Attn … C-suite. How Are You Increasing Employee Focus and Conviction?

There are times in every person’s life when focus and conviction around what they are doing is laser sharp. Nothing will get in their way. Their destination is crystal clear. No barrier is too great for them to overcome.

Isn’t that the mindset every executive wants from their employees … every day?

Of course it is and of course leading executives get it. They harness focus and conviction to create winning cultures. To outperform the competition. Their employees are constantly focused on the company’s purpose, vision and mission. They have deep conviction in what they do and how it supports the bigger picture.

These executives capture lightening in a bottle and use it to connect with employees. To create sustainable business growth. To build high-performing cultures. This is just a fact and the numbers tell the real story. Research from Kotter and Heskett shows, “Companies that managed their cultures well saw revenue increases of 682% versus 166% for the companies that did not manage their cultures well — stock price increases of 901% versus 74% — and net income increases of 756% versus 1%.”

As a business leader, you know that focus and conviction matters. You know how they have driven you to achieve superior results. Why do you think it is different for any employee in your company?

The bottom line is, C-suite executives must stop taking organizational alignment and clarity for granted. They need to make investments in their culture if they want focus and conviction to take root. It’s time to stop treating communication around purpose, vision and mission as a soft dimension of business. It’s time to realize the lasting impact focus and conviction have on business performance … and invest accordingly.

What are you doing to increase organizational alignment and clarity? What are you doing to connect your employees’ daily work activities to the bigger picture? Do you have a sustained, strategic communications plan around your purpose, vision and mission?

If not, don’t expect focus and conviction to take root. And don’t expect to outperform the market or your competitors any time soon.