By Donny Askin, Principal, TechTurn Consulting
Published: May 26, 2015
Establish This 8 Point Cadence to Better Communication
As a CEO of a startup, early-stage, or growth-stage company, are you ever puzzled why everyone is not fully motivated, pulling in the same direction or even understanding what the big picture really looks like? Do you wonder why, despite success, you are losing good talent? And do you often feel alone in driving the Herculean effort of sustaining and growing your company?
There is no single “silver bullet” that guarantees success (no matter what anyone says) but a critical element of any healthy, successful, growing company is phenomenal Communication! You must do it:
consistently,
often,
formally,
AND informally
A vital attribute of a successful innovator and leader is not only creating a vision for the company but equally as important, the ability to communicate that vision effectively, to drive the collective energy and efforts of the organization to achieve extraordinary success. Successful communication of a company’s mission and vision does not happen after one ‘mountain-top’ talk or periodic speeches. It comes from a cadences of regular, informative, strategic and tactical communication forums. The objective of a healthy communication strategy is to perpetuate an entire organization with an understanding of:
who they are,
what they are trying to achieve,
how they are going to try to achieve it and
where they are in that process
It means understanding not only, mission, vision and values but the company’s financial goals, objectives and current status…or simply put, just how well the company is doing.
In my travels I have encountered CEO/entrepreneurs who chose not to share much of the above. Further, they are reticent to share financial information. Their rationalization is typically, why does the staff need to know the company’s financial position or how well or poorly the company is doing. They note at times that the staff lack the acumen to understand seemingly foreign concepts like EBITDA, deferred revenue, etc. All can and needs to be shared.
A poor communication regimen is a formula for underperformance or even failure.
If you are a CEO, you need to be a great communicator as well as create a culture of Communication. I suggest the following 8 Point cadence, at a minimum, if you are an early or growth stage tech company:
Weekly Senior Management Team Meetings- without fail, no matter where the team may be
Weekly Departmental/Team Meetings
If faced with a challenging project or crisis, Daily Start of Day Standup Meetings with the key Team Players
Quarterly Company Performance Meetings with Staff Achievement and Recognition
Annual Company-Wide Business Plan Presentation Meeting
Daily Walk-the-Halls/Make-the-calls with Staff ad-hoc Communications
If the team has several offices, an open video cam and HDTV in a common high traffic area will allow for “thru-the-window” ad-hoc communication between offices.(Video conference gear set up only in a conference room ultimately inhibits frequent and regular communication)
Business Social Networking tools such as Yammer, JIVE, Chatter, etc. provide another embraceable conduit.
A vital attribute of a successful innovator and leader is not only creating a vision for the company but equally as important, the ability to communicate that vision effectively, to drive the collective energy and efforts of the organization to achieve extraordinary success. Successful communication of a company’s mission and vision does not happen after one ‘mountain-top’ talk or periodic speeches. It comes from a cadences of regular, informative, strategic and tactical communication forums. The objective of a healthy communication strategy is to perpetuate an entire organization with an understanding of:
who they are,
what they are trying to achieve,
how they are going to try to achieve it and
where they are in that process
It means understanding not only, mission, vision and values but the company’s financial goals, objectives and current status…or simply put, just how well the company is doing.
In my travels I have encountered CEO/entrepreneurs who chose not to share much of the above. Further, they are reticent to share financial information. Their rationalization is typically, why does the staff need to know the company’s financial position or how well or poorly the company is doing. They note at times that the staff lack the acumen to understand seemingly foreign concepts like EBITDA, deferred revenue, etc. All can and needs to be shared.
A poor communication regimen is a formula for underperformance or even failure.
If you are a CEO, you need to be a great communicator as well as create a culture of Communication. I suggest the following 8 Point cadence, at a minimum, if you are an early or growth stage tech company:
Weekly Senior Management Team Meetings- without fail, no matter where the team may be
Weekly Departmental/Team Meetings
If faced with a challenging project or crisis, Daily Start of Day Standup Meetings with the key Team Players
Quarterly Company Performance Meetings with Staff Achievement and Recognition
Annual Company-Wide Business Plan Presentation Meeting
Daily Walk-the-Halls/Make-the-calls with Staff ad-hoc Communications
If the team has several offices, an open video cam and HDTV in a common high traffic area will allow for “thru-the-window” ad-hoc communication between offices.(Video conference gear set up only in a conference room ultimately inhibits frequent and regular communication)
Business Social Networking tools such as Yammer, JIVE, Chatter, etc. provide another embraceable conduit.
No matter what, pull out the proverbial soap box, turn up your listening ear and as CEO….Communicate.
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