| Would you stop watching a national | | | | ensure consistent and constant execution |
| playoff were the teams were tied before | | | | of your strategic plan demands essential |
| the winner was declared? Would you stop | | | | business communication planning and |
| watching a horse race before the winning | | | | skills. Business communication should |
| horse crossed the finish line? Of | | | | be planned so that your employees are |
| course not! Yet, many business leaders | | | | continually motivated toward achieving |
| expect their employees to continue the | | | | those business goals that you are the |
| game or the race without knowing if and | | | | business leader have established. |
| when the game or race was won, loss or | | | | To what purpose does it serve by not |
| even a near win. | | | | communicating the results of the current |
| After 30 years in business focusing on | | | | team's efforts? Are you afraid that |
| performance improvement, I am still at | | | | someone may say something and reveal |
| a loss when companies do not regularly | | | | proprietary information? As the |
| communicate progress toward the business | | | | business leader, you can share |
| goals as identified within the strategic | | | | information in a general way or use |
| plan especially when these same business | | | | percentages such as: |
| leaders tell me that employee motivation | | | | - This month's sales figures show that |
| is a problem. This attitude and behavior | | | | we are on course with our strategic plan |
| of not communicating business results | | | | and business goals. |
| negatively and directly affects the | | | | - First quarter productivity is 10% |
| performance of all involved and is truly | | | | ahead of our business goals |
| counter productive to achieving the | | | | - Your current efforts have us ahead of |
| desired results. | | | | our strategic projections by 5%. |
| When we look at professional sports, | | | | Top down communication from you, as the |
| everyone usually waits until the game is | | | | business leader, will go a long way to |
| over because they want to know who won | | | | executing your strategic plan and |
| unless the game is a runaway. Even when | | | | motivating your employees. And if you |
| teams are down in the last inning or in | | | | are still resisting this strategy, then |
| the last quarter, faithful fans stay at | | | | turn off the television the next time |
| the arena or tuned into the television | | | | your team is barely winning in the final |
| because one never knows when that grand | | | | minutes. How do you feel not knowing |
| slam or a 80 yard punt return might | | | | what happened? Do you think that your |
| happen. | | | | employees feel any differently? |
| Is your business game any different? To | | | | P.S. |