Let employees decide details
Some corporate decisions will allow more room for employee input than others. Even when the end goal is decided in the boardroom, you can give the rest of the company ownership by leaving the details up to them.
At KHS&S, the planning process starts at the beginning of the year when managers present their annual plans to the senior management team. Suder and the other executives do a broad check to make sure the plans are built on the right foundation of the company’s vision, philosophy and personality.
Then the managers take those outlines back to their departments, where the details are hammered out. Suder refers to this as a drill-down process as the plan moves from the philosophy stage to a certain office’s involvement to who must do what within that office to make the plan work.
“If you make people part of a process — as opposed to sending them out a memo saying, ‘We’re doing this,’ — if you allow people to participate in it, they’re bought in,” Suder says.
So if the executive team decides to open a new office, Suder doesn’t just announce the news, which might send employees running to the watercooler with rumors and speculation. He also explains why the company has decided on the change. And, most importantly, he requests a company meeting to discuss the details.
In that meeting, for example, employees will hash out how to set up the systems for the new office or who should go to the union.
“Take the speculation out of it,” Suder says. “Set the direction and let people participate in creating the result.”
Managers should constantly check progress against the goals throughout the year. KHS&S uses weekly project cost reports, monthly financial statements and feedback from clients on every job. But those aren’t just methods of measurement; they’re also opportunities to remind employees of the destination.
“Let them know what the direction is,” Suder says. “Let them know where you’re headed. Communicate to them often and then, through your management teams, continue that throughout the year.”
