3 steps to engage your people with your business strategy

Much is spoken on the subject of being an engaging leader to support you building a magnetic employer brand, but what I am noticing is there is a lack of understanding of what employee engagement actually means.

Engaging your people is in fact about getting them actively involved and connected with the business.

Very often we do not differentiate between consultation and engagement.

Let me give you an example. A professional body I am a member of has recently been developing their new business strategy. One of the people (let's call him Fred) who was part of the working group for the new strategy is also the chair of a regional subgroup I am a member of.

In the spirit of openness and positive intent, Fred sent out a copy of the draft strategy to all members and asked for their feedback.

However when he received the responses, you could tell he had not really wanted feedback. In fact when members provided feedback to him he immediately outlined all the reasons their feedback could not be taken onboard.

The members were left with the impression that they should not have wasted their time reading the document or providing feedback as it clearly was not welcome. They quickly became disengaged in the process and Fred also lost credibility through the process.

This is no different to what goes on inside organisations through the strategic planning process.

Creating a community of people who are fully engaged in their work and who understand how their contribution connects to the bigger picture is a role we all as leaders must embrace if we are looking to create a high performing organisation.

But before you ask your people for feedback on your business strategy, check that this is really what you are looking to achieve.

I definately do not recommend creating a strategy by committee of the whole organisation. However when you develop your business strategy it is wise to seek input from as wide an audience as possible through the research you undertake to underpin your business strategy.

Once the strategy is developed, your role as a leader is then to ensure that your people understand the strategy, connect with the reasons behind your specific strategic imperatives and then are supported as they work how the strategy links with their personal accountabilities, objectives and goals - some of which may need to change or a different emphasis needs to be placed on them given key decisions you have made in the strategic plan.

Here are three steps you can take to bring your business strategy to life and create a more engaged community:

1. Oneway communication or active engagement? Decide what you really want as an outcome. If you want to share information and do not really want input from your people make sure that you are clear in your communication otherwise you will set up false expectations. If you are looking to engage your people in the business strategy, develop a communications and engagement plan to support the roll out of your business strategy.
2. Ready to engage? If you do want to engage your people in the business strategy, create your communications and engagement plan so that you enable all of your people to understand the background to the strategy in terms of the market place and your vision of success. Enable them to engage in the strategy at a team and at an individual level so that they can evaluate their current objectives and goals against the business strategy and then determine what needs to change and by when to ensure that everyones role supports the delivery of the strategy.
3. Communicate the outcomes. After the development of the revised plans by team, share the plans across the organisation alongside the measures for tracking success. This will help other departments understand how the business strategy is being brought to life in each department. It will also help avoid misunderstandings where changes in ways of working or goals have been required to align to the new business strategy.

Taking these three actions after your strategic planning process has been completed will ensure that you bring your strategy to life, create a community engaged in the business and support you building your employer brand.