Elvis Presley wailed out lyrics to this song back in 1972, centuries after Greek philosopher Plato said, “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.” Irrespective of which you agree with, communication is very important for marketing success as noted in previous articles.
Good communication is not just the cornerstone of great marketing but also vital within one’s company and marketing department. Besides communicating clearly with senior staff and gaining their understanding and support of your marketing campaign, it’s also critical within your department.
Studies show that from generation X on, employees care a lot more about how their boss connects with them. They expect more collaboration and clarity in order to embrace the corporate mission. Remind yourself that these employees represent generations that sprinkle likes and comments in social media like you salt and pepper your entre.
Do’s:
Be clear about your goals and objectives while giving understandable and direct instructions. Be certain that employees comprehend your directives. One way to ensure mutual understanding is by asking your employees to recap what you charged them with just to be sure.
If no due date has been established, ask your employees to set one. This not only makes them accountable but also helps to set up a schedule for progress updates and reports. Keep the following in mind.
Don’t’s:
“You need to, you should and why don’t you” must be struck from your vocabulary. Be respectful, yet candid and clear.
Don’t postpone acting on any inappropriate actions or behavior. It can only intensify if tolerated and permitted to continue.
Feedback
Regular and continuous feedback, good and bad, are vital in ensuring good performance and even improved results in the future. This is where measurable goals and timelines are extremely handy.
Of course, be sure to praise employees where they’ve done excellent work, too. They appreciate knowing how they’ve contributed to the success of the overall plan.
Benefits
Collectively reaching a goal causes team members to be more motivated and driven to future success. A survey of 26,000 LinkedIn members reported that 73% who work at “purpose-driven” companies fell engaged. This was in contrast to 23% who don’t. The survey also found that 73% of respondents prefer careers where they know their work matters.
The feedback mentioned above is also important because satisfied team members will be more likely to remain with your company. Millennials make up the largest generation in our workforce today with 35%. That is expected to hit 75% by 2025. 40% of them say they’ll likely change jobs in two years if they’re unhappy or unsatisfied, an estimated cost of $3 billion to our economy.
Keeping your team informed with clear, open communications that supports, acknowledges and mentors them can help ensure a low team turnover rate and help propel you to continued success. And an excellent work environment also heightens your appeal should you need to fill new positions.