As I write this, we’re approaching the end of another year, and many a manager—junior, mid-level or senior—is already thinking deeply about desired departmental or company objectives for next year and how to get everyone on board to accomplish them.
Teams win when all the players pull together towards a common objective, not when the leader autonomously sets the goals and dictates how they are to be achieved. One great time to get everyone on board is when you are setting your plans for next year. Here’s a suggested approach.
Hold a planning meeting, or retreat, involving everyone—not just you and your top lieutenants, but everyone. Announce it well in advance and give people time to prepare, as well as guidance on how to prepare. You might, for example, ask them to consider their major concerns about going into the next twelve months. Tell them to write their concerns down, one concern to one sheet of paper, and bring them to the event. They don’t put their names on the papers.
At the start of the meeting, all the papers (including three from you) go into a box for random drawing. Depending on the size of the group, you can use the box in one of two ways.
Let’s look at small groups first. Each person draws a random sheet from the box and considers the issue described on it. Then invite volunteers to start the discussion on that particular topic. Your job at this point is to facilitate the discussion and elicit as much information from as many people as possible. It is not to impose your views on the group. On some issues, in fact, it may be best if you don’t speak at all.
If the group is a large one, you begin by dividing into sub-groups, each group taking one issue for discussion. The objective is to find out how much concern there is on the various issues and identify common topics for discussion. Then the group as a whole will follow the same process as with a smaller group.
This process can, and often will, result in heated discussions. There’s nothing wrong with that, and you need to trust the process and your people.
This is quite a challenging process to lead, but the advantages are great:
1. Great ideas invariably come from unexpected sources. People who have never been consulted before suddenly find themselves listened to with respect and interest, and can be encouraged—and perhaps even inspired—to contribute in ways larger than you ever expected.
2. The plans that result will have been formulated by the team, with everyone taking part. They will, therefore, “own” and understand the reasoning behind the plans. They are likely to work harder to achieve objectives to which they have committed after genuine exploration and contribution. And when things go off track, everyone will be better equipped to help make course corrections.
The social climate of today, including that of the workplace, is one in which individuals demand input. The good news is that when that demand is met, the people feel valued, the team functions smoothly and the organization benefits fully from the brain power it employs. Everybody wins.
More more ideas on communication at work, visit http://www.mhwcom.com
