Listen, Share, Involve & Inspire: 2-way communication with your employees is key

As a CEO or business owner you will understand the immense value in taking the time to articulate your company’s true purpose and establish authentic brand values to share with fellow directors and senior leaders.  While this exercise has immeasurable value in helping to steer strategic direction, the real power of articulating this Brand Essence will only be felt when your authentic identity, purpose and values are openly shared with all staff and customers and embedded throughout all key activities.

A Story
A few years ago I was working with the then CEO and leadership team at Vision Express and distinctly remember the CEO, Bernhard Nuesser, stating his vision. He wanted every customer who walked through the door of any Vision Express store to immediately sense and perceive that Vision Express genuinely cared for them and wanted to help them have the best eyesight possible.

He understood that if Vision Express staff were able to deliver his vision on care and customer service, the customer base would feel a stronger sense of loyalty to the brand. This would not only satisfy short-term sales and profit targets, it would increase the likelihood of repeat sales to returning customers as well as increasing sales because happy customers would become fans of the brand and tell their friends.

In addition to increased customer loyalty Bernhard also realised that a workforce that is on-board with the brand ethos and values and is truly representative of the Brand Essence would be more likely to work harder to achieve the vision and stay with the company for longer.

So the CEO and leadership team understood the essence and values of the brand – their big challenge was to COMMUNICATE.  Without effective communication there was no way that staff were likely to get behind the brand.

3 strategies for effective communication

• Listen.    Your staff know elements of your business better than you do, and can have some excellent ideas.  Staff will also feel far more valued by the company if they are genuinely listened to – and know that they have been heard.  Initiate 2-way communications on a regular basis to give your employees a voice and demonstrate that their input is valued.
• Share.  Discovering the authentic Brand Essence that defines the character and purpose of your company has little value if you don’t openly share it with all stakeholders.  Engage representative members of staff in the Brand Discovery process then make sure that the resulting purpose and values are embedded through every activity including communications, promotions, sales and crucially recruitment. Embedding your brand essence into your recruitment process will ensure that the purpose and values of new employees is in line with your own, which is crucial for employee engagement and retention.

• Involve.  Traditional communication strategies that filter down through levels of management tend to both dilute and distort messages. Each manager will have their own agenda and priorities that will influence their interpretation of your message.  Find ways to strip out tiered communication channels and find ways for all staff members to openly communicate with each other directly.  Encourage employees to feel involved with the bigger picture of brand ethos and direction.
• Inspire.  By listening, sharing and involving staff over key decisions they will feel a sense of real involvement – even ownership of the company.  Combine this with some considered rewards to thank them for achievement and effort – that don’t necessarily need to be linked to pay – and they will be inspired to work harder to achieve the vision.  Rewards could include more flexibility over working hours, edible treats, free refreshments, dress-down days or ‘play’ areas within the workplace where they can go to unwind.

Digital communication is making communication easier, more flexible and more fun.  Have a look at Yammer to see how easy it is to get your teams and colleagues working together over ideas. Pinipa is a great new tool that helps you to include all members of staff to make the change process much more collaborative.

In my opinion Benhard Heusser was probably ahead of his time at Vision Express and spot-on with his philosophy. Unfortunately he decided to leave the company soon afterwards and was replaced by someone who was not as forward-thinking, but believed more in traditional price-based marketing.  From my own recent experience at Vision Express none of Bernard Huesser’s wisdom stuck and, sadly, the company remains attached to traditional values and processes.