Secret to Sustainable Growth: a Benchmark for Decision Making!
We’re already in the second quarter and it’s important to check in with your team on goals, strategies and market messaging.Are your value proposition-anchored messages resonating with each of your target customers?
Are those messages actually “value-anchored:” speaking to the specific value of your product/service for each of your target customers?
Are you actively researching the answer to that question?
If you are, are you feeding those learnings back to the team (and appropriate leadership)?
Is the team aligned on those messages and do they have clarity from leadership on benchmarks for decision making?
Lot’s of questions here - and the answers matter.Alignment Ensures Sustainable Growth
We often get busy on the chatter inside a company, be it consideration of new innovative ideas, or maybe - recently - about how to incorporate generative AI into operations, or directing attention to onboarding new hires, or maybe it’s an office move. Whatever the latest focus is, it can derail growth efforts while you’re in the “swirl.”
As a leader, it’s time to highlight your company roadmap and ensure everyone is on the same path. And while you might be pivoting or relaunching in 6 months on something new, and that’s all very exciting for the team, you’re also simultaneously needing to execute on achievement markers against the current company plan - likely up until that point of change. So, first ensure there’s clarity on what the market should be hearing about your company now and at the same time ready your new announcement by first gaining understanding from the team. Team communication is mission critical. Communicate effectively. Create space for understanding. And, demonstrate how much company leadership values that alignment. Repeat.
There’s an overwhelming amount of workshops, research, and advice on the importance of aligning your team. Here’s how to simplify it.
Many companies are not communicating enough internally. There are companies trying to find the magic loop that allows work-from-home to function in a perfect, concentric circle - harmony, whole, and in-sync. The reality is that while many employees have their marching orders and are achieving them, they are just not performing toward that idealistic vision. Understanding the totality of a company’s why and what a mission-driven organization is impacting, adds to that team drive and allows employees to feel a part of the “something bigger” in the organization. Time and time again we hear the stories of those organizations — that are doing just that — being big winners. Why? Because the whole company actually cares about success and since they have clarity on the vision, they also have an appropriate benchmark for daily decision making.
What does a benchmark for decision making mean in the context of aligning employees on company goals, strategies, and messaging?
It means, for instance, that in addition to leadership, the mid-level employees have guidance on making daily decisions at work. One day, when a chief officer asks ‘why was this decision made,’ that person can confidently answer, ‘my understanding was that our goals are these (based on last quarter’s communication) and our road to meet those goals (our strategies) are these, so I made this decision so that we wouldn’t be off track on the company roadmap’. “Oh, and I said this because it’s part of our approved messaging!” It’s hard to argue with those answers in most situations and they’re more often than not driving successful results. Conversely, if the roadmap had changed and that CO didn’t communicate it, well, guess where ‘fault’ lies - you guessed it, leadership. So, if it’s simply assumed those same mid-level managers have all of that information, but in reality, no communications - in-person or virtual - had informed them, let alone given them the ‘company why’ that they’re meant to be behind in full force - it’s doubtful we’ll see successful quarterly activations in an employee-uninformed scenario.
A benchmark for decision making is only present when the clarity around mission, goals, strategies, messaging are:
1.) Established and written
2.) Agreed upon by leadership
3.) Appropriately communicated to company employees (and repeated a few times each year and as there are changes)
4.) All of that is reviewed by leadership and updated with any in-market learnings and/or research, quarterly.
Communication doesn’t mean 47 people from a team on a video call; it could be as simple as a one-pager or a self-recorded video from leadership with an overview of the company’s mission, topline goals, strategies, and value-proposition-based messaging (or you could always use Cornerpiece® to do just that as an app for everyone to access!).
Also, set up an easy communication system so that leadership can listen and distill what employees are hearing in the marketplace from current and potential customers and partners. These learnings inform any changes in strategy and allow companies to adjust messaging for everyone impacted! Give it a try — test how this unification empowers the team and provides that benchmark for all.
Or, simply contact EnticEdge and with the 13-week Cornerpiece® https://www.enticedge.com/cornerpiece, we’ll do all of this work collaboratively with you, so that you’re easily all set and ready to roll. Plus, once it’s ready, you will have an agreed-upon company Cornerpiece®️ to then further leverage in digital marketing activations, within your presentations, and when using generative AI.
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Learn more about team alignment, and get started on your own benchmark for decision making with Cornerpiece®.
About EnticEdge:
EnticEdge works with mission-driven, innovative companies seeking to improve quality of life. Our mission is to leave the world a healthier, happier place by advancing the mission-driven growth of companies in health, education, and sustainability.
We were founded on the belief that growth strategy and marketing should never live in silos. Our team works in a constant feedback loop between your strategic vision and digital marketing, to ensure that you’re always driving towards sustainable growth.
