Imagine trying to give someone directions without knowing precisely where they are or exactly where they want to go. Impossible, right? You MUST know where you are in order to get to where you want to be. Yet business leaders seem to forget (or ignore) this simple truth when they set goals and metrics for their company without first taking stock of where things currently stand. Worse yet, if leaders don’t have an accurate picture of the business, neither does anyone else. So, now imagine an entire company—from the owners and CEOs to managers and supervisors to sales associates and mill operators—madly scrambling to get from here to there without knowing where either “here” or “there” is.
We’re exhausted just thinking about it.
Now, let’s imagine a different scenario. As a company leader, you’ve taken the time to clearly understand the state of business. You have a strategic roadmap that pinpoints where you want to be, where you are right now, and the best path to get there. You share this information during regular meetings and updates so every employee knows the company’s big-picture goals. They also understand how their individual efforts contribute to business growth and how to gauge success along the way. The team knows which systems and processes are working well and which need to be fine-tuned or overhauled. All in all, your team is motivated, energized, and productive, and business is humming.
Get on track to happily ever after
With our new People Spark® People- and Strategy Roadmap, we aim to turn this dream scenario into a reality. Here are five steps we take to ensure our clients get where they want to be without getting lost along the way.
- We get the lay of the land. Are the company’s mission, values, objectives, and goals clearly defined and articulated across the entire organization? This isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s essential for a business to thrive.
- We assess people strategies. We determine if everyone’s roles and responsibilities are in lockstep with business goals, rather than just job descriptions listing daily tasks.
- We align everything and everyone. Do employees at every level know the direction the business is heading? Are they clear about the actions they must take to get there? Find out by asking, “What’s something you do every day to help our business succeed?” You’ll quickly discover if your intended message is landing with employees.
- We track progress. We always say, “What doesn’t get measured doesn’t get done.” We can’t overstate the importance of making sure everyone on the team understands the metrics for success and has short- and long-term milestones for tracking progress.
- We develop leaders. Skilled leaders ensure the organization is always moving forward, and businesses that aren’t advancing are actually slipping backward. Fortunately, great leaders are made, not born. Investing in your leadership team is a smart, strategic way to stay ahead of the competition.
Our roadmap makes your dream scenario a reality
The upshot of all this deep diving and heavy lifting by the People Spark team? You get a clear roadmap to move your company forward and achieve the business scenario you’ve been dreaming about (you know the one—where your company has well-defined, perfectly aligned roles and responsibilities; clear goals and metrics; and confident, competent leaders). Once we’ve created, delivered, and discussed your strategic plan, we continue to guide you and your team throughout the implementation process so everyone’s onboard, informed, and in sync.
There’s no getting around the fact that running a business means navigating a lot of unknown territory. It’s easy to get frustrated and lost along the way, and it’s tempting to push on, even when you don’t know exactly where you are or where you’re going. A strategic roadmap points the way forward with routes, landmarks, and other cues to help you get from here to there—and beyond.
Ready to get an accurate picture of your business so you can move ahead with insight and confidence? Email Erin today to learn about our new People- and Strategy Roadmap.
