Published: March 17, 2010
Pass It On Down: Five Ways to Keep Frontline People Informed
Strategic Rounding. This tactic is based on a practice from the world of medicine. (Think of a physician making the daily rounds to check on patients.) Essentially, leaders take an hour a day or so to touch base with employees, make a personal connection, find out what is (and isn't) working well, and so forth. Besides being a proven leadership tactic, says Studer, rounding is a great way to keep people up to speed on changes in the organization's "big picture" and to solicit any questions or concerns.
Employee Forums. Hold these company-wide meetings regularly. They are great opportunities to hold financial impact crash courses, to update people on changes in the external environment, and to solicit their feedback and ideas.
Newsletters. These should not be "data downloads" or senior leader photo-ops. Rather, fill them with articles about important external changes and the company's response to them. Really connect the dots for readers. And be sure to include tips on what employees can do personally to make a difference in the company's bottom line.
Communication Boards. Studer recommends putting physical (not just virtual) bulletin boards in a common area that convey an ever-changing "snapshot" of the company's bottom line. Include monthly and year-to-date financial reports as well as how the numbers break down by department. You can also include info about industry changes, new hires, community impact, and so forth.
Standards of Behavior Updates. If you don't know, Standards of Behavior guidelines spell out how employees are to present themselves at work: from phone etiquette, to how to respond to gossip, to key words to use when customers ask tough questions. You may already have a Standards contract in place...but was it written five years ago? Maybe it's no longer relevant. Make sure your Standards reflect your company's reality today. If not, ask employees to rethink and revise them. It's a great way to get people deeply engaged in thinking about the new reality and how they can best respond to it.
About the Author:
Quint Studer not only teaches it, he has done it. After leading organizations to breakthrough results, Quint formed Studer Group®, an outcomes firm that implements evidence-based leadership systems that help clients attain and sustain outstanding results. He was named one of the "Top 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare" by Modern Healthcare magazine for his work on institutional healthcare improvement. Studer was named "Master of Business" by Inc. magazine. He is the author of BusinessWeek bestseller Hardwiring Excellence: Purpose, Worthwhile Work, Making a Difference; 101 Answers to Questions Leaders Ask; Wall Street Journal bestseller Results That Last: Hardwiring Behaviors That Will Take Your Company to the Top; and Straight A Leadership: Alignment, Action, Accountability. For more information, visit www.studergroup.com.
About the Book:
Straight A Leadership: Alignment, Action, Accountability (Fire Starter Publishing, 2009, ISBN: 978-0-9840794-1-4) is available at bookstores nationwide, major online booksellers, and directly from the publisher by calling (866) 354-3473. Copies also can be purchased online through the Studer Group website at www.studergroup.com.
* For more information or an interview with Quint Studer, please contact Dottie DeHart, DeHart & Company Public Relations, at (828) 325-4966.
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