Tip of the Week – Direction – Mar 4/24

Direction – what direction is your business headed in and is everyone on board? 

In business, it is important that your team or staff is heading in the direction that management and ownership is wanting to go in. 

However, there are many times that I have witnessed that everyone is going in a different direction – which will definitely not reach the same destination. 

I have used the following sayings many times when assessing companies: 

  • The train has left the station, everyone is on it, but then it goes off the rails somewhere along the line – people get out and instead of talking, just start walking off in different directions – creating a trail of chaos and questions behind them… 
  • The different departments are playing different sports – one department is playing hockey, another one soccer, another one curling, another one baseball, and some are playing tennis, etc.  You need all the players on your team playing the same sport to actually score the right points – if everyone is doing something different, not communicating with each other as needed, and off on their own journey, it will never come together.  It should never be a “Them and Us” situation – a team is a team – it should always be “We”. 
  • Did everyone get on the same bus, or did people choose to get on different busses to hopefully end up at the same place with their different ideas and competitive nature thinking they are better off completing things separately? 
  • Is your ship sinking and everybody is too busy discussing the hole in the ship instead of figuring out how to fix it together? 

There are many different ways of putting it, but the end result is the same – when people do not know the direction to go, they will go off on their own. 

Sometimes, people know the direction but want to do their own thing, which may not result in the same direction.  They take shortcuts assuming they will end up at the correct destination but they don’t… 

A huge key factor in all of this is having good, open, clear communication, so that everyone can be on the same page.  

Keeping the lines of communication between departments and people is a necessary strategy for the best outcome and result. 

Questions to Ponder: 

How is the communication in your workplace?  

Where do you fit into all of it? 

Do you know the direction that the company is going in? 

What does your situation look like? 

Are you a team?   

Do you feel like you are a part of it? 

If you are wanting some more ideas or assistance on this, please visit www.customizedbusinessessentials.com or contact   support@customizedbusinessessentials.com for more customized services. 

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