How to Communicate Your Company’s Strategy Effectively

 

Many individuals, including executives and managers responsible for organizational strategy, struggle to recall or articulate their organization's strategic priorities. Studies indicate that only 28% of these leaders can list three strategic priorities. This difficulty is not surprising, as many organizations either lack a clear strategy or find it challenging to communicate effectively.

Organizations often resort to issuing lofty purpose statements, describing broad goals, launching initiatives, or publishing fixed plans rather than clearly communicating their strategies. However, clear communication is crucial for aligning efforts, preventing wasted resources, and avoiding confusion and inertia.

If you're tasked with communicating your organization's strategy, here are five ways to do it clearly:

1. Communicate Comprehensively:

   • Visualize your ambition to spark excitement about future opportunities.
   • Describe the impact of the strategy on customers, stakeholders, and systems.
   • Challenge the status quo to overcome inertia and resistance to change.
   • Instill belief in the organization's capability to achieve the strategy.
   • Focus attention on strategic choices, allowing individuals to align their efforts.

2. Make it Personal:

   • Implement the strategy personally through choices that align with its goals.
   • Describe new activities, capabilities, and behaviors enabling the strategy.
   • Address nostalgia, fears, or frictions holding people back from embracing change.
   • Facilitate upskilling through training programs and mentorship.

3. Match the Message to the Moment:

   • Design communication as a series of engaging and dynamic exercises.
   • Identify critical moments where strategy communication is essential.
   • Emphasize messages relevant to the audience and purpose of each moment.
   • Select tools or assets that suit the people, moment, and message.

4. Empower People Through Transparency:

   • Share as much of the strategy as possible, explaining decisions and uncertainties.
   • Describe how critical decisions contribute to the overall strategy.
   • Communicate progress honestly, acknowledging both successes and challenges.
   • Create open channels for stakeholders to share ideas, challenges, and questions.

5. Repeat, Listen, and Refresh:

   • Map out clear sequences of communications to ensure consistency and clarity.
   • Sustain communication efforts over time to embed new habits and practices.
   • Encourage participation through questions and actively listen to responses.
   • Monitor changes within and outside the organization that may impact the strategy.

By following these actions, organizations can enhance the clarity and quality of their strategy communication, empowering individuals to contribute meaningfully to organizational goals in an ever-changing environment.