ONE OF THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS I GET FROM BUSINESS LEADERS IS
“how will the BTG framework help my organization?”
Leaders from Businesses and non-profits, Executives, entrepreneurs, managers, and team members all ask me the same question.
The Bridge the gap framework™
The Bridge The Gap (BTG)™ Framework is a simple, integrated, and agile approach to helping leaders run more successful companies. Combining the proven insights from thought leaders like Patrick Lencioni, Jon Gordon, Tim Spiker, Jim Collins, and Gallup and over 20+ years leading teams, the six disciplines in our framework help organizations build healthy leadership, cohesive teams, clear strategies, effective communication, strong culture, and alignment.
Over the last 25 years, our global network of consultants has empowered over 20,000 teams with our transformational consulting partnership approach. We start our consulting partnership with the top leadership team, shift to the key leaders, and cascade throughout the company. We design our consulting partnership to be practical, relevant, and immediately applicable to your organization.
While we have a proven, field-tested methodology, we understand that every organization is unique, so we design our approach to meet your needs. Our clients love the flexibility and tailored approach to transforming their organizations. Whether you start by focusing on building a cohesive team or creating clarity and alignment, mastering these disciplines ensures extraordinary levels of performance, engagement, and profitability.
BRIDGE THE LEADER GAP
Discipline 1: bridge the leader gap-develop healthy, positive leaders
Healthy leaders are the cornerstone of successful organizations. This discipline focuses on developing healthy, positive leaders. Healthy leaders are authentic; they operate in their strengths zone. Healthy leaders are optimistic, intentionally building positive cultures. They are responsibility-centered rather than reward-centered, carrying the heavy backpack of the less glamorous elements of leadership: managing team members, communicating constantly, having difficult conversations, running great meetings, etc.
“At the most fundamental level, there are only two motives that drive people to become a leader. First, they want to serve others, to do whatever is necessary to bring about something good for the people they lead. The second basic reason why people choose to be a leader-the all too common but invalid one-is that they want to be rewarded.”
BRIDGE THE TEAM GAP
discipline 2: Bridge the team gap-Build a cohesive leadership team
Cohesive teams are more productive and innovative. This discipline emphasizes the importance of team dynamics, where members understand and appreciate each other's unique strengths and weaknesses. By building trust, eliminating politics, and engaging in healthy conflict, teams can commit to decisions, hold each other accountable, and focus on collective results, increasing effectiveness, engagement and execution.
“The most unhappy people in a company are the ones who don’t fit the culture and are allowed to stay. They know they don’t belong. Deep down inside they don’t want to be there. They’re miserable.”
BRIDGE THE CLARITY GAP
Discipline 3: bridge the clarity Gap-Create strategic and cultural clarity
Strategic and cultural clarity eliminates confusion and aligns efforts. Organizations must clearly define their purpose, values, and strategic priorities. This involves answering critical questions like:
Why do we exist?
How do we behave?
What do we do?
How will we succeed?
What is most important right now?
Who must do what?
Clarity ensures that all employees understand and are committed to the same vision and goals.
“The single greatest advantage any company can achieve is organizational health. Yet is ignored by most leaders even though it’s simple, free and available to anyone who wants it.
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BRIDGE THE COMMUNICATION GAP
discipline 4: bridge the Communication gap-overcommunicate strategic and cultural clarity
Effective communication ensures everyone is on the same page. This discipline involves over-communicating strategic and cultural clarity through repetition, simplicity, and multiple mediums. Leaders must cascade key messages to ensure they reach every level of the organization, preventing confusion, reinforcing alignment, and ensuring everyone is working towards the same objectives.
“Great leaders see themselves as Chief Reminding Officers as much as anything else. ”
BRIDGE THE CULTURE GAP
Discipline 5: bridge the culture gap-reinforce strategic and cultural clarity
A winning culture attracts and retains top talent. Drawing from the answers to the six clarity questions; this component focuses on developing a solid organizational culture. This discipline focuses on intentional hiring practices, onboarding, performance management, coaching and development, and rewards and recognition.
Organizations can elevate engagement and retention by creating a positive work environment where employees feel valued and engaged. Maintaining a healthy culture also involves the uncomfortable scenario of dismissing employees who do not align with the company's values or performance standards.
“Human systems give an organization a structure for tying its operations, culture, and management together, even when leaders aren’t around to remind people. ”
BRIDGE THE ALIGNMENT GAP
Discipline 6: bridge the alignment GAP- Align strategic and cultural clarity
Alignment ensures all parts of the organization are on the same page and work together. This discipline ensures all departments, teams, and individuals align with the organization’s strategic goals and cultural values. Regular reviews and adjustments of strategies, roles, and responsibilities keep everyone moving in the same direction. Meetings act as an organization's central nervous system, integral to maintaining alignment. Using the Four Meetings Model, organizations can structure their meetings effectively to maintain focus, drive progress, and build cohesion.
“If you think about it, a leader who hates meetings is a lot like a surgeon who hates operating on people or a conductor who hates concerts. Meetings are what leaders do, and the solution to bad meetings is not the elimination of them but rather the transformation of them into meaningful, engaging, and relevant activities. ”