How you can create a line of sight on your workers
To fuel engagement, you will help employees personalize their strategy and understand how it fits in with it.
I have previously written about research from a variety of sources that suggests that employees do not understand overall company strategy. In other words, they don't understand how to fit in. And that's a missed opportunity.
This "fit" is often referred to as the line of sight. Simply put, line of sight means that employees can see the connection between their goals and the goals of the company.
There are many benefits – to ensuring that employees are doing the best they can to achieve company goals and that they know the work they are doing is important. Employees want to know that they are contributing to the bigger picture, which encourages engagement.
Create a line of sight to help employees articulate how to fit in
The goal is for employees to be able to articulate how they fit in. Note that the point is not believing that they know, but rather that they can talk about the contributions they make. Sometimes “speaking can be cheap”, but this time “speaking” – and the thought process that goes with it – can lead to an improvement in focus and performance.
To get there, employees need to understand how they contribute to the success of the company. First, they need a basic understanding of what is important to the organization, including:
- The vision and mission of the organization
- His strategy
- The overall goals of the organization
- Most important are the overall goals of your team
I often tell the story of two layers of brick who worked hard. When asked what they were doing, the first layer of brick said, "I'm building a wall." When the other was asked, he said, "I'm building a castle."
Employees need to know both their wall and their castle:
- What they do (that's the wall)
- How they contribute (this is their castle)
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Make this the topic of your next staff meeting
How would your employees answer these questions? Try this exercise at your next staff meeting: Tell your staff that you want to make sure everyone understands the valuable role they play in the success of your company. After all, your team rocks!
Here are your 6 steps to success:
- Challenge your employees Think about what they are doing and how they are contributing in the context of your team's goals as well as the overall strategy of the company.
- Tell them why This exercise is important.
- Role model through sharing Your answers – run with your brilliance and inspiration!
- Ask your employees write down their answers.
- Let everyone share one by one what they came up with. Promise thunderous applause!
- Give feedback after everyone has switched on what works (celebrate!) and what can be better about how a peer articulates how he or she fits in.
Many employees probably only see their tasks and not the big picture of how they are contributing to it. You may also find that your team needs to better understand the company's goals and strategies. Or there is no clarity about your team's priorities.
Regardless of the findings, you've started an important discussion that you can continue regularly and form the basis for many celebrations in the future. And which team can't celebrate more?
When do you plan to talk to your employees about how they fit in?
– David Grossman
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