I have discovered that in many organizations, the leadership knows where they’re going, but the employees do not. When direction and vision are not communicated effectively, employees tend to figure it out themselves, and they may start pulling in directions that leadership or ownership doesn’t want to go. What’s the point of clarifying direction (Step 1 in my 7-step method to business growth) if you’re never going to communicate that? To achieve the future you want—fast—you must communicate your vision to everyone in your organization.
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The Inefficiency of Chaos
When individual departments determine where they’re going (and this happens more often than you might think!), then it’s unlikely that each is in unison with the others or with the organization as a whole. In short, a lack of good communication creates chaos, and chaos is the enemy of efficiency. Organizations with silos simply can’t achieve the kind of results that they want to achieve. But this chaos is often self-inflicted because leadership has not effectively communicated where the organization is going to be five years from now, three years from now, and one year from now. In the absence of communicated direction, employees find their own.
Paddling Together
Effective communication will get everybody within the organization on the same team. Imagine how well your company could do if everybody was in the same boat and paddling the same direction. It’s different if there’s one person paddling the boat—then it’s pretty easy to set the direction. But when you have 20 or 30 or 40 people within the organization and they’re not all paddling in the same direction, you’ll never reach your desired destination.
Most employees want to know where they’re going and what the future holds. They want to be a part of something that’s bigger than them, and they want to be a part of an organization that’s going somewhere—that’s not stagnant and just getting by. This is especially true for young people today. They’re not interested in punching a timecard for 40 years and doing the same thing over and over. They want to know that there’s an opportunity for the organization and for them within the organization. Communicating that clearly is critically important.
Don’t worry: There’s no danger in over-communicating your vision. In fact, it’s a vital part of achieving your vision. For 40 years Gary has been helping businesses grow and make more money, and he can do it for you too. Give Gary a call at 503-312-3145 for more information.
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