Archives July 2023

Case Study: Enhancing Business Results Through Improved Communications

StevenArmstrong.ca recently partnered with the HR team of a US-based regional financial services company that was challenged in connecting its dispersed employees across several States. The company was expecting massive growth over the coming years and needed to remedy its internal communications problems as soon as possible before it undermined its growth aspirations.

Challenges

The company needed a large-scale communications process.

There needed to be a process or structure in place to connect all team members. Even before the pandemic, communications were limited to local teams, posing significant challenges in disseminating information and collaborating meaningfully across groups.

A recent series of changes exacerbated the communications challenges.

Several changes – including redundancies, leadership changes and introducing of a new Performance Management system – meant that individuals had withdrawn into siloes.

The pandemic caused more significant disruption. At the time, the company needed more processes or systems to allow for large-scale, virtual communications and individuals became completely isolated from their team members and the company leadership.

Solutions

Steve assessed the challenges while connecting the teams using online and one-on-one interviews.

Sample Team Assessment Report (Amend)

StevenArmstrong.ca facilitated workshops virtually to bring teams together, learn about their challenges and collaboratively construct new communications systems that would solve the specific challenges identified by the HR team. These workshops brought together departments and levels that didn’t normally interact, allowing novel discussions and ideas to emerge.

 

Building a communications system

We analyzed workshop outputs to develop communication systems for the client. This included creating an agenda that addressed their identified challenges, increasing their connection to the solution, and encouraging attendance and participation in the new approach. Individuals were recognized for key roles, and then training was delivered to ensure they were appropriately prepared to foster open, transparent discussions during meetings.

Coaching the company to success

Once the communications systems were in place, StevenArmstrong.ca remained with the company to monitor meetings, identify potential areas of improvement, and coach individuals.

Impact

Teams were better able to connect.

At the end of the engagement survey, 92% of respondents said they learned information now that they wouldn’t have known before the new communications process was implemented, and 60% said they had connected with people they would never have met otherwise.

Senior leaders were better able to disseminate messaging.

Employees no longer felt isolated from leadership and were more informed on the business context, changes and performance management expectations that would help them thrive in their roles.

The rest of the company has recognized the divisions we worked with for their innovation.

Following our work, the HR team has been recognized for innovating and enhancing operations, particularly performance management.

Other divisions are now attempting to replicate the work, and StevenArmstrong.ca is working with Company directors to improve operations through better communications.

7 Check Up Questions To Diagnose Your Team

It’s straightforward being on a sports team. You know what your position is. You know what is expected. You know who’s with you and who’s against you.

The rules are clear.

In organizations, things are more ambiguous. Often, you’re not entirely clear about your role, the expectations placed on you, the expectations of others, the rules, and what success looks like.

Let me offer a model to check the health of your team and make things clear.

Each section considers the people you serve and those you work with.

Vision

Often “teams” are a loose collection of people who happen to work on the same project and often appear more like a conglomerate and less like a single unit.

Simon Sinek would ask, ‘Why.’

In other words, what are we all working to achieve?

If there’s no shared vision, is this even a team?

Two questions you might wrestle with:

Who are we helping?

To successfully serve, you need to know who it is you serve. Savvy marketers create avatars of their ideal customers to make them real.

Who is your team serving?

What dent are we making?

If you get away from the inbox and your calendar for a moment, what is your team to achieve?

What will be different if your team is successful in all they do?

If that’s unclear or just a little bit “meh,” then perhaps there’s work to be done to get clear on the Why.

Read more about the importance of clear missions.

Communications

What’s the data?

Communication has two parts: the data (the facts) and the judgments (our opinions about the facts).

What’s interesting is just how easily we slip from one to the other or how quickly judgments come to resemble facts.

As you make decisions as a team, ask yourselves, “What do we know to be true?”

What do you want?

An essential element of leading teams is understanding wants and needs.

If you find yourself at odds with someone on your team, one of the most powerful things you can do is ask them what they want and share what you need.

First, it’s shocking how hard it can be to articulate what you want.

Second, it’s shocking how quickly that knowledge can clear away what’s superficial and focus the conversation on what matters.

Read about communicating

Connection

Who matters?

You can’t treat everyone as if they were equally important to the team’s goals and ambitions.

Within your stakeholders, who’s on the A-List? If you could have only five names, who would they be?

I bet that you’re probably underserving your ‘A-List.’ How could you give them the support and service that they deserve?

Who is on the B-List? You are probably over-serving these stakeholders.

How can you scale back here, so you can direct more time and effort to your A-List?

Accountability

What’s the promise we’re making, and to whom?

Our very first question was, “Who are we helping?”

Now ask, “What’s the promise we’re making to them, and how are we doing delivering on that promise?”

Where are the soft spots?

Where do you need to lift your game?

How can I help?

Ironically one of the ways we break promises is that we over-deliver.

We think we know what’s wanted, so rather than check it out and get clear, we leap in and start doing stuff.

Before you rush in, slow down and clarify how they think you can help them. Ask, “What do you need from me?”

 

Final Thoughts

Here is your four-point health check for your team.

The questions may not always be easy to answer, but the answers are vital to your success.

Get clear on the questions, and you will raise your team’s impact, happiness and focus.

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