In recent weeks I have been asked the question several times, “How do you take your corporate strategic plan and make it actionable for everyone in the organization?”

Great question.  One that all leaders need to think about.  This is a challenge that many leaders do not even recognize is facing them.  Unfortunately, it is also one at which we fail on a regular basis.  Without motivating and mobilizing everyone in the organization in the same direction, you are unlikely to achieve the results you desire.

First, I have to clarify one thing.  The failure to move plans to action is rarely one which applies across the entire organization.  The plan tends to take hold in one form or another in many places.  The problem is that it is rarely a consistently applied and orchestrated effort.  Our direct reports tend to understand the plans we are making and the direction we are taking because in most cases they have been involved in the discussions which have led to the decisions in question.  However, other employees may not.  This is where leaders often fail.  They fail to recognize that they must drive the effort to understand the direction and take action at all levels in the organization.

…most employees do not understand what strategic plans mean in terms of day-to-day actions for them.

The disconnects emerge and get worse the further the employees are removed from that decision-making level.  Unfortunately, the people who will be most critical in accomplishing the tasks you have defined are often those that are furthest from that decision-making level…the shop floor, if you will.  The cascade of information to all levels is generally not managed and monitored well.  The message received at shop floor level is often muddled at best. 

The problem is that leaders often feel that publishing the vision and a few strategies on the corporate website, announcing them in town hall meetings, or hanging posters of them in the lobby is enough.  It isn’t.  You, as the leader, have to understand that many people just will not get it as you intend.  They are not as familiar with the issues facing the organization as you are.  They do not deal with those issues every day so they do not see how those issues evolve, develop and change.  They do not discuss them with experts and colleagues inside and outside the organization to study, dissect and analyze them as you do. 

What they hear from you is the summation of a lot of thinking and analysis.  They hear the end result of all that analysis; they hear a conclusion and do not see all the steps that went into getting to that conclusion; they have not been involved in all the discussions and cannot make the jump from issue to answer.  They do not understand what those strategic plans mean in terms of day-to-day actions for them. 

In motivating a workforce one of the basic elements is clarity.  People are motivated simply by being clear on what is expected of them.  In this case what they want to know is “What does this mean for me?  What is required of me?  What can I do to help?”  They do not have any idea how to take that vision, strategy or plan and put it into practice every day.

I make it a point to conduct regular town hall meetings at every site in my organization.  At those meetings I remind everyone of the direction in which we are going as an organization, and I explain to them what it means.  I tell them what actions we will take to get there.  Most importantly, I tell them what it means that THEY must do every day to contribute to achieving that goal.  I make it a point to put it in terms that are relevant to the tasks they perform every day.  As I walk around the organization I make it a point to talk with the employees at all levels and ask them how are they applying our strategies in their everyday work.  Those discussions always lead to clarifying questions and a better idea of how they can do their jobs in a way that better supports our strategic direction.

As an example, if we are pushing hard on distinguishing ourselves on customer service, I will tell them that this means that they must look at every type of situation in which they come in contact with the customer, get a clear understanding of what the customer needs from them in that situation, and make it a point to meet that need.  In our business it can be something as simple as having a human being answer the call rather than a machine…ensuring that the reports we send arrive on a timely basis…being polite and helpful on the call.

Finally, to ensure that the plans are completely put into action, the direction must be reinforced regularly.  The daily demands in the workplace make it difficult for any of us to keep those priorities clear and actionable.  The cascade of direction and information from the top has to be accompanied by periodic assessment and feedback on how we are doing with it…Where is it working?…Where is it not working?…How do we keep it on track? 

It requires leadership making it important.