Nearly every Mission: Impossible episode
began Phelps briefing them on their mission.
Why was it important to do this?
Jim Phelps cared deeply about his people and knew that the best way to
have then be successful in the mission was for them all to know and understand
the mission…the whole mission, not just their little sliver of it. He never knew when he or any one of the other
team members might be hurt or arrested during the mission and everyone needed
to know and understand the specific missions of everyone else in the team so
that they could pick up the slack should one person stumble or fall.
He took the time to go over every detail so that each person was
comfortable with what the goal was, how their actions helped ensure victory,
what was going on around them and what contingency plans had been made. He answered their questions and stayed with them until everyone was comfortable with their understanding of the larger task at hand. Hearing
this level of planned detail helped assure each Team member that the plan was
sound. It wasn’t enough that Phelps knew
the mission… the entire Team needed to see the big picture to ensure success.
At your utility, it’s not enough for you to be the grand puppet master
and the only one to know the whole picture.
If you want your entire team to be successful in the long run, they need
to understand how their part of the mission supports every other part of the
mission. They must see where they fit
into the bigger picture. How the mission
of your utility is NOT to have a maintenance department…or a pump
operation. It’s to serve customers in
such a way that they see and deeply appreciate your value over the long
haul.
It is important that your people understand the mechanics of the big
picture. For instance, if they want a pay
raise, it is important to know that customers fund this with their bill. Unhappy customers can raise enough objections
to stop a rate increase dead in its tracks and can, therefore, stop the funding
mechanism of a pay raise. This is why
remarkable customer service is so important to even the most junior field
worker at your utility. Don’t they
deserve to know this important fact?
Have you taken the time to explain this to them or are you just assuming
that they know?
If you truly care about your people and truly care about winning, you
will take the time to over-communicate the mission in detail with YOUR team.
ACTION: Use every opportunity to
communicate the big picture to your people.
Ensure that they understand their role in your overall success.
