Where Did Q1 Go? Time for a Check-In!

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 8^th 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