Connect, engage and win together

Strategic business communication planning should start ‘from the inside out’.  Leaders and managers should begin with a journey to the ‘source’ and purpose of their business, to find the real values that drive them forward to growth, prosperity and sustainability.

Once they’re identified their values and set their goals, the obvious next step would be to share them with the people within the company who, on a daily basis, have to ‘live’ those values and work to achieve those goals.  They have to buy in to them, making the company’s values and goals their own. Their actions and behaviour have to reflect their belief in the company and what it stands for. Some would refer to this as developing a ‘corporate culture’.

However, too often business leaders fail to share and instil the common core values and then wonder why there’s a mismatch or non-alignment between their values and customer satisfaction.

Here are some points on Strategic Employee Relations Planning. It can go a long way in developing a common culture that positively affects and benefits the employees themselves, customers and other stakeholders, the brand and ultimately the company reputation:

• Business Leaders have to be audience-centric, and employees are the key audience. Leaders and managers have to listen to them in order to be ‘listened to’
• Internal communication and engagement must be two-way and ongoing to contribute to team cohesion, performance, productivity and profitability
• Employees must feel supported by management; their individual needs for growth and skills development must be addressed for mutual benefit
• Knowing they and management have a shared purpose and vision gives employees the desire to achieve the common goals
• Where there are actions aimed at fulfilling common goals, measurability, evaluation and constant reflection are welcome and valued
• Rewards for achievement are a motivation to perform and reach goals together
• Shared values and goals lead to shared responsibility where each employee knows what’s expected of him, as part of the whole organisation.

So it is vital that your Strategic Employee Relations Plan is used as a tool that underpins all your business activities.