Do you have organizational clarity? No, I don’t mean you have a plaque in your lobby that has your vision, mission, and values printed on it. Or that you have your vision, mission, and values posted on your website for all to see. I mean true organizational clarity where everyone in the organization, from the cleaner to the CEO, from the accountant to the customer service representative, is on the same page and speaks the same language. It’s weirder than you think.
So how do you achieve this kind of clarity? Here are 5 simple steps to achieve and maintain organizational clarity.
1. Ask everyone in the organization to answer a simple question: What business are we in? You will be amazed at the variety of responses you will get. Based on the answers, create a common language that everyone in the organization can use to describe what you do (don’t make it sales or complicated, just use plain language). Then share this common language with everyone in the organization.
2. Define why you exist as an organization. What is your purpose? Do you exist to make a difference, to make a profit, to make your customers happy? Many leadership teams never take the time to define their purpose. How can you define success if you don’t know why you exist or what your purpose is?
3. Create an organizational goal that is unrelated to standard operating objectives. This goal should be one that everyone in the organization, regardless of their role, can relate to and see how everyone can help achieve it. Too often, organizations hold all employees accountable for an organizational goal driven by profit or productivity, and in most cases, the average employee does not have the ability to directly affect that outcome.
4. Define the roles and responsibilities of each individual within the organization with regard to the Standard Operational Objectives AND the Organizational Objective. Most employees want to be successful and they want the organization they work for to be successful. By linking your roles and responsibilities to both, you can easily see the direct impact your effort has.
5. Communicate frequently and openly. Fireside Chats are a great way for the senior leaders of an organization to stay connected with the rest of the employees and for the employees to stay connected with the progress of the company. Having a regular 15-30 minute monthly meeting where whoever is available can come in and hear a senior leader from the organization update the team on progress and accomplishments is a perfect way to maintain clarity. It’s also a great opportunity to celebrate birthdays that took place that month by sharing cake!
What do you consider to be the biggest obstacles you must overcome to achieve organizational clarity in your business? We would love to hear from you.
