Every business or strategic plan requires buy-in from relevant stakeholders. Savvy business owners understand that employees are a key stakeholder, and that the success of any future planning depends largely on the proper alignment between those goals and a company’s workforce.
As Funding for Good notes, “Engaging employees who are not in leadership roles can often make the difference between a strategic plan that succeeds and one that flops.”
So how can employees become more engaged in the planning process?
Alignment and understanding of business goals
First of all, your team must thoroughly understand the goals a business strives for. When these goals are clearly communicated, people grasp how alignment and collaboration helps ensure eventual success. Effective communications makes all the difference! As the time for new planning begins, consider the different ways in which to ensure that employees know what’s happening.
Request employee feedback
How well do you understand your employees’ sentiments and thoughts about the business? Chances are that their insights might surprise you—and offer intriguing options for business success. But first, you must ask.
Entrepreneur suggests asking each employee to “identify the three things they think are working best and the three things that are least effective in your business.” From there, it’s useful to brainstorm with them “to figure out how your company can do more of what’s working, and fix—or simply stop doing—what’s not serving your business.”
Conduct a survey
What’s the best method for soliciting employee feedback? Surveys are a popular choice, since they reaffirm the CEO or business owner’s intention to consider what employees have to say. In some cases, an anonymous survey is the best option, since this often encourages more honest feedback.
Offer “strategic plan training”
Employees don’t regularly engage in business planning, so it may be a good idea to offer training on this activity. Consider ways to host training sessions that “help employees enhance their strategic thinking skills,” suggests Spider Strategies. This training can result in more confidence among employees to become engaged in the process, “and also serves as a great opportunity to keep them informed of new developments on the leadership side.”
Host a focus group
Much as consumers are brought together to discuss and debate a new product, employers can host a focus group devoted exclusively to strategic planning. If this sounds viable, look at ways to make clear to employees that this isn’t just another “chore” to get through, but rather a way for them to speak up about what’s working and what isn’t within the organization. As noted before, their answers might surprise you.
Communicate!
Letting employees in on the business planning process offers many potential benefits. Primarily, it addresses the common complaint that “employees don’t know or care much about strategic planning because they’re either unaware of the objectives or staff members aren’t kept up to speed on how the objectives are going,” notes Forbes.
In a carefully crafted message (distributed via email or during a companywide meeting), alert employees to the start of the planning process. Let them know how they can get involved, and why it’s important for them to participate. The more you communicate, the greater the likelihood that people will get on board.
Now is a good time to leverage the skills and insights your employees have about the business. After all, they are among your company’s best assets, and they want to help foster success for years to come.
Want to learn more about strategic planning? Download our free TAB whitepaper, “A Four-Step Guide to Strategic Planning for Business Owners.”
