in it.
When people see that their work matters and makes a difference, it creates a meaning deeper than the work itself. This meaning translates to greater job satisfaction, higher retention, lower stress, better health and a host of other things.
Answer today’s questions and take the necessary action and you will be giving your team one of the best gifts you could give them – the gift of meaning.
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