Step 16 Up the Tribe Triangle: Kinship Is The Solution for Sustainable Success
“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”
-Henry Ford
Significant success is a product of sustainable success. Success is not a sprint; it is a marathon. Consistency over time has been proven to drive the highest long-term results. Consistency cannot be maintained alone because we require the support and accountability of our team and tribe to pull us when we become distracted and our energy becomes diffused.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
-African Proverb
Unfortunately, this collective shared journey is not shared by most American workers. Overall, most workers in America feel more physically and emotionally isolated at their jobs and report increasing feelings of loneliness.
This sense of isolation has a direct impact on job performance. Lonelier workers receive fewer promotions and report lower job satisfaction. Workers experiencing feelings of isolation in the workplace have less commitment and engagement. US Surgeon General Murphy stated “At work, loneliness reduces task performance, limits creativity and impairs other aspects of executive function such as reasoning and decision making. For our health and our work, it is imperative that we address the loneliness epidemic quickly.”
Loneliness is the feeling we are left with when we lose the kinship level of our Tribe Triangle. If you are committed to bringing more sustainable success into your family, work team and community then you must address the rising rate of loneliness that is happening all around us.
In her large-scale research across multiple industries, Professor Christine Porath discovered that when people have deep connections and feelings of community at work, they are 74% more engaged with their jobs.
In addition, they have a whopping 81% more commitment to the organization they feel kinship with.
Overall, workers in kinship systems had a trackable 16% increase in overall job performance compared to workers who reported feeling isolated and lonely. Improving your company culture to kinship level is the best investment you can make increasing your competitive advantage.
According to Dr. Porath’s studies, leaders who encourage employees to work in sustainable ways and model this sustainable behavior themselves create 55% more engagement and 53% more focus and substantially increased commitment to their projects and people. Tribe leaders truly are the Head of Culture before they are anything else.
To build a culture capable of sustainable success requires the creation and maintenance of kinship in our culture. Investment in this level of culture upgrade creates eight times the return of investment in upgrading either strategy or technology. This is one of the many reasons that in the leadership development space they refer to culture as king because it moves all the levers of sustainable success.
We have already explored the stages that are required to build this culture of kinship in the previous 13 steps up the Tribe Triangle but it is valuable to reflect on how that foundation of alignment drives the sustainable success of kinship.
The first pillar of alignment that creates kinship is Shared Vision. Establishing this north star to navigate from drives the sustainable success of motivation, confidence and resiliency. A shared vision of an aspirational future is the number one driver of sustainable morale and purpose.
This vision must be inspiring and include a journey of significance. Hunting big game with a team drives engagement and fulfillment. People want to participate in significant projects that provide meaning in their life. We can only do this collaboratively, remember, lone wolves cannot hunt big game.
The second pillar of alignment that creates kinship is Shared Values. This vital culture block drives the sustainable success of trust, belonging, efficiency and most importantly, a shared journey of belonging.
The third pillar of alignment that creates kinship is Shared Mission. This includes increased transparency that creates the cohesive drivers of fairness, engagement and trust. Transparency of shared mission then increases collaboration which boosts competitiveness and confidence. Increased collaboration boosts reciprocity which is the very engine of kinship.
Sustainable success is built into tribal, kinship culture. Success is not a finite goal with a finish line. It is an infinite goal that must never end. If success ends then we end. This is ancient wisdom that we would do well do remember and reclaim.
Click here To watch the video of Step 16: Kinship is The Solution for sustainable Success
Leaders must write and speak
Answer these questions in your journal by really writing them down. Discuss them with at least one of your most important people and really listen to their response.
Review your tribe and note 3 good people who seem disengaged or dissatisfied.
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Do they need a reminder of your aspirational shared vision of the future?
Do they need a demonstration of your shared values from you?
Have you communicated transparently with them recently?
Make it so, Brave Tribe Leader!
Ubuntu,
Philip Folsom