5 Simple Steps to Achieve and Maintain Organizational Clarity

Do you have Organizational Clarity? No, I do not mean that you have a plaque placed in your lobby that has your vision, mission and values ​​printed on it. Or that you have your vision, mission and values ​​published on your website for everyone to see. I’m talking about true Organizational Clarity where everyone in the organization, from the Cleaner to the CEO, from the Accountant to the Customer Service Representative, is on the same page and speaks the same language. It’s weirder than you think.

So how do you achieve this kind of clarity? Here are 5 simple steps to achieve and maintain Organizational Clarity.

1. Ask everyone in the organization to answer a simple question: What business are we in? You’ll be surprised at the variety of responses you’ll get. Based on the responses, create a common language that everyone in the organization can use to describe what you do (don’t make it salesy or complicated, just use plain language). Then share this common language with everyone in the organization.

2. Define why you exist as an organization. What is your purpose? Do you exist to make a difference, to make a profit, to make your customers happy? Many leadership teams never take the time to define their purpose. How can you define success if you don’t know why you exist or what your purpose is?

3. Create an organizational goal that is unrelated to standard operating goals. This goal should be one that everyone in the organization, regardless of role, can relate to and see how everyone can help achieve it. Too often, organizations hold all employees accountable to an organizational goal that is profit or productivity driven, and in most cases, the average employee does not have the ability to directly impact that outcome.

4. Define the roles and responsibilities of each individual within the organization in relation to the Standard Operating Objectives AND the Organizational Goal. Most employees want to be successful and want to see the organization they work for succeed. By linking their roles and responsibilities to both, they can easily see the direct impact their effort has.

5. Communicate frequently and openly. Fireside Chats are a great way for senior leaders within an organization to stay connected with the rest of the employees and for employees to stay connected with the progress of the company. Having a fixed 15-30 minute monthly meeting where anyone who is available can come and hear a senior leader from the organization update the team on progress and accomplishments is a perfect way to maintain clarity. It’s also a great opportunity to celebrate birthdays that occurred that month by sharing cake!

What do you think are the biggest obstacles to overcome to achieve Organizational Clarity in your business? We would love to hear from you.