It’s essential that leaders have a vision. I’m referring to that aspirational goal they want their team to achieve whether it’s three years away or three months. We usually talk about vision in terms of years but in times of uncertainty and crisis—like we find ourselves in now—the vision may be the destination that guides our work through the pandemic.
And it’s vital that we do a great job communicating our vision. The more clearly the people around us understand the vision, the better they are at aligning their work to achieve it. By the way, research shows that if people understand and are bought-in to the vision for their organization, they are more engaged, perform better and get stronger results.
A Sound Communications Plan Is Vital
This is where a sound communications plan comes in. You will get the most complete understanding, alignment and engagement if you develop a communications plan that details the classic journalistic five Ws and an H: who, what, when, where, why and how.
- Who you need to communicate to, and what you will say
- When and where you will engage your audience
- How, or said differently, the methods you will use
- And very importantly, why. First, why are you communicating and second, why will your audience care? What’s in it for them?
Check out the communications planning template below that I share with my clients. It guides you through the steps to create a robust, disciplined plan for communicating your vision. It will significantly increase understanding and engagement.
Everyone Needs To Hear The Vision
It’s important for leaders to remember that if we want our vision to be truly understood throughout the organization, it needs to be communicated multiple times to clarify and reinforce the vision and delivered in different formats to address our different styles.
Make the commitment to communicate. Do it in a disciplined way. The results will speak for themselves. Download the template below and use it to plan your next leadership communications.
Credit for this post goes to Larry Shoop