Time to Escape the Boardroom

As the boss have you fallen into the habit of being in your office all the time? When was the last time you went to talk to the troops – if it wasn’t this week then that’s too long!

It’s time to ‘walk the talk’. I’m sure that you have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and how you are going to get there, but do your team? You’ve written to your teams, briefed managers, sent emails etc. but do your team really know what is expected of them or have they just forgotten as they get distracted with other  things?

Having told them have you checked that they understand – did you let them ask questions and then answer them fully? Have you painted the pictures; explained what your vision means to them and why it’s important the WIIFM (What’s in it for me) factor?

Words are but one part of your communication / leadership strategy to get them ‘on-board’. Sadly this is where too many CEO’s, MDs and owners stop. They think that their job is done. A one-time communication. But it’s not.

You need to ‘walk the talk’. Those world class leaders do it all the time, very little time is spent behind their desks the majority is out on the shop floor. They visit employees, customers, suppliers; they ask, they listen they paint the picture, they reinforce the message, they demonstrate through their actions.

They continually adjust and tweak strategy and tactics to make sure that the right messages get through the noise to everyone that matters; customers, staff and suppliers. They take time to engage the media, stakeholders and influencers so that the message is consistent. They demonstrate that they listen by making adjustments if necessary, but just listening and acknowledging another’s viewpoint is quite often enough. They can correct inaccuracies, misconceptions, change perceptions and kill gossip.

I can hear you saying you don’t have time but you do and your business will benefit hugely form walking the talk. If you are daunted by walking the talk - don’t be – take someone with you the first few times. They can even help by making notes of actions to improve the business. Go on try it – you’ll be amazed at what you learn and how you can make improvements quickly that will add to your bottom line.