In the absence of communications there is no strategy. Then why do so many organizations spend an inordinate amount of time, energy and resources on creating a strategy and forget to consider how it’s communicated, internalized and acted upon?
A great strategy is transformational. It invokes change when people understand it and believe in it. Simply having a communications plan, cascaded throughout the organization using PowerPoint, isn’t enough. Real communication of a strategic plan happens through thoughtful conversation and dialogue.
Consider these 5 winning ways to communicate, and ultimately drive adoption of, your organizational strategy:
- Is there urgency in the communication of your strategy? Why change now? Strategy is often perceived as strategy de jour if there’s no immediacy driving the need to change.
- Follow-through on communicating strategy. Often, there’s a lot of hype on the front-end with little consistency throughout execution on promoting performance against goals.
- Champion wins during the transformational journey. Merchandising successes drives engagement, ownership and accountability.
- What’s the personal win for department and individual contributors? Leadership and strategic management require having a thoughtful dialogue that answers the question, “what’s in it for me?”
- Avoid communication that’s flat and two-dimensional. Add color and context to your organizational strategy using visuals. Exploit all communication channels, including direct, indirect, social and video.
Watch this video on designing a communication strategy that’s built around unique audiences.
A focus on your future success and communicating where you’re at on the path toward achieving it is a continuous process. It extends beyond senior leadership to mid-level management and supervisors. It’s a story shared with staff, employees and key stakeholders.
What role does communication have in the adoption of your strategy?
