Sounds easy, but we can take for granted the impact and potential that frequent and targeted communication can have within organizations. A strong vision provides a sense of purpose for employees, a reason to go the extra mile, to go beyond expectations and really drive for results.
Clarity on how the organization will embrace the future, what will change and what will stay the same is essential? How will the team be impacted and what does the team need to do to support the future direction? What will be the impact on individuals and most importantly what can each person do to align with the vision?
A useful technique in helping people to embrace the future starts with creating a shared understanding on how the company worked in the past, what it does today and how this moves the company to the future. Often employees at all hierarchical levels can get stuck in what used to be – the past. Connecting past successes and key milestones with what needs to happen, to realize the vision, will help employees embrace the ‘new’. It will help to open minds to the possibilities of the future.
Next, frequent, consistent and regular communication, starting with the senior leadership team, must reinforce the conversations, behaviours and decisions to drive results. This supports moving the organization in the desired direction.
Once senior leaders have clearly articulated the vision, or sense of purpose, a select group of managers and organization wide ‘champions’ can take the lead. Using structured approaches and facilitated ‘train the trainer’ sessions, leaders across the organization can steer sub-groups and teams through understanding and connecting with vision. This process, cascaded through every level in the company supports consistent messaging and creates a call to action for every individual. This will help to ensure that the organization is focused on the right things and that people truly feel inspired and feel they belong.
Remember, every leader needs to connect their employees to the vision.
How well do you do this?
If you would like to participate in a high level informal quiz, please click on the following link:
Communicating_Your_Vision_With_Power_Quiz
We will post the results in a future blog.
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