It probably
seems like just yesterday that you established your organizational goals for
the year. How are you doing against those goals? And how are your teams and
individuals doing against their goals?
Taking the
time to evaluate progress and communicate that progress to employees is
essential to keeping them motivated and engaged. Further, aligning individual and team goals
with organizational goals will ensure everyone understands how their efforts contribute
to overall corporate success.
Include in
your organizational communication strategy regular formal meetings (at least
quarterly) to discuss company progress, as well as more frequent, informal team
and one-on-one meetings to discuss progress on team and individual goals. If
organizational goals change, there will most likely be a ripple effect on team
and employee projects. Communicate these changes to employees earlier rather
than later. Explain why, and put the change in the context of the bigger
picture. Delaying or neglecting to share this information can make employees
feel that their efforts have been wasted and can impact employee morale.
Open, honest
and frequent communication to share both good news and bad is key to creating a
productive and engaged employee base. Provide ample opportunities for questions and multiple channels for
employees to provide feedback.
In his book The 8th Habit, Stephen Covey
shared the results of a survey of 23,000 employees drawn from various companies
and industries:
·
Only 37% said they have a clear understanding of
what their organization is trying to achieve and why
·
Only 1 in 5 was enthusiastic about their team’s
and their organization’s goals
·
Only 1 in 5 said they had a clear “line of
sight” between their tasks and their team’s and the organization’s goals
·
Only 15% felt that their organization fully
enables them to execute key goals
·
Only 20% fully trusted the organization they
work for
What
are you doing in your organization to communicate your direction and bring your
employees along? I’d love to hear your feedback.
Lead
on,
Rebecca
