It’s What You Say and When You Say It

Whether you’re talking about business or politics, we live in a fast-paced world of instant information and 24-hour news cycles.A 30-second story on the evening news, new legislation on Capitol Hill, or a competitor or business partner could shift the playing field on any major issue or the business landscape.To complicate things further, we are in the age of the acronym – nearly a completely different language to abbreviate lengthy titles of projects, legislation or departments.And let’s not forget how quickly messages travel with texting, Twitter and Facebook.To be a serious contender in this world, your organization must be nimble, strategic and prepared for anything.

One of the single most important aspects to being proactive or reacting quickly is effective internal communications.If the right hand of your team doesn’t know what the left hand is doing, if your strategies as the leader of the organization are not clearly communicated to your employees, you could be left treading water in very stormy seas.

By utilizing proactive and real-time internal communication strategies, your organization will succeed in all aspects – internally and externally.So, I have incorporated the following concepts into my work style and found to have positive effects on internal communications and ultimately accomplishing organizational goals:

Develop clear, attainable goals for your organization and integrate them into employee objectives. Sounds pretty basic and simple enough, but I am surprised by how many organizations operate without continually reviewing and revising goals and objectives.Most importantly, employees need to own and understand why the goals are so important to the organization’s success.This is especially critical when the landscape is ever changing.Additionally, attainable doesn’t mean easy.You have a talented team, so use their talents to the fullest potential and push them.Ensure they understand where you want to lead the organization and where you expect to end up.

Listen. Again, another basic communication concept, but it can be the hardest to actively do.You have hired and developed a talented team because they bring expertise and ideas to the table.Cultivate an environment that allows them to share those ideas. Active listening means to withhold judgment and consider ideas and or concerns you and your management team may not have entertained in the past. For example, I regularly host employee breakfasts to hear from all levels of my team.In most cases, the most engaging conversations and ideas come from those not in the corner offices or in the management team.We discuss anything from workplace environment to the shifting business landscape to organization goals.

Educate employees continually. All of the major project plans developed to support your strategic plan should be shared with your entire team, not in project management silos.This helps workflow on projects and provides employees with a sense of ownership in and belonging to the organization.Whether your style is to host meetings or employee brown bag lunch sessions, make it a priority to host these employee sessions often and dedicate the agenda to the progress being made toward achieving your goals as well as provide updates on any course correction that was needed.

Ensure employees in different divisions communicate across teams. Another basic concept in theory, but in most organizations it’s one of the most difficult to implement.Employees are moving at a fast pace and working hard to achieve their objectives.Many times, communication outside of their own team gets pushed aside in the process of getting the “work done.”Make sure employees have the tools they need to communicate and meet your expectations.Provide updated communication systems, shared directories and telecommunication capabilities. Lead by example and make sure your strategic meetings include a representative from each part of your organization.Employees should be encouraged to do the same without you to make progress on projects.

Keep employees informed and engaged in the process. It’s not enough to just state the goals.Let your team know when progress is made, what the next steps are, and when the team has achieved their goals.Encourage questions.This keeps your team engaged and feeling a sense of accomplishment as a team.