Today, a good friend gave me a phone call that reinforced the importance of communication within an organization. To understand this story fully, you'll need a little background:
'John' is a high-level executive with an insurance company. He has more than 25 years experience and is highly regarded. He currently oversees a multi-state region. John has a wonderful wife, super kids, a great job, lots of friends, and financial security. Pretty nice picture, huh?
Well, several times a week for the past year, John and I have had what I like to call 'conversational re-runs,' in which he talks and I listen. As his company is going through a re-structuring, memos from the home office reach his desk every day-with each one seeming to hit one of his hot buttons.
According to John, this restructuring will sink the company. The president was steering the organization in the wrong direction. None of the corporate administrators have any idea of what they're doing. His boss doesn't seem willing to take any action. John's staff would quit in unison if they ever found out what the company was up to.
John had fallen into the depths of despair and depression. He feared for his own financial security. He was angry that the company's new direction would undo overnight what he had spent years to nurture and develop. He became alternatively timid and angry with his staff, and didn't dare let anything slip to them. Everyone was walking on eggshells.
Each conversation we had seemed to rehash all of this and would end with his comment that within the year he could take early retirement. Meanwhile- surprise! -- his region's productivity kept dropping. Both John and his staff began experiencing health problems. Discord was even beginning to surface within his family.
Well, today John called during a break from meetings he was attending at the home office. Somewhat reluctantly, I proffered the dreaded question, 'How's everything going? 'Absolutely great!' he replied. Stunned, I said, 'Could you repeat that?' 'Sure.' said John. 'Everything is absolutely great. Things couldn't be better!'
He went on to explain that the president of the company had given a speech painting his grand vision of the organization's future, how all the pieces would come together to accomplish this goal. The president painted a picture of what the future would hold for all of them. He explained how seemingly unconnected, and sometimes misunderstood, actions were individual steps on the road that the company was travelling to its final destination.
The president is definitely not known for motivational speeches. In fact, he's rather quiet and introverted. But the unveiling of his vision immediately pulled John (and probably others) out of despair and onto the rosy path of hopeful anticipation.
A happy ending? Not really! Granted, things are better than they were, but they're nowhere near what they could have been. How much has been lost over the past 12 months because no one shared the grand vision at the beginning? How much new business was never written? How much old business was lost to the competition? How many good employees left to get away from the insanity? How many productive worker-hours were lost due to disconsolate phone calls, general lassitude, and sick days?
Leaders-principals and CEOs-tend to be visionaries whose visions lead the business into new territory. However, those same visions can destroy an organization if they're kept too close to the vest. Every business must realize and accept that its employees have the same vested interest in the future of the company as the firm itself.
Share the vision! Believe me, employees will do a far better job on a project presented as contributing to the firm's future than they would if they simply viewed the project as a task required by someone up above.
Whether company, brokerage or agency, the same rules apply: Keep those lines of communication open and flowing-not just on the operational stuff, but on the big picture. Share the hopes, the dreams and the vision. Share the achievements along the way. Make your employees feel that they are an integral part of the emerging picture. Bring them into the planning process and hold them accountable for their roles. They want that accountability. They want to envision the dream with you.