Featured on Forbes Expert Panel:
In any business, it’s important for leaders and employees alike to understand the vision behind the company. Clearly communicating this vision, as well as the goals necessary to achieve that vision, ensures the entire team is on the same page and well-equipped to support the organization’s mission.
Of course, this task is often easier said than done. To help, 15 members of Forbes Business Council offer their insights on how to best approach communicating the vision and goals of a company with employees.
1. Be Clear, Concise And Consistent
The best way to approach communicating the vision and goals of a company with employees is to be clear, concise and consistent. This can help employees to understand their role and how their work contributes to the company’s success, leading to better performance and success. – Jason Saltzman, Relief
2. Collaborate With The Leadership Team
There are multiple ways to communicate the vision and goals. Getting buy-in from the whole team is another thing altogether. We ask our leadership team to participate in setting our annual goals. This drives alignment throughout the company and allows everyone to feel ownership, versus forcing compliance with a top-down goal. – Austin Speck, Titan Brands
3. Inspire Employees To Be Part Of The Vision
The best way to approach communicating the vision and goals of the company with employees is to ensure that communication is clear, consistent and simple enough for every level of the workforce to comprehend. Most importantly, inspire employees enough for them to want to be part of the vision, as this will help to create a sense of ownership of the desired outcome. – Taopheek Babayeju, iCentra
4. Emphasize The Personal And Business Impact
Employers should emphasize how each employee’s dedication will lead to personal growth while also contributing to the greater objectives of the business. Our company goals at VezTek give a road map to each employee of their specific roles and responsibilities. I’ve noticed higher levels of motivation among our colleagues when they know their day-to-day duties contribute to the company’s broader objectives – Sani Abdul-Jabbar, VezTek USA
5. Have Discussions Throughout The Year
Our branding guide contains specific details regarding our company culture, mission, value proposition, brand, audience and client experience. This is shared with every member of the team and discussed throughout the year. – Louis Bernardi, BritePath
6. Answer Your Team’s Questions
At Andes STR, we make sure our strategy and vision are shared every week in our recurring meetings. It takes one minute and aligns everyone. As CEO, I also take the time every month to not only reiterate this, but also to answer any questions and explain the rationale behind our strategy, vision and current goals. There’s no better way to get buy-in than ensuring others understand why we do what we do. – Sebastian Rivas, Andes STR
7. Explain Goals As A Team
Goals are at the center of organizational performance management. Goals sometimes are seen as top down, which leads employees to consider having to react to them. Instead, goals should be seen as a way for employees to calibrate their contributions to the firm. At Equum, goals are explained together as a team—starting with those that help us grow, but also including those that help enrich the employee experience – Corey Scurlock, Equum Medical
8. Be Transparent And Accountable
The best approach is rooted in transparency and accountability, with company-wide sharing of enterprise goals followed by monthly “all hands” business updates. Goals are built on a 10-month operating plan to remain nimble and responsive. Weekly assessments with senior leaders and monthly operating reviews ensure agility and business resilience. – Karthik Ganesh, EmpiRx Health
9. Highlight Each Employee’s Role In The Process
Teams follow company goals when they have specific goals assigned to each other. The contribution of each team member makes company goals possible and achievable. Make sure your team understands where the company is going by understanding their role in the process and overall results. – Ihor Bauman, Workee
10. Develop And Reassess Goals Together
Developing goals together and regularly reassessing those goals collaboratively are key to employees “buying in” to your company’s vision. Ensure your team lands collectively on tangible deliverables, from sustainability initiatives and capital raises to better breakroom conditions. A sense of onus and a demonstrable voice in the workspace increase retention, client happiness and the bottom line. – Chris Gerlach, Synergy Life Science
11. Bring Together The Vision, The Goals And The People
Don’t set your vision and your company will drift. Don’t set goals and your company will stagnate. Don’t unify your team and your company will fragment or fracture. Successful companies know that by bringing employees and customers into the process of articulating a vision jointly and defining goals together, they can truly thrive and make a lasting difference. – Bruno Gralpois, Agency Mania Solutions
12. Appeal To The Senses
Humans are visual creatures. With strong branding, you can transform your employees’ work environment into a place that silently communicates your vision and goals for the company without you even having to say anything. For an example of this, look at the campuses of Apple, Google or Zappo. Appeal to the five senses and you’ve got ’em. – Tevin Jackson, Stellar Service Group
13. Communicate Top-Down Decisions
Communication is key in our company. For any top-down step or decision—no matter if it is a business model, manufacturing or just changing company forms—we don’t just communicate immediately to all company staff, but we take their opinions if they would do it differently. Many times, there was an “aha” moment when a better idea came from an employee. – Rotem Eylor, Republic Floor
14. Listen To Employee Input
We’ve found the most effective way to get our employees on board with our goals is to involve them in the process. Ask them what goals they want to accomplish for themselves and also what goals they think the company should focus on. When they give input, listen, consider it and make sure they understand that you want to see them reach their goals. Employees value a company that values them. – Chris Clear, Clear Storage Group, LLC
15. Tie Every Role And Process To The Vision
The best approach to communicating the vision and goals with the team is to include them as part of everything within the company. By tying every role and process back to the vision and goals, every employee will see how their role fits within the vision and goals of the whole company. When employees see how their role fits within the vision, they are more likely to truly share in the vision. – Matthew Davis, GDI Insurance Agency, Inc.
