How Leadership Works
It’s the crucial element behind all of our accomplishments — big and small. For something so potent, you might think it’s rare. But potential is something in all of us. It’s just waiting to be realized.
Leaders play a fundamental role in amplifying human potential. They hold the power to help people see something in themselves they’ve never seen before — or to remove barriers that limit peoples’ potential. Leaders can create remarkable changes in the lives of those around them and create new possibilities for an entire organization or community.
Failure to Launch
Imagine you work at a large tech company and are part of a cross-functional team working to launch a groundbreaking product. As the team begins to dig in, it’s clear each department head assumed that their role was to lead, creating confusion about the direction the launch should take. Without clear direction, the team can’t seem to gain alignment on anything, from project goals to milestones to deliverables. Communication is scattered, leading to misunderstandings and missed deadlines.
Over time, the lack of a cohesive vision takes a toll on the team’s commitment, leading to frustration and low morale. Instead of a triumphant launch, the project is mired by delays, increased costs, and a risk of failure.
We can break these issues down into low levels of Direction, Alignment, and Commitment — or DAC for short. When DAC is missing, leadership isn’t happening, and there’s a collective failure to launch.
What exactly do we mean by DAC?
Leaders within organizations play a vital role in setting the tone and making space for DAC to thrive, but everyone needs to help shape direction, alignment, and commitment.
While not all problems are DAC-related, they account for a lot of the challenges we hear from our clients. Usually, organizations or teams are strong in 1 or 2 areas of DAC. But because every element of DAC is interconnected, it’s hard to succeed without all 3. These issues affect groups of all sizes, from small startups to multinational corporations.
For example, a nonprofit may have a vision statement, but its board can’t decide which goals are directing their decisions. A department could have teams duplicating efforts because they’re not aligned on who’s doing what. Or employees who are not really committed to company goals put their own interests ahead of the group’s priorities.
Think of your organization like an engine. You can build it perfectly, but it’s not going anywhere without fuel. Similarly, you could have the most talented team on earth — but if the people on it have low levels of shared direction, alignment, and commitment, you won’t reach your goals.
Effective leadership happens through direction, alignment, and commitment, and DAC enables people to achieve more together than they ever could working alone. By looking at your organization through the lens of the DAC framework, you can diagnose what’s holding you back and help everyone in your organization reach their collective potential.
Direction
Direction gives us purpose
Why do we exist? What’s our purpose? These aren’t easy questions. But to create a shared sense of direction, you must answer them. Purpose-driven leadership connects your entire organization to something greater than itself. When employees understand why they’re carrying out their work, they have a greater sense of motivation, satisfaction, and investment in what they accomplish. They feel a solid connection between their individual duties and the team or organization’s direction.
This requires intentional effort. Managers must embody purpose in their leadership and encourage it in others. Everyone on the team should have the freedom to figure out their own purpose, from personal development to making a positive difference, or even external rewards like a paycheck. Motivation looks different for everyone.
A purpose-driven manager can step back, embrace this reality, and create a space where work can feel personally relevant to everyone.
This idea applies both in and outside of the organization. For example, today’s external stakeholders are often more supportive of an organization when they see a balance between a focus on profit and a focus on social responsibility. This may not win short-term gains, but it can strengthen their enduring trust and loyalty.
Alignment
Direction tells you where we’re going.
Alignment is how we get there.
While some say the devil is in the details,
we think there is magic in them. Prioritizing space to consider, communicate, and eventually align on the how is crucial to success. Several inputs should be considered. Understanding the context of current processes and informal networks is essential, and often overlooked.
The term “networking” comes with some baggage. It can be a vague concept that evokes exchanging information and staying “in touch.” We hear that it’s essential, but often lack examples of what a strong network looks like and how it’s fundamental in building alignment.
In truth, networks directly affect someone’s ability to lead. These are the personal connections that lie at the heart of one’s social capital. A network perspective enables leaders to get more tasks accomplished through their relationships. Without effective networks, it’s challenging to build resilient teams, adapt to change, and navigate interpersonal conflict … any of which is a recipe for misalignment.
The solution isn’t building a relationship
with every person in the organization. This can be draining — if not impossible — and still wouldn’t provide access to helpful information. Instead, leaders should focus on building sincere, high-quality relationships within different parts of their organization. They should connect with people beyond their own circles. Such networks are open, diverse, and deep. They provide information and insights that let leaders build a complete, creative, and unbiased view of the issues.
Networks change as relationships change. People are unpredictable and the world doesn’t stand still. This isn’t anything to fear — or prevent. A strong network is determined by the sum of its parts and can create ripple effects that can go far beyond the lifespan of any one relationship. Like glue, a good network can expand, contract, and flex as things change. But nurturing their networks helps leaders build trust and foster interdependence across teams, ultimately getting more accomplished, together.
None of this comes easily. Alignment falls apart if we assume everyone needs the same thing. Similarly, leadership development requires a significant commitment to each person, beyond generic content. Every member of the organization needs to feel supported and valued for their unique character and contributions. Helping dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people see and develop their potential as leaders can be a difficult task that requires outside help.
Commitment
Commitment cannot be enforced; it must be fostered. Everyone has a unique starting point, which began long before joining the organization. The most effective leaders respect these differences, seek to understand them, and show compassion for every member of the team. They put effort into learning each individual’s story, understanding where they come from, and what they need to do their best work.
Team cohesion is one of the primary markers of commitment. It’s vital for everyone to feel like they’re working in a safe place where their presence is wanted and their voice is heard. If the group doesn’t feel welcoming and opportunities don’t feel accessible, members will withdraw and keep to themselves.
To build belonging at work, an organization’s managers should show sincere commitment to inclusive leadership and recognize that awareness must lead to meaningful actions.
While inclusion and diversity are laudable goals, they’re not sustainable without an equity-first approach. Everyone in the organization enters with uneven advantages, opportunities, privileges, and power. Equal opportunities aren’t truly fair for everyone. Senior executives should remember that they can increase commitment to the organization simply by making it more equitable and a better place for all employees to work. Providing access to opportunities for growth is part of that equation, too. At its best, leadership development honors each person, giving them the tools to reach their potential and permission to be themselves and find their reason to commit.
How to Increase DAC in Your Team or Organization
Once you understand how leadership works and start thinking with a DAC mindset, business is no longer business as usual.
If progress is stagnant in your organization or team, think about leadership as an outcome you want to achieve through direction, alignment, and commitment. This can quickly help you diagnose where you need to focus your attention to regain momentum.
Assess current levels of DAC.
What is leadership like in your organization today? Evaluating the current levels of direction, alignment, and commitment currently present can help provide an answer. Chances are, your team or organization will be strong in some aspects — and weaker in others. But since direction, alignment, and commitment are intertwined, improving just one area can have an effect on the rest.
To help you evaluate DAC levels for your team or your organization, take advantage of our quick and complimentary online DAC assessment.
Take the Assessment
Engage your team.
The next step leaders should take is engaging their team in a conversation where everyone feels psychological safety to say what’s going well — and not so well. Sometimes, getting everyone’s mind out of the present and into the future is helpful. For instance, if the team was performing better 6 months from now, what would start happening? What would stop? Just creating space for this discussion and showing an interest will make people more willing to share concerns and contribute ideas.
Identify needed changes.
While it can be tempting to find a quick fix, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to these challenges. DAC is a result of what’s happening throughout the group, and it’s vital to take a wide view of the situation. Once you know what areas need strengthening, you know where to focus.
To improve DAC, you might need to change things such as:
- The quality or frequency of interactions among group members;
- The relationships among particular members;
- The formal or informal processes for making decisions; or
- Shared assumptions and cultural beliefs of the group as a whole.
In approaching these changes, it’s important to lean into the insights and creativity of your group. Leadership is shared work and can only happen when others are involved.
Leading From Here
Potential is not a finite resource. It cannot be given or taken away. It is an exponential force in our world, and you have the unique opportunity to help realize it in those around you.
At the Center for Creative Leadership, we’re driven by unlocking human potential, as we know it can have a profound ripple effect on individuals, teams, organizations, and entire communities.
For nearly 6 decades, we’ve helped people become better leaders. Our pioneering DAC approach has been rigorously researched and field-tested at thousands of organizations, large and small. We’re proud to say we’ve developed over a million leaders at every level around the globe, from Fortune 500 executives to students just starting their journeys.
And we know from experience how to enable everyone at any organization to reach their collective potential.
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