Communication does not equal understanding!

Communication does not equal understanding!

You invest significant energy and resources in ensuring a distinctive positioning for your company and your offerings, coupled with related messaging and promotional activities that resonate and connect you with your target audience.
So, why not afford the same diligence internally? It remains a puzzle why companies spend a lot of time on analysis and budgeting discussions, while there seems limited time allocated to developing and articulating the vision and outlining the path on how to get there. And even when that has been done it is mostly followed by the rollout of a generic communication to the entire organization. Just imagine treating your customers with a one-size-fits-all approach – you wouldn't, right?

Tailoring your communication internally is equally crucial

The better your teams comprehend your strategic direction, the more effectively they can contribute. A lot is said about accountability or non-accountability, but if your employees do not have clarity on where the company is heading, how can you expect them to take responsibility and make it actionable. Internal customers, just like external ones, benefit from personalized messaging that fits their context. But here's a surprise – the same principle applies to your senior teams.

Only 28% of executives and middle managers could list three of their company's strategic priorities

An analysis of 124 organizations, conducted by D. Sull et al ("Turning Strategy Into Results"), revealed that only 28% of executives and middle managers, responsible for executing strategy, could list three of their company's strategic priorities.
You may have communicated and listed all of your strategic priorities, but communication doesn't automatically translate to understanding and eventually commitment. It's time to bridge the gap!

Inspire, captivate and engage your audience

After investing in vision, gap analysis, and strategy work, don't stop there. Engage first your senior teams in meaningful discussions so they can understand, potentially challenge, get inspired and finally translate the content to their respective departments. Break down what it means, be concrete, provide real-world examples of what the new reality looks like, make choices and encourage interaction. Everyone sees the story from a different angle, and it's crucial to harness those diverse perspectives. Once they understand it and buy into it, they can have similar interactions with their teams. There still needs to be some general communication ensuring a level of consistency but just don't limit it.

Empower your teams to thrive together

If your senior managers aren't crystal clear on the company's fundamentals, expecting the rest of the organization to be is a utopia. Leadership is about more than just communicating – it's about fostering understanding, encouraging engagement, and cultivating alignment.