Communication and Focus in Business
Brian Siegel
Capstone, Daewoo
HBR Charting Your Company's Future
Conveying a Vision, Communication, and Focus
Is it as simple as FOCUS?
"Keep it simple stupid" arrives in my thoughts as I read this article. We need clear, concise, focused, and meaningful communication rather than superfluous fluff. We all know, I hope, we want to build revenue, increase profit, and cut costs. We’re aware that corporate headquarters and executives want to relay a vision, build the company, and monitor progress. Bombardment of information can paralyze your people, and cause nostalgia. You want your employees and company invigorated, inspired, and motivated.
Taking a true and honest look at yourself, let alone your company can be quite a challenge. So, to improve focus, a chart, yes, a chart, believe it or not (irony: a chart to improve less chart line boredom) has been proposed by this article. Focus, divergence, compelling tag line, and visual awakening are the drivers for this deep honest look. Breaking down company’s goals, then questioning the masses can sure allow for various interpretations. You want your company and your teams to be on the same page. If you have clear, concise, and focused internal communication, this vision will have a greater chance at success. Like a painting on canvas, you want strong colors, meaningful shapes, and leave with a clear impression of what this painting is saying. All to often, the top down communication gets dissolved through senior executives, middle managers, and so on. You want your outline, values, and slogans to all represent your key goals. The more simple, specific, and focused you are, the more your vision will be remembered. The more it's remembered, the more consistent it will be acted upon.
A "wake up call" occurs when you don't stand where you think you are standing, and change is necessary. It is natural human nature to resist change, and make difficult decisions. Noticing where one truly stands, allows for real focus on where one truly needs to change. If you can't even see where you need to change, and are not open and available for change, you are most certainly doomed before you get out of the gate. Visual awakening, exploration, strategy fair, and communication are the "outline for success" proposed by this article. Get in the field, talk with consumers, speak candidly with your employees and you can get a good start to where adjustments should be addressed.
Observe your people, listen to your customers, and reach out to others for evaluation of yourself as well. What you thought was your key strength, could in reality be your biggest obstacle to success. For example, the company addressed in the article (EFS) was dedicating large amounts of time to customer relationship building, yet the consumers wanted nothing more than their transaction and then be done. Customer service is great, so is attention, but it's not the amount of time you are dedicating, it's how you are dedicating it, and what the consumer wants. We all are subject to corporate buzzwords and slogans, but as long as they're in line with where we want to go, let 'em rip! Keep the mission clear, and where you want to go transparent with proper support. This includes simple internal marketing, and creative connecting tools so your teams are reminded of where you want to go. Proper imagery, infrastructure, and focus will allow for you to flourish further with your business.
Capstone, Daewoo
HBR Charting Your Company's Future
Conveying a Vision, Communication, and Focus
Is it as simple as FOCUS?
"Keep it simple stupid" arrives in my thoughts as I read this article. We need clear, concise, focused, and meaningful communication rather than superfluous fluff. We all know, I hope, we want to build revenue, increase profit, and cut costs. We’re aware that corporate headquarters and executives want to relay a vision, build the company, and monitor progress. Bombardment of information can paralyze your people, and cause nostalgia. You want your employees and company invigorated, inspired, and motivated.
Taking a true and honest look at yourself, let alone your company can be quite a challenge. So, to improve focus, a chart, yes, a chart, believe it or not (irony: a chart to improve less chart line boredom) has been proposed by this article. Focus, divergence, compelling tag line, and visual awakening are the drivers for this deep honest look. Breaking down company’s goals, then questioning the masses can sure allow for various interpretations. You want your company and your teams to be on the same page. If you have clear, concise, and focused internal communication, this vision will have a greater chance at success. Like a painting on canvas, you want strong colors, meaningful shapes, and leave with a clear impression of what this painting is saying. All to often, the top down communication gets dissolved through senior executives, middle managers, and so on. You want your outline, values, and slogans to all represent your key goals. The more simple, specific, and focused you are, the more your vision will be remembered. The more it's remembered, the more consistent it will be acted upon.
A "wake up call" occurs when you don't stand where you think you are standing, and change is necessary. It is natural human nature to resist change, and make difficult decisions. Noticing where one truly stands, allows for real focus on where one truly needs to change. If you can't even see where you need to change, and are not open and available for change, you are most certainly doomed before you get out of the gate. Visual awakening, exploration, strategy fair, and communication are the "outline for success" proposed by this article. Get in the field, talk with consumers, speak candidly with your employees and you can get a good start to where adjustments should be addressed.
Observe your people, listen to your customers, and reach out to others for evaluation of yourself as well. What you thought was your key strength, could in reality be your biggest obstacle to success. For example, the company addressed in the article (EFS) was dedicating large amounts of time to customer relationship building, yet the consumers wanted nothing more than their transaction and then be done. Customer service is great, so is attention, but it's not the amount of time you are dedicating, it's how you are dedicating it, and what the consumer wants. We all are subject to corporate buzzwords and slogans, but as long as they're in line with where we want to go, let 'em rip! Keep the mission clear, and where you want to go transparent with proper support. This includes simple internal marketing, and creative connecting tools so your teams are reminded of where you want to go. Proper imagery, infrastructure, and focus will allow for you to flourish further with your business.
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