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Communicating about the organisation’s strategy is one of the jobs of the CEO, and it is an important one. After all, clearly defining the direction of an organisation and why is at the heart of a leader’s role.
The CEO’s job of communicating strategy should not be all focused on external messaging. Leaders should establish their communications platform around a strategy architecture that keeps messaging on point, helping focus strategy execution and strengthen organisational culture by aligning employees behind the corporate strategic mission, goals and core values. |
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Information malnourishment
Employees are often starved of adequate information related to strategy. Quite often, employees one or two levels down from the CEO have little knowledge about the strategy or what they can do to help with its successful execution.
“We are going in this direction and not that one.”
“This is our purpose, not that.”
These simple statements from a leader help define a company’s identity, direction and purpose. Yet communications related to strategy are too often masked in vague terms or shrouded in secrecy. Crisp communication about strategy from business leaders brings clarity to the minds of employees, customers and shareholders.
Communicate the strategic architecture
The CEO must be the person to champion the communications initiative surrounding strategy. The channels used to communicate are less important here than the content delivered.
Think about corporate strategy as having an architecture that starts with organisational core values as the foundation. The pillars of the architecture are the key outcomes the strategy seeks to accomplish. Holding the pillars in place is the mission of the organisation, capped with the vision. This architecture should be the basis of strategy communications, touching on each element at every communication opportunity.
Usage of the strategy architecture in communications will help structure a more meaningful message and tie the components of the strategic plan together for employees to understand, emotionally connect with and act upon to execute.
Let’s now examine each part of the architecture in more detail and look at some examples.
Read the full article >>
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