Managing through change can be extremely difficult, or one of the most rewarding experiences an entrepreneur can ever have. It largely depends on the ability of the entrepreneur to gain employee confidence while, at the same time, leading and navigating through the type of rapid change a high-potential firm often has. Employees must know the company goals, his/her role in the process, and the proper change management tools. When an entrepreneur plans for change, valuable company resources are directed to meeting the company’s goals, and that translates into more profits.
Think of this in the form of energy. When energy flows properly, it gets to where it needs to go and feeds the cycle appropriately. Translate this to the workplace and there are many positive results including reduced anger, frustration, anxiety and fear, and, perhaps most important, increased trust among everyone in the company. The company is able to accomplish its goals and, ultimately, affect the bottom line. A good entrepreneur understands this and invests his/her time in freeing up that positive energy.
Most people understand that businesses need to have a strategic plan that identifies mission, goals, objectives, and performance measurement tools. Take it a step further and a strategic plan must address the various “energy streams” in the company; the most critical being communication! The best time to do this is when a company is hiring employees. Companies already in full-swing can begin at the start of a new project, or at the start of the change process. Having standardized communication guidelines and procedures make any change process less chaotic and much more efficient.
Standard of Communications
An entrepreneur who owns a consulting firm recently said, “If someone swears in my company, they get fired!” That is part of his standard of communication. By deciding what the standard of communication is, an entrepreneur keeps control of the situation and eliminates poor behaviors and interactions among employees.
Many people enter the workforce without the skills to communicate appropriately and effectively in the workplace. This holds true for people of all levels of education. While exact procedures about dealing with employee performance is outside the scope of this article, an entrepreneur must remember good communications regarding employee performance appraisals could avoid misunderstandings and possible lawsuits.
Electronic Communications
Companies must invest in electronic communications that would allow information to flow freely and unhindered throughout the company. The benefits are that time is spent much more efficiently, workers have time to take on additional tasks, and employees have more energy when they can start and finish a project on time.
In another company, software programs varied from computer to computer. Therefore, employees played musical computers just to finish a project. The result was chronically late and often incomplete projects as workers struggled to do simple tasks that should have been done on standard software such as Microsoft Publisher or Microsoft Word which should have been accessible by all employees.
An updated system and information technology team or person who can fully manage the needs of the operation, is a return of investment that will show itself often in a matter of weeks! Not only are employees more motivated when they are not running into ‘brick walls’, the energy keeps flowing because they can work through their project objectives uninterrupted. This prevents anger and frustration for being the prevailing culture of a company and allows employees to be accomplished and feel as though they are actually making a contribution to the end results.
Chain of Communications
It is essential that employees know who to communicate what type of information to, and that there is a safe avenue to ask questions or voice concerns. This minimizes the “scuttlebutt” talk that often goes on when “the emperor is naked” and no one is speaking out. It just offers a much more emotionally safe workplace and can save thousands of dollars per year by preventing high-turnover and misunderstandings that could have easily been avoided.
Written Communications
This includes job descriptions, policies and procedures, performance appraisals and any other type of written communication, regardless of whether it is handwritten or electronic. Many companies allow managers to get by without performing employee reviews, thus workers are not up to speed on what they are being measured on, how they are doing, or what they should be striving for.
Energy flows freely in the company that has a Strategic Communication Plan, therefore there is an immediate return of investment (ROI) that lays the foundation for the rest of the strategic plans and activities within the company. I’m a firm believer that if more businesses took the time to streamline their communication processes, the ultimate result would be growth rather than downsizing. In a time when budgets are tight and businesses are laying off, it is more crucial than ever to tighten up the communication process and make sure that every minute employees spend on the job is a minute that will add value to the overall bottom line.
About the Author
Mary Harris has a Bachelor of Science degree in Counseling and Master of Arts degree in Psychology. She is a Co-owner of Streamlined Concepts LLC, a consulting company that specializes in Communication Audits, Project Development, Management and Handover.
Great article and much needed!