| You, as a small-business owner may be managing an organization of one person or one with hundreds of employees. As the company grows, you may find yourself struggling with how to structure the group. Should you have self-directed teams? Everyone reporting to you? Team leaders? Department managers? The possibilities are endless, but the primary issue remains the same. How do you communicate effectively to every employee in your organization so that your business continues to grow and prosper? As a business owner, you should be familiar with your role as a leader and as a manager. What you may not be familiar with is how to use this knowledge with—not on—your employees. It is safe to assume that each person working for you has questions: What are your expectations? What are your priorities? What are you going to change? What does it mean to me? Since you don't want people wasting time wondering about these issues, it is important to communicate with all of your employees. Thus, you need to hold three separate, but equal, kinds of meetings: - A group meeting with those who report directly to you.
- One-on-one sessions with each direct report.
- A group meeting with all employees.
These meetings are for their benefit and for yours—theirs, because it will provide them with a look at how you manage the company, and yours, because this is how you will gain their commitment to the success of your business.  Meeting No. 1: Your Direct Reports As A Group
Five objectives should be to: 1. Show them who you are. Show yourself as a strong communicator capable of managing the diverse needs of the group, the customers and the organization. Tell your employees about your experience and background. Highlight the experience that led to your becoming a business owner. Talk about your management style. Explain how you see your interactions with them, including your own accessibility. Discuss your expectations. (People tend to get what they expect, so expect a lot.) Make them aware of your priorities and pet peeves. For example, if you prefer people to communicate with you via voice mail, as opposed to lengthy memos, tell them. Use the word "we" instead of "I" as often as possible. Warning: Many business owners make the mistake of wanting everyone to like them. This can result in making promises that cannot be kept. Never pretend you can be all things to all people. We don't have to like the people we work with to work effectively. You do, however, want them to respect you. 2. Reassure them of your awareness of any crisis or urgent issues. If there is a current crisis with employees or customers, be prepared to discuss your thoughts on the situation. Employees need to know what you are going to do about the turnover problem or the major account that was just lost. If you are not ready to make your intentions public, let them know you are aware of the issue, and ask them for their opinions. Think about the type of questions the employees could ask about anything, including layoffs, change in the structure, product information, raises, benefits, or anything else that might be at the forefront of their minds. If you do not know enough about a situation, do not bluff. Admit that you need more information, and say you will get back to them with an answer. 3. Communicate company priorities. Take this time to thank employees for their efforts. Mention some of the things that have been going well, giving credit to the people involved. Employees care about whatyou are going to do for them. Tell them. Tell them you will communicate on a regular basis, whether it is through meetings, memos, voice mail, e-mail, newsletters, videoconferencing, etc. Also, explain that communication is two-way—you expect them to tell you on a regular basis what is going on and what is important. You want to know what the problems are before or when they occur. 4. Inform them of any immediate changes that will affect the company or them. Some business owners think they should start making changes every time they read a new business book or because they think everyone else is following some new fad. Do not change for the sake of changing; be sure that change occurs for the right reasons. If you anticipate big changes, talk as much about them as you can. There are obviously some situations in which discretion and confidentiality must be maintained. But the grapevine already holds most of what you would discuss anyway, and you might as well be sure employees hear correct information. If you can dispel negative rumors, do so. 5. Solicit their opinions, and give the employees an opportunity to ask questions. This is a prime time to see what employees are thinking. Give them the opportunity to speak; solicit their opinions and ask for their feedback. Depending on what has been happening in the company, there might be more silence than dialogue. Therefore, have a couple of issues prepared to prompt them, since some people are reticent to speak. You could begin by asking, "What do you think about...?" Because you have prepared yourself, you can make this session invigorating, informative and meaningful for all. Be as candid as good sense allows. Observe the atmosphere at the meeting by looking for group dynamics and power struggles, noticing who participates and who doesn't. Pay attention to how they treat each other and what they identify as priorities. Meeting No. 2: Your Direct Reports One-On-One Getting to know your staff involves showing a thoughtful interest in each member as an individual with skills, talents and ideas, not just as a cog in your wheel. To gain the kind of respect and trust from your team that goes with being a business owner, start with learning about your individual direct reports and listening to what they tell you. You'll be surprised at how open some employees will be, but be prepared to hit the brakes if the talk veers off into uncharted territory. You don't want to share inappropriate personal information. Keep the discussion professional and pertinent to the job. Ask questions about their areas of responsibility, their development goals, and their career goals. Listen to what they say and then ask follow-up questions. Start a file on each direct report, and take notes for future reviews of their progress. Be sure to track any commitments you make to them. Some employees will be skeptical of a manager during this type of session. They may think it is your chance to look for something unfavorable. Their responses will be short, sweet, simple—nothing that could get them in trouble and nothing that gives you any insight. Don't push it. It's O.K. for now. Let them get to know you for awhile, and then they'll see this kind of communication is a normal part of your management style. After you have completed the one-on-one meetings and reviewed feedback received from the group, you should have an even better idea of: - The skill set of your direct reports.
- cheap hotel in BlankenbergeYour staff’s expectations. What they do and don’t want from you.
- Problems they are facing.
- Priorities for the company, your group and yourself.
- Development needs for your staff.
- Your staff’s career goals.
From these meetings you will be able to derive a pretty candid assessment of your group, its capabilities and whatever flashing "HAZARD" signs might be out there. At this point, you will have met your objectives of learning about your team and determining how you can use this information for the betterment of the company, the employees and yourself. Meeting No. 3: All Employees Following your meetings with your direct reports, your next move should be to hold an all-employee meeting as quickly as possible. Why after? Because the information from direct reports will prepare you for any issues or questions in front of your entire group. You should also know that information from your first meetings has trickled down so this will enable you to reinforce some key points you shared on those occasions. Your goals for this meeting are similar to those previously, but are portrayed in broader strokes, as appropriate for the size of your audience. Go back and review the five objectives from Meeting No. 1 so that you can prepare for interacting with all the people who can make or break your business. You may choose not to go into as much detail, but you, again, want to let people know who you are. Reassure them of your awareness of any crisis or urgent issues. Communicate company priorities. Inform them of any immediate changes that will affect the organization or them. Solicit their opinions, and give the employees an opportunity to ask questions. If the location of your employees prohibits one large meeting, schedule all the necessary meetings as quickly as possible. Avoid holding the first meeting in one location and delaying meetings in other sites. You don't want to inadvertently signal to people in those locations that they are not as important as the employees at the first session. Show all employees that they are important and that communication is one of your priorities. People follow leaders whom they respect and trust. By being visible, accessible, and willing to communicate (even during the rough times), your employees will be able to understand where they fit in your big picture. Once they feel that open and honest communication is part of how you manage your business, they will do whatever they can to make your company a success. That is, after all, why you do what you do. > See also: Management & Leadership | 
